If SOTW did a rhythm and blues compilation...

[Rob Hall]

Another one for the comp: "I Can't Stand It" by The Soul Sisters

Great stuff. Didn't we once have a thread on trombone solos? This song should have been at the top of the list.

[Dayna]

There is a song I used to hear my Mom play all the time when I was a kid. I liked it a lot It was rare & called Nothing But A Heartache. Wikipedia says, it was by The Flirtations, but it doesn't seem right.

[Gordon Neill]

My imaginary record company has decided that the compilation will be titled 'Unsung Heroes of Rhythm & Blues'. Another couple of tracks have been added:
'Don't Let It Be In Vain' Five Royales. A medium paced song that features a blistering guitar solo.
'Walking By Myself' Jimmy Rogers. This has 'hit' written all over it. But was it?

[NormanD]

'Walking By Myself' Jimmy Rogers. This has 'hit' written all over it. But was it?

Dunno if it charted, I suspect it did. It was often included on Chess label blues compilations (I've got it on a couple), so would that fit your high criteria? You can even buy the sheet music, where it's described as a "Bright walking blues": http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0516719/details.html you can learn the first few bars

[Gordon Neill]

Aaargh! You're right, Norman. I've found myself scraping the top of the barrel. It's a great track, but it probably is too well known.

[DavidM]

Gordon Neill wrote;

I've managed to hear a few of the suggestions made by other Forumistas

Please, Gordon, how did you manage that ? Are you pulling up these tracks on the Web ? Where should I be looking ?

As someone who recognizes some of the artists names mentioned in this thread, but knows almost none of the songs, I'd love to be able to hear all of them. Is there a kind of R&B Wikipedia out there ? Can we create a kind of library of all this stuff ? (Perhaps this is a question for Charlie.)

[Gordon Neill]

DavidM pleaded:

Please, Gordon, how did you manage that ? Are you pulling up these tracks on the Web ? Where should I be looking ?

Some of them I've actually bought on CD. No, really. Some of them were supplied by friends. I didn't like to ask too many questions, possibly they mugged a few nerds and took their valuables. The less I know the better.

One site that I would recommend is The Hound, a collection of tracklists (and tracks!) from some radio show of the 80's. From memory, it tends more to the rockabilly / hillbilly side of things but it also has lots of blues and R&B.

http://thehound.net/

[DavidM]

Some of them I've actually bought on CD. No, really.

But... but...but.... I mean, music's a fine thing, and all that .... but cash money.... well, I don't know

(But seriously folks, thanks Gordon for the tip. It means spending even more time in front of the computer, but clearly that's the way to go. Once apon a time one might have hoped to find this stuff on the radio, but ,alas, not where I am now (Italy). There's a good song/narrative by the Texas musician Steve James where he dreams about hearing all the great songs, like those mentioned in this thread, on the AM radio in a cherry red Ford with a V8 motor. Those days are gone.)

P.S. The song is "Change" from the album American Primitive. It's the only recording by him I've heard, but I think it's a good one.

[Gordon Neill]

David, I've sent you a Personal Message with another suggestion.

[Rob Hall]

I recently came across a reference to a 4-CD set called "The History Of Rhythm & Blues Part 1, 1925-1942". Intrigued by the reference, I found the website (www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk) and contacted the compiler (Nick Duckett) direct to get hold of a copy. It's a fantastic survey of black American music of the period - lots of obscurities and a few old favourites. It takes in country blues, spirituals, jug bands, boogie woogie, ragtime, jazz and jive and is clearly a labour of love on the part of Nick, who also provides informative notes to each song. There are lots of rhythm and blues collections on the market, and I have a fair few of them on my shelves, but this is one of the best I've seen. It's well worth hunting down a copy. It sells for around £20 in shops, but Nick is advertising it at £14.99 on his website.

(A word of warning: the website is best regarded as a work in progress and the Paypal link wasn't working when I tried it, which is why I contacted the man directly. Also, the production values on the packaging leave something to be desired, and my copy has what appears to be a mastering glitch* on one track. But, for me, these are very minor problems when you consider the wealth of great music that you get for your money.)

(* = Credit to Mr Duckett, I've just found this note on his website:

"Sound Quality

The poor quality of original blues masters means that there is considerable background noise on some recordings, particularly on discs produced by the Paramount label. One track, Louie Lasky's Teasin Brown Blues is especially poor. A new mastering engineer has been asked to try and eliminate some of the extraneous noise on this track and others. If any customers would like a complimentary copy of the new disc with the enhanced version of this track, they are requested to contact us by email leaving their full postal address. Compare the results and I’m sure you will be impressed with what he has done. Let us know what you think.")

[Ted]

Have a look on Spotify for an album called "Rare 78 RPM Rhythm and Blues Cuts".

[judith]

Ted, do you mind if I put this on Leon's Spotify Finds thread so I can remember it?

[Ted]

Go ahead - I'd do it myself if my eccentric computing apparatus permitted.

[Rob Hall]

Thanks for the pointer Ted, I've found it for sale via iTunes. 88 tracks for £8.99: not a bad deal. I'm about a dozen tracks in and loving it.