Atlantic Rhythm & Blues 1947-1974 Box Set

For this week’s edition of Tuesday’s Tunes, I dig deep into my CD collection and pull out this gem:

Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974 cover Atlantic Rhythm & Blues: 1947-1974 Box Set
8 CDs

I remember I purchased this collection at least 15 years ago when receiving money from taxes could go to such frivolous things. Not too far out of college, I was living with my parents at the time and thought receiving a tax refund of $500 or so was pretty cool, so I purchased a boxload of CDs from Rhino Records, including this set, which I didn’t really know much about it. However, I wanted to learn more about that kind of music: rhythm & blues, and I thought this would be a good place to start.

Other CDs I bought that spring included:

The Sun Story — a collection from Sun Records, featuring early Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison
The Best of George Jones: 1955-1967
The Disco Years: Vol 1: Turn The Beat Around
The Best of K.C. & the Sunshine Band
In Yo’ Face: The History of Funk, Vol.1
a Jimmie Rodgers collection, which I can’t remember the name of right now

But the big purchase, which I received for under $100, and was quite a bargain at the time, was this collection, and it wasn’t a good place to start to explore classic rhythm and blues. No, it wasn’t good at all. In fact, it was a great place to start.

Disc 1: This one is probably my least favorite, but that’s probably because I’m not as familiar with the music from this era as I am with the rest. However, the Clovers’ “One Mint Julep” and Stick McGhee’s “Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” are the stand-outs here for me, and we are introduced to Ruth Brown.

Disc 2: Here, we have more Ruth Brown, and then Ray Charles and Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, one of the many incarnations of The Drifters over the years. McPhatter later would go out on his own and is featured on other discs in this collection.

Disc 3: This is where the real classics begin, in my opinion, with the introduction of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” by The Robins and then The Coasters, whose connection not only was founder of the Coasters, Carl Gardner, but also the incredible song-writing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Leiber and Stoller penned such Coasters’ classics as “Down In Mexico” and “Searchin’,” both of which are featured on this disc.

Disc 4: And this is where the collection begins to get on a roll, with the likes of Chuck Willis and Clyde McPhatter to start. But then kicks in “The Right Time” by Ray Charles, made famous on The Cosby Show, and then “What I’d Say, Parts 1 and 2,” also by Charles. As if that wasn’t enough for one disc, the Drifters contribute “Dance with Me,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me”. But wait, there’s more with Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and Lavern Baker’s “Saved.”

Disc 5: This disc not only continues the roll, but takes it to a completely another level with what to me is the best song on the entire collection, “You Don’t Miss Your Water” by William Bell. Of course, that’s not all, with Solomon Burke’s “Cry To Me,” King’s “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” and Don Covay’s “Mercy Mercy,” later done by The Rolling Stones. And, oh, just thrown in for good measure, another artist I had never heard of, Joe Tex with “Hold What You’ve Got,” which is a scorcher.

Disc 6:Here comes more Joe Tex and then Otis Redding with “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and Wilson Pickett with “In the Midnight Hour” and, of course, “Mustang Sally.”

Disc 7: Aretha tops this disc, but the stand-out tracks here are Clarence Carter’s “Slip Away” and “Too Weak To Fight,” and Les McCann and Eddie Harris’ “Compared to What,” which is on the jazzy side, but is amazing.

Disc 8: The collection cools down with a good helping of The Spinners, famous for “Mighty Love” and “Could It Be I’m Fallin’ In Love,” included here. King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and the Persuaders’ “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” are other highlights.

I still play this collection regularly on our iPod in the car, and on our computer at home. Every time I listen to songs from it, it gives me chills. It’s that good.

Oh, weird thing: if you’re looking for at Rhino, they don’t sell it, but I’m sure if you surf the Net, you can find it. Whatever the cost, it’s worth the purchase.

And now through the magic of YouTube, I bring you a few of these great artists — well, in one case, not exactly, but hey, it’s still classic: