VA - Hall Of Fame: Rare And Unissued Gems From The Fame Vaults
Release Date: April 30, 2012
Label: Kent Records (CDKEND 372)
Nearly two years after we began our initial excavation of the Rick Hall’s FAME Studios tape vault, our findings continue to enthral. So far we’ve brought you CDs of the complete FAME recordings of Spencer Wiggins, Candi Staton and Jimmy Hughes, the first of several volumes by George Jackson and a fantastic boxed set, as well as numerous vinyl treats. Now we’re reaching into the deepest corners of the FAME vaults for our first multi-artist scoop of rare and precious soul, part of an ongoing series we call “Hall Of Fame”.
The series will focus primarily on unreleased gems from the studio’s vaults, but will also make room for unreissued sides along the way. Most recordings are finished masters, although we will also be including some demos to give the listener a glimpse behind the scenes at Avalon Avenue. Many will be early recordings of acknowledged classics, as is the case here with Clarence Carter’s demos of ‘Tell Daddy’ and ‘Too Weak To Fight’.
The quality is never less than first-rate and is really quite staggering at times. Even allowing for the vast quantity of great Southern soul that was around at the time, it beggars belief that Rick Hall was unable to find takers for so many great performances – many of them proving to be more than a match for any of FAME’s readily acknowledged classics.
Many of FAME’s major players get a look-in on our series debut. Numerous of the songs will be familiar to collectors in recordings by others who plied their trade at the studio, but the versions here are mostly previously unheard by anyone other than those who participated in the sessions.
The CD abounds with highlights. I’d like to give an especially big hand for Ralph “Soul” Jackson’s fantastic take on Jimmy Hughes’ ‘You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy’ and for Jimmy’s own riveting version of Etta James’ ‘I Worship The Ground You Walk On’. I’d also like to commend June Conquest’s Motown-style rendition of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham’s ‘I Do’ and Prince Phillip Mitchell’s chunky remake of James Barnett’s ‘Keep On Talking’ – one of only three tracks on here to have been previously issued in any format. But really I can recommend literally everything on a CD for which the phrase “all killer, no filler” could have been coined. --Tony Rounce, Ace Records
Hall of Fame: Rare and Unissued Gems from the Fame Vaults continues from not only the Fame Studios Story box set, but 2011’s Don’t Count Me Out: The Fame Recordings compilation from songwriter and artist George Jackson. That anthology presented a number of Jackson’s previously-unissued versions of the songs he wrote for artists including Wilson Pickett, Candi Staton, Jimmy Hughes and Clarence Carter. Of the 24 tracks on Hall of Fame, all but three are previously unreleased. Tony Rounce again provides liner notes, and he indicates that this new series will “focus on the darker corners of the company’s tape vaults” with plenty of rare Muscle Shoals soul.
Some of these songs are so rare that their songwriters or even performers are unknown. But what we do know is that seven songs come from the pen of legendary songwriter Spooner Oldham, six with his most famed partner Dan Penn. Another two songs come from Penn’s collaboration with Donnie Fritts. The Penn and Oldham songbook, including such staples as “I’m Your Puppet” and “Cry Like a Baby,” was anthologized by Ace in early 2011 as Sweet Inspiration: The Songs of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. The Ace team also revisits the catalogue of Jimmy Hughes, whose 1962-1970 oeuvre has been compiled on three albums from Ace/Kent. The previously-missing “Steal Away Pt. 1” from Hughes’ 1967 remake of his 1964 hit makes its first CD appearance as does his take on Penn and Oldham’s “I Worship the Ground You Walk On.” Joe Simon scored hits from locales including Nashville and Philadelphia, but it was Chicago’s Vee-Jay label that sent him to Muscle Shoals; Penn and Fritts’ “When It Comes to Dancing” makes its debut from those sessions. For those interested in the process of making a record, Hall of Fame has premiered two early, work-in-progress takes from Clarence Carter of “Tell Daddy” and “Too Weak to Fight.” An unusual George Jackson recording also makes its debut. The prolific songwriter and artist’s “For You” was recorded at his home studio rather than at Fame, but has been included here to give Jackson his fair representation in the series! --Joe Marchese, The Second Disc
Track Listing:
1. You're So Fine - James Barnett
2. I Worship The Ground You Walk On - Jimmy Hughes
3. I Do - June Conquest
4. Blind Can't See - Richard Earl & The Corvettes
5. Tell It Like It Is - Big Ben Atkins
6. Almost Persuaded - Jackie
7. When It Comes To Dancing - Joe Simon
8. It Ain't No Harm - George Byrd & The Dominoes
9. Keep On Talking - Prince Phillip
10. I Need Someone (Demo) - The Entertainers
11. Hand Shakin' - Ben & Spence
12. Meet Me Tonight - James Gilreath
13. Tell Daddy (Demo) - Clarence Carter
14. You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy - Ralph "Soul" Jackson
15. Steal Away '67 (Part 1) - Jimmy Hughes
16. I'm Qualified - Otis Clay
17. In The Heat Of Love - Marjorie Ingram
18. Love Changes A Man - Unknown Male
19. Too Weak To Fight (Demo) - Clarence Carter
20. Your Helping Hand (Demo)- Otis Clay
21. Two Big Legs And A Short Red Dress - O.B. Mcclinton
22. Baby Come Back - Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces
23. Let's Do It Over - Travis Wammack
24. For You (Home Demo) - George Jackson
Kent digs deep, deep in the vaults at FAME!
Personal picks: You're So Fine - James Barnett, When It Comes To Dancing - Joe Simon, It Ain't No Harm - George Byrd & The Dominoes, Steal Away '67 (Part 1) - Jimmy Hughes and Two Big Legs And A Short Red Dress - O.B. Mcclinton.
Enjoy!