Various Artists - Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974 (1991)

BOX SET MONTH (MAY, 2015)

8 CDs, 203 tracks documenting the evolution of R&B as evidenced on the seminal Atlantic label. Fantastic booklet included with biographies of every artist and documentation of every recording session represented here. When originally released back in the mid '80s on vinyl and cassette, I had a copy of the most excellent Volume 6 on cassette. I waffled for many years about buying this full set, but I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger. Essential.

I like the early volumes good enough, but for me, things really start cooking in the later volumes.

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VOLUME ONE
26 tracks, 76 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B
Lowe Groovin'	Joe Morris	1947
That Old Black Magic	Tiny Grimes	1947
Annie Laurie	Tiny Grimes	1948
Midnight Special	Tiny Grimes	1948	12
The Applejack	Joe Morris	1948
Cole Slaw	Frank Culley	1949	11
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee	Stick McGhee	1949	2
So Long	Ruth Brown	1949	4
I'll Get Along Somehow	Ruth Brown	1949
Hey Little Girl	Professor Longhair	1949
Mardi Gras In New Orleans	Professor Longhair	1949
Tee-nah-nah	Harry Van Walls	1950
Danny Boy	Al Hibbler	1950	9
Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere	Joe Morris	1950
Teardrops From My Eyes	Ruth Brown	1950	1
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show	Stick McGhee	1950
Don't You Know I Love You	The Clovers	1951	1
Shouldn't I Know	The Cardinals	1951	7
The Chill Is On	Joe Turner	1951	3
Chains Of Love	Joe Turner	1951	2
Fool, Fool, Fool	The Clovers	1951	1
One Mint Julep	The Clovers	1951	2
Wheel Of Fortune	The Cardinals	1951	6
Sweet Sixteen	Joe Turner	1952	3
5-10-15 Hours	Ruth Brown	1952	1
Gator's Groove	Willis Jackson	1952

To be honest, I was unfamiliar with many of the artists on this volume until purchasing this set. Mostly instrumental, these tracks are almost all based on the typical blues chord progression (not that there's anything wrong with that), but you can see the jazz and gospel influences beginning to take root and a standard instrumentation developing. Some of the lyrics are very suggestive; my parents were most likely forbidden to listen to this music when they were in jr. high and high school.

My favorite tracks are from Tiny Grimes, Stick McGhee, and The Clovers.

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VOLUME TWO
26 tracks, 74 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Ting-A-Ling	The Clovers	1952	1
Daddy Daddy	Ruth Brown	1952	3
The Midnight Hour	Ray Charles	1952
A Beggar For Your Kisses	The Diamonds	1952
Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean	Ruth Brown	1952	1
Good Lovin'	The Clovers	1953	2
Wild Wild Young Men	Ruth Brown	1953	3
Mess Around	Ray Charles	1953
Honey Hush	Joe Turner	1953	1
Soul On Fire	LaVern Baker	1953
Money Honey	Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters	1953	1
Lovey Dovey	The Clovers	1953	2
Such A Night	Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters	1953	2
Tipitina	Professor Longhair	1953
White Christmas	Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters	1954	2	80
Honey Love	Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters	1954	1
Whatcha Gonna Do?	Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters	1954	2
Shake Rattle & Roll	Joe Turner	1954	1
Sh-Boom	The Chords	1954	2
Oh What A Dream	Ruth Brown	1954	1
Jam Up	Tommy Ridgley	1954
After The Lights Go Down Low	Al Hibler	1954
Tomorrow Night	LaVern Baker	1954
Tweedle Dee	LaVern Baker	1955
I Got A Woman	Ray Charles	1954	1
Greenbacks	Ray Charles	1955	5

These tracks, from the early '50s, include more interesting chord progressions and the switch in emphasis from big band arrangements to sophisticated background vocal harmonies. Lots of stride piano and sax solos - I love both. There's also a subtle move from swing style to more of a backbeat. Atlantic was beginning to see some chart success and, as a result, I had heard of many of these songs on oldies stations or other compilations before purchasing these discs. Some are simply classics: Mess Around, Shake Rattle And Roll, Sh-Boom, I Got A Woman, to name a few. While all the artists are worthy of mention, I'm going to single out The Drifters and Ray Charles simply because their music was popular yet kept the genre moving forward.

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VOLUME THREE
28 tracks, 75 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
The Door Is Still Open	The Cardinals	1955
Flip Flop And Fly	Joe Turner	1955	2
A Fool For You	Ray Charles	1955	1
This Little Girl Of Mine	Ray Charles	1955	9
Play It Fair	LaVern Baker	1955	2
Adorable	The Drifters	1955	1
Smokey Joe's Cafe	The Robins	1955	10	79
Ruby Baby	The Drifters	1956	10
In Paradise	The Cookies	1956	9
The Chicken And The Hawk	Joe Turner	1956	7
Devil Or Angel	The Clovers	1956	3
Drown In My Own Tears	Ray Charles	1956	1
Hallelujah, I Love Her So	Ray Charles	1956	5
Jim Dandy	LaVern Baker	1956	1	17
Down In Mexico	The Coasters	1956	8
Corrine Corrina	Joe Turner	1956	2	41
Treasure Of Love	Clyde McPhatter	1956	1	16
Love, Love, Love	The Clovers	1956	4	30
It's Too Late	Chuck Willis	1956	3
Lonely Avenue	Ray Charles	1956	6
Since I Met You Baby	Ivory Joe Hunter	1956	1	12
Lucky Lips	Ruth Brown	1957	6	25
Without Love (There Is Nothing)	Clyde McPhatter	1957	4	19
Fools Fall In Love	The Drifters	1957	10	69
Midnight Special Train	Joe Turner	1957
Empty Arms	Ivory Joe Hunter	1957	2	43
C.C. Rider	Chuck Willis	1957	1	12
Searchin'	The Coasters	1957	1	3

With this disc, we're given a healthy dose of love songs, Ray Charles, Leiber & Stoller, Joe Turner, and sax solos. And that's fine with me. There's also more electric guitar than previously heard in this set. Also, songwriter Doc Pomus makes an appearance as well as the Cookies, which marks the first appearance of a female vocal group in the series.

My favorite tracks are Flip Flop And Fly, Ruby Baby, Devil Or Angel, Hallelujah I Love Her So, Jim Dandy, and Lonely Avenue.

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VOLUME FOUR
27 tracks, 73 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Young Blood	The Coasters	1957	1	8
Mr. Lee	The Bobbettes	1957	1	6
Long Lonely Nights	Clyde McPhatter	1957	1	49
Betty And Dupree	Chuck Willis	1957	15	33
What Am I Livin' For?	Chuck Willis	1958	1	9
Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes	Chuck Willis	1958	9	24
Yakety Yak	The Coasters	1958	1	1
A Lover's Question	Clyde McPhatter	1958	1	6
I Cried A Tear	LaVern Baker	1958	2	6
The Right Time	Ray Charles	1958	5	95
Charlie Brown	The Coasters	1958	2	2
What'd I Say (Parts 1 & 2)	Ray Charles	1959	1	6
There Goes My Baby	The Drifters	1959	1	2
Along Came Jones	The Coasters	1959	14	9
Let The Good Times Roll	Ray Charles	1959		78
Poison Ivy	The Coasters	1959	1	7
Dance With Me	The Drifters	1959	2	15
Just For A Thrill	Ray Charles	1959	16
This Magic Moment	The Drifters	1959	4	16
Save The Last Dance For Me	The Drifters	1960	1	1
Shoppin' For Clothes	The Coasters	1960		83
Spanish Harlem	Ben E. King	1960	15	10
Young Boy Blues	Ben E. King	1960		66
Stand By Me	Ben E. King	1961	1	4
Gee Whiz	Carla Thomas	1961	5	10
Saved	LaVern Baker	1960	17	37
Just Out Of Reach	Solomon Burke	1960	7	24

Most of these tracks come from Atlantic's biggest artists of the time, The Coasters, The Drifters, Ben E. King, and, of course, Ray Charles. We also are treated to the first appearances of Carla Thomas and the "King of Rock 'n' Soul" Solomon Burke. Not as many sax solos and chord progressions are slowly leaving the blues based I-IV-I-V-IV-I to the classic RnR progression I-vi-IV-V-I.

Favorites include The Night Time Is The Right Time, Charlie Brown, What'd I Say, This Magic Moment, Spanish Harlem, and Gee Whiz.

And I sing the opening lines of Yakety Yak every Monday morning as I roll my trash to the curb.

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VOLUME FIVE
27 tracks, 74 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Little Egypt	The Coasters	1961	16	23
Amor	Ben E. King	1961	10	18
Last Night	The Mar-Keys	1961	2	3
I'm Blue	The Ikettes	1961	3	19
You Don't Miss Your Water	William Bell	1961		95
I Found A Love	The Falcons	1961	6	75
Cry To Me	Solomon Burke	1961	5	44
Don't Play That Song (You Lied)	Ben E. King	1962	2	11
Green Onions	Booker T. & The MGs	1962	1	3
Up On The Roof	The Drifters	1962	4	5
See See Rider	LaVern Baker	1962	9	34
I (Who Have Nothing)	Ben E. King	1963	16	29
If You Need Me	Solomon Burke	1963	2	37
These Arms Of Mine	Otis Redding	1962	20	85
Hello Stranger	Barbara Lewis	1963	1	3
On Broadway	The Drifters	1963	7	9
Just One Look	Doris Troy	1963	3	10
Mashed Potatoes	Nat Kendricks & The Swans	1960	8	84
Land Of 1000 Dances	Chris Kenner	1963		77
Walking The Dog	Rufus Thomas	1963	4	10
Release Me	Esther Phillips	1962	1	8
Mercy, Mercy	Don Covay	1964	1	35
Under The Boardwalk	The Drifters	1964	1	4
And I Love Him	Esther Phillips	1964	11	54
Hold What You've Got	Joe Tex	1964	1	5
Mr. Pitiful	Otis Redding	1964	10	41
Baby I'm Yours	Barbara Lewis	1965	5	11

And as we move into the latter half of this set, we reach the STAX stuff and I'm in heaven. So much good stuff here. Now we get to hear Otis Redding, Booker T. & The MG's, The Mar-Keys, Joe Tex, and Rufus Thomas.  All this plus a Beatles cover!

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VOLUME SIX
27 tracks, 75 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Teasin' You	Willie Tee	1965	12	97
Got To Get You Off My Mind	Solomon Burke	1965	1	22
I Want To Do Everything For You	Joe Tex	1965	1	23
I've Been Loving You Too Long	Otis Redding	1965	2	21
A Sweet Woman Like You	Joe Tex	1965	1	29
In The Midnight Hour	Wilson Pickett	1965	1	21
See-Saw	Don Covay	1965	5	44
Respect	Otis Redding	1965	4	35
You Don't Know Like I Know	Sam & Dave	1965	7	90
When A Man Loves A Woman	Percy Sledge	1966	1	1
634-5789	Wilson Pickett	1966	1	13
Hold On, I'm Comin'	Sam & Dave	1966	1	21
Cool Jerk	The Capitols	1966	2	7
Neighbor, Neighbor	Jimmy Hughes	1966	4	65
Land of 1000 Dances	Wilson Pickett	1966	1	6
Knock On Wood	Eddie Floyd	1966	1	28
Try A Little Tenderness	Otis Redding	1967	4	25
Mustang Sally	Wilson Pickett	1966	6	23
When Something Is Wrong With My Baby	Sam & Dave	1967	2	42
Sweet Soul Music	Arthur Conley	1967	2	2
I Never Loved A Man	Aretha Franklin	1967	1	9
Do Right Woman - Do Right Man	Aretha Franklin	1967	37
Show Me	Joe Tex	1967	24	35
Tramp	Otis & Carla	1967	2	26
Funky Broadway	Wilson Pickett	1967	1	8
Hip Hug Her	Booker T. & The MG's	1967	6	37
Soul Man	Sam & Dave	1967	1	2

The last three discs of this set make it one of the best box sets available. All of this good southern soul music in one spot. Not enough superlatives to go around. With the exception of the underrated Cool Jerk by The Capitols and Solomon Burke's epic shuffle Got To Get You Off My Mind, every track on this disc was recorded in the American South, mostly in Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Near the end of the disc, The Queen Of Soul makes her first appearance before rightfully dominating the remainder of the box. Let the singalong/dance-off commence. I'll consider this the best disc in the set, but that designation might only last until I put in the next disc.

I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to recommend Peter Guralnick's book, Sweet Soul Music, a fantastic history of '60s soul music.

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VOLUME SEVEN
22 tracks, 74 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Respect	Aretha Franklin	1967	1	1
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman	Aretha Franklin	1968	2	8
Soul Finger	The Bar-Keys	1967	3	17
Baby I Love You	Aretha Franklin	1967	1	4
Skinny Legs And All	Joe Tex	1967	2	10
Chain Of Fools	Aretha Franklin	1967	1	2
I'm In Love	Wilson Pickett	1967	4	45
Memphis Soul Stew	King Curtis	1967	6	33
Since You've Been Gone	Aretha Franklin	1968	1	5
(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay	Otis Redding	1968	1	1
Tighten Up	Archie Bell & The Drells	1968	1	1
Slip Away	Clarence Carter	1968	2	6
Think	Aretha Franklin	1968	1	7
Too Weak To Fight	Clarence Carter	1968	3	13
Can I Change My Mind	Tyrone Davis	1968	1	5
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Roberta Flack	1969	4	1
Take A Letter, Maria	R.B. Greaves	1969	10	2
Rainy Night In Georgia	Brook Benton	1969	1	4
The Ghetto	Donny Hathaway	1969	23	87
Turn Back The Hands Of Time	Tyrone Davis	1970	1	3
Compared To What	Les McCann & Eddie Harris	1969	35	85
Call Me	Aretha Franklin	1970	1	13

See above.

If you wanted a primer on '60s R&B, you could do worse that volumes 6 & 7 of this set. It certainly worked for me in the '80s.

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VOLUME EIGHT
20 tracks, 74 minutes

Song	Artist	Year	R&B	Pop
Don't Play That Song (You Lied)	Aretha Franklin	1970	1	11
Precious Precious	Jackie Moore	1970	12	30
Groove Me	King Floyd	1970	1	6
Patches	Clarence Carter	1970	2	4
Don't Knock My Love (Part 1)	Wilson Pickett	1971	1	13
Funky Nassau (Parts 1 & 2)	Beginning Of The End	1970	7	15
Thin Line Between Love And Hate	The Persuaders	1971	1	15
Rock Steady	Aretha Franklin	1971	2	9
Day Dreamin'	Aretha Franklin	1971	1	5
You've Got A Friend	Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway	1971	8	29
Clean Up Woman	Betty Wright	1971	2	6
Could It Be I'm Falling In Love	The Spinners	1972	1	4
Killing Me Softly With His Song	Roberta Flack	1972	2	1
Where Is The Love?	Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway	1971	1	5
I'll Be Around	The Spinners	1972	1	3
Feel Like Makin' Love	Roberta Flack	1973	1	1
One Of A Kind	The Spinners	1973	1	11
Sideshow	Blue Magic	1973	1	8
Mighty Love	The Spinners	1973	1	20
Love Won't Let Me Wait	Major Harris	1974	1	5

And the set finishes strong as it slowly moves from funky R&B to smoother, slower soul music.  So this volume differs a bit from the previous seven, but there's plenty to like about it.

Favorites include Groove Me, Rock Steady, Where Is The Love, Feel Like Makin' Love, all The Spinners' tunes, and one of the all-time great slow jams, Love Won't Let Me Wait.

From the liner notes. Click to enlarge.