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Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Trailblazer (1957)

Track listing:
  1. The Big Question Kings Of Rhythm 2:20
  2. One More Time Billy Gayles 2:53
  3. The Mistreater Jackie Brenston 2:14
  4. No Coming Back Billy Gayles 2:39
  5. You Found The Time The Gardenias 2:18
  6. She Made My Blood Run Cold Kings Of Rhythm 2:21
  7. I'm Tore Up Billy Gayles 2:22
  8. Trail Blazer Kings Of Rhythm 2:34
  9. You've Changed My Love Kings Of Rhythm 2:21
  10. Let's Call It A Day Billy Gayles 2:27
  11. Much Later Jackie Brenston 2:16
  12. Miserable The Gardenias 2:31
  13. Do You Mean It Kings Of Rhythm 2:19
  14. Gonna Wait For My Chance Jackie Brenston 2:10
  15. If I Had Never Known You Billy Gayles 2:31
  16. Rock-A-Bucket Kings Of Rhythm 2:24
  17. Sad As A Man Can Be Billy Gayles 2:08
  18. What Can It Be Jackie Brenston 2:24
  19. Do Right Baby Billy Gayles 2:10
  20. You've Changed My Love (alternate) Kings Of Rhythm 2:31
  21. My Baby's Tops The Gardenias 2:27
  22. Take Your Fine Frame Home Billy Gayles 2:24

Notes

During 1956 and early 1957, Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm recorded for the Cincinnati-based Federal label — the group's personnel included Raymond Hill and Eddie Jones on tenor sax, Jackie Brenston on baritone sax, Annie Mae Wilson and Fred Sample on piano, Jessie Knight Jr. on bass, Eugene Washington on drums, and Turner on guitar, with vocalists including Brenston and Billy Gayles. This is some of the most solid material in Turner's output, with a rich, soulful sound, more polished than most of the group's output on Cobra. Some of the music is derivative — in seeking chart success, the group at various times sought to emulate the Coasters, Bill Justis, et al., but they almost always put their own spin on these numbers. Billy Gayles' impassioned vocals on "No Coming Back," Jackie Brenston's boisterous rendition of "The Mistreater," and the rest are all worth the price of admission, which is fairly low on this mid-priced import — but, surprisingly, some of the best stuff on here is by the Kings of Rhythm backing the vocal group the Gardenias ("Miserable," one of the best tracks among these 20, remained unreleased until 1991). And the real treat here is Turner's guitar pyrotechnics. He could strum along like most band guitarists, and occasionally did this, but he preferred to step out front and, having discovered the use of the tremelo arm on his guitar, he fairly tortures the instrument on several of these sides (check out the break on "No Comin' Back," and his accompaniment on "She Made My Blood Run Cold," itself an R&B track deserving of legendary status), and even gets a Hawaiian sound out of his instrument on "Trail Blazer." Fans of rock & roll guitar must own this record.