Vocalists — All Formats  

A treasure trove of rare work by Lee Hazelwood – tracks recorded in the last 25 years of the 20th Century, but unissued until this beautiful compilation! Much of the material has the feel of Hazelwood's albums from the late 60s and early 70s – a sublime mix of country, folk, and Lee's unique "outlaw" approach to vocal pop – and all tunes are produced by Lee with longtime musical partner Al Casey. The quality of the songwriting, as always, is great – and if you like Lee's work of classic years, you'll enjoy this set quite a lot. Titles include "Buying Back", "Suddenly Tennessee", "For My Birthday", "Save A Place For Me", "Dolly & Hawkeye", and "Dirtnap Stories".

The first-ever album from the legendary Hi-Lo's – a landmark indie debut that went onto transform the sound of vocal harmony in the 20th century! The record's got a subtle brilliance that's hard to catch at first – a way of putting together the tunes that's often only slightly different than some of the group's contemporaries, but which already shows the rich talents that leader Gene Puerling would bring to later vocal experiments with Singers Unlimited in the 70s. As with most of the group's famous records, backings here are by Frank Comstock – perfectly poised on the gentle tunes, and nicely jazzy on the more swinging ones! Titles include "June in January", "Little White Lies", "I Don't Want to Cry Anymore", "She's Funny that Way", "Whatever Lola Wants", "Island of Desire", "You Brought a New Kind Of Love", "Fools Rush In", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Where Are You", and "You Can't Hardly Get Them No More".

A wonderful collection of work from Langston Hughes – material pulled from a handful of albums recorded for the Folkway labels in the 50s, all of which are pretty darn great and long out of print! Hughes' writings are well known – part of a rich tradition of African-American expression in the 20th Century – but his readings of his own work are equally great – performed at a level that really illuminates the text, and balances them with all the right stress and meaning that can sometimes be overlooked given the simple nature of his language. Most of the sides here feature Hughes alone, reading his work – but a few also feature bits of music too – touches of jazz or gospel that further set the scene, and point to Langston's later experiments with Charles Mingus. Titles include "Breath Of A Spiritual", "Homesick Blues", "The Weary Blues", "I Too", "The Negro Speaks Of Rivers", "Simple Prays A Prayer", "Rhythms Of The World", "The Struggle", "Youth", and "Mother to Son".

An early album from Della, a mostly-traditional set of numbers – showing the evolution of the blues style in the early 20th century – with backing by Sid Oliver, and titles that include "Empty Bed Blues", "Lover Man", "There's Always The Blues", "Stormy Weather", and "Squeeze Me".

A mighty nice collection of cuts – one that not only really gets at the genius of Burt Bacharach's songwriting, but also shows the way his music works well in so many different settings too! The 40-track collection is heavy on music from the 60s and 70s, and also features a few gems from later years too – and the music here is a mix of soul, vocal, rock, and other styles – with a wide range of artists that really show Burt's lasting impact on music in the 20th century! These tunes are undeniable gems – classics you've no doubt heard in some version over the years – yet some of the readings here are unusual, and unusually fresh as well – a lasting tribute to the sublime sounds of Bacharach. Titles include "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Isaac Hayes, "Wishin & Hopin" by Brenda Lee, "A House Is Not A Home" by Brook Benton, "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by Dusty Springfield, "Take A Broken Heart" by Rick Nelson, "Baby It's You" by Smith, "Tower Of Strength" by Gene McDaniels, "Trains & Boats & Planes" by Astrud Gilberto, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Dionne Warwick, "Love's Still The Answer" by Ronald Isley, "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" by Gene Pitney, "My Little Red Book" by Manfred Man, "Nikki" by Burt Bacharach, "Wives & Lovers" by Jack Jones, "Walk On By" by Gloria Gaynor, "Make It Easy On Yourself" by Walker Brothers, and "Message To Michael" by The Marvelettes.

Gil Scott-Heron's first album – and his angriest! Unlike some of Gil's other albums – which have a sweet jazzy vibe and a mix of mellow soul styles – this one's a lot rawer, and features Gil rapping loud over very heavy percussion backing. All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother".

A great 2-fer – featuring both of Noel Coward's Columbia albums in one 70s set. First up is Noel Coward In New York – a very cool album from Coward – a talent you're probably more familiar with as a playwright, but who also happens to be quite the entertainer! This album is one of two great sets that Coward recorded live in the US in the mid 50s, and they really show him opening up a lot from earlier recordings – singing with an ease and swinging style that adds a whole new level to his classic compositions. It helps that Peter Matz is handling the backing and arrangements – jazzing up Noel's tunes with a nice 50s style – and the live setting of the recordings make them come off well, especially as the audiences are very enthusiastic! Titles include "Wait A Bit Joe", "Why Must The Show Go On", "I Like America", "Luisa", "I Went To A Marvelous Party", and "20th Century Blues". Next is Noel Coward at Las Vegas, one of our favorite vocal albums of the 50s – an incredibly witty live set from Noel Coward, recorded in Las Vegas, with a very different style than some of his other records! The Noel Coward you'll hear here is still steeped in the mannered wit of his earlier plays, but he's also let himself go considerably – working in front of a live audience with an eager ear for well crafted lyrics and innuendo. The songs are mostly numbers from Coward's earlier shows, but they're sung in a hip swinging loungey style that really gives them legs – moving them past their staid roots into strong 50s vocal territory. Includes 2 great remakes of Cole Porter numbers – "Let's Do It" and "Begin The Beguine", both with Coward's own lyrics – plus "Uncle Harry", "A Bar On The Piccola Marina", "World Weary", and "Mad Dogs & Englishmen".