Lost Without You: The Best Of Kent Ballads 2 Various Artists (Kent)

£12.56

Genre:
60s Soul
Label:
Kent
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDKEND 439

60s and 70s soul ballads of the very highest quality from across the USA. Many unreleased treasures.

The “Best Of Kent Ballads” CD series covers the whole of the soul era and most genres. This volume has a particularly impressive 20-year span, ranging from the mournful New Orleans-recorded Turquinettes’ 1962 track to the early 80s quiet-storm groove of Jimmys Scott’s ‘Sure Thing’ enhanced by electronic instrumentation. Further contrast comes from the sophisticated orchestration of Lorraine Chandler’s title track, representative of the northern USA cities’ approach to recording a slower number, and the sparser raw-gut emotion of Joe Mayfield’s ‘How’s Things With You’, typical soul from the south.

There are 10 recordings that failed to make it to vinyl, several of which are of such quality they could easily have been R&B hits. The Turn Arounds’ stunning ‘Stay Away’ is a classic soul recording while ‘Apartment #9’ by Little Johnny Hamilton is as intense and raw a blues ballad as will ever be heard. Other previously unissued tracks include Peggy Gaines’ bittersweet vocals on ‘Everybody Knows’, a Bob Holmes’ Nashville production from the mid-60s, and Julius Wright’s Florida-cut ‘Lonely Girl’.

Some of the issued singles featured aren’t easy to pick up. Eddie Parker’s ‘Crying Clown’, in particular, fetches $10,000 for an original in good nick. You could knock a zero off that for Eddie Whitehead’s ‘Give This Fool Another Chance’ and still be skint, or just enjoy it from the master tape here. But it’s quality rather than rarity that qualifies a track for this series. The Lee Williams and John Edwards 45s both charted, while the Lou Johnson, Wanderers and Dori Grayson are easy to pick up on original but wonderful to hear in this quality and context.

Eddie Parker’s tour-de-force comes from the same Detroit stable as Lorraine Chandler’s superb cover of Teddy Randazzo’s ‘Lost Without You’; both have superlative and probably very costly arrangements. Southern soul fans are served with previously unheard finished Excello masters from Jerry Washington and the Exotics, whose ‘Nobody But You’ is far superior to their released tracks. Big city soul is represented by the Wanderers’ ‘After He Breaks Your Heart’, recorded in NYC, and June Jackson’s ‘Don’t Let Her Make You Cry’, which emanated from Los Angeles with a similarly resplendent production.

Ady Croasdell

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Stay Away - The Turn Arounds

  • 02 Preview I Don't Need Nobody - Jerry Washington

  • 03 Preview I Love You More - Lee Williams & The Cymbals

  • 04 Preview Lost Without You - Lorraine Chandler

  • 05 Preview Don't Let Her Make You Cry - J.J. Jackson & The Jackaels

  • 06 Preview After He Breaks Your Heart - The Wanderers

  • 07 Preview Lonely Girl - Julius Wright

  • 08 Preview Nobody But You - The Exotics

  • 09 Preview Apartment # 9 - Little Johnny Hamilton

  • 10 Preview I Can Fix That For You - Dori Grayson

  • 11 Preview Everybody Knows - Peggy Gaines

  • 12 Preview I Give A Damn - Johnny Watson

  • 13 Preview Crying Clown - Eddie Parker

  • 14 Preview Messing Up A Good Thing - John Edwards

  • 15 Preview Sure Thing - Jimmy Scott

  • 16 Preview Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight - Ty Karim

  • 17 Preview Heaven's Will (Must Be Obeyed) - Alice Clark

  • 18 Preview How's Things With You - Joe Mayfield

  • 19 Preview King For A Day - Danny White

  • 20 Preview The Last One To Be Loved - Lou Johnson

  • 21 Preview Give This Fool Another Chance - Eddie Whitehead

  • 22 Preview Lonely Man - The Soul Brothers

  • 23 Preview Take Another Look - The Turquinettes

  • 24 Preview The Price - Mary Love Comer

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

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You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

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