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Killer deep soul from James Carr – a landmark set that features 28 tracks pulled from his famous years at the Goldwax label! Carr's Goldwax recordings nearly died when they came out – hardly reaching the audience of contemporaries like Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett – but as years have progressed, these sides have become the treasures of soul collectors, and have thankfully hit the status of "classic" that they were due for! This set is one of the first times these tunes have been legitimately made available in a good package – and it's about time too, because the whole thing's excellent! Carr's voice is incredible, and the arrangements are great – with none of the hoke that you'd sometimes get in weaker acts of the time. Titles include "I'm A Fool For You", "A Losing Game", "Lovable Girl", "Love Attack", "She's Better Than You", "That's What I Want To Know", "You Don't Want Me", and "Lover's Competition".

Rare Charlie Feathers work from Memphis – recorded for Goldwax in 1962, but mostly unissued until this set! Only the cut "Deep Elm Blues" came out on the Holiday Inn label – and other tracks are all previously unissued – "Love Never Treated Me Right", "Nobody's Darlin But Mine", and "The Side Wind" – all in a cool pic sleeve pressing!

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by the mighty Memphis-based Goldwax Records – material that shows the roots of the label's famous deep soul style, and a wide variety of other modes as well! From the start, it's clear that the ears at Goldwax really knew what they were doing – as even the more pop-oriented recordings here have something very different – a care and quality that makes digging through the label's catalog on a single-by-single basis just as great as doing the same with work from Stax/Volt! As with that company, you can first hear Goldwax getting their start in a few different styles – some of which were issued on other labels at the time – then settling into a classic mode pretty quickly, that massive Memphis soul style that easily made Goldwax one of the most important southern soul imprints of the 60s. The package features a whopping 58 tracks in all, plus full notes too – both a and b-sides of early singles, with titles that include "Toddlin" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "It's Wonderful To Be In Love" by The Ovations, "I Can't Make It" by James Carr, "Arabian Jerk" by The Merits, "I Can't Fight This Much Longer" by Eddie Bond, "That's How Strong My Love Is" by OV Wright, "Our Last Quarrel"by Bobby McDowell, "Will I Ever Be Free" by Jeb Stewart, "The Day The World Cried (parts 1 & 2)" by Oboe, "A Thousand Vows" by Bobby McDowell, "Spoonful" by The Playboy Five, "Rhythm Marie" by Phillip & The Faithfuls, "Country Style" by Dorothy Williams, "Have You Seen Jean" by Al Vance, "Lover's Crime" by Spencer Wiggins, and "My Motor Bike Balked" by The Lamars.

Legendary work from Goldwax Records – pulled from a stretch when the Memphis imprint was really going strong! By the time of these tracks, Goldwax was really coming into their own – picking up some of the best soul currents of the Memphis scene – and rivaling the Stax/Volt powerhouse in terms of quality – especially on the deep soul tracks that Goldwax seemed to do better than anyone else! This 2CD package is a wonderful overview of these golden years for the label – and it features every single single, both a and b-sides intact – presented with detailed notes on each release. Some of the work is the stuff of Memphis soul legend – mixed in with some more unusual, lesser-known bits from the scene – including a few rock, blues, and country numbers as well. 54 tracks in all – with titles that include "Anything You Do Is Alright" by Spencer Wiggins, "Don't You Believe Him" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "Cry Me A Hand Full" by The Terrys, "Say You Need It" by Barbara Perry, "Lovable Girl" by James Carr, "When You Look In The Mirror" by Eddie Jefferson, "What Time Ye Got" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "Little Things" by Jeannie Newman, "Forgetting You" by James Carr, "Hello Daughter" by Leroy Daniel, "I Can't Forget You" by The Yo Yos, "Good Times" by George & Greer, "Walking Out On You" by Spencer Wiggins, "Qualifications" by The Ovations, "Liquid Mood" by Timmy Thomas, "Call On Me" by Percy Milem, "Me & My Imagination" by The Ovations, and "The Wife Of The Life Of The Party" by Kathy Davis.

Smoking 60s soul from the Memphis scene – and quite possibly the best collection so far in this Goldwax series! The cuts here come from a point when the Memphis sound had really come together – grown in earlier years by labels like Goldwax and Stax on the local scene, now spilling out strongly to influence generations around the world. And although most of the Goldwax recordings on this collection never got the circulation enjoyed by other Memphis imprints, they definitely follow in spirit to some of the bigger hits of the time. The mix here is about 2/3 soul, with touches of country and funk on some of the other singles – although still a pretty hip variant on those genres too – and like the other volumes, this one presents both a and b-sides of all Goldwax singles, in numerical order. Titles include "Love Me Tonight" by Carmol Taylor, "Lonely Man" by Spencer Wiggins, "He Called Me Baby" by Jeannie Newman, "You Name It I've Had It" by Willie Walker, "She's About A Mover" by Percy Milem, "A Message To Young Lovers" by James Carr, "It's My Life" by Timmy Thomas, "You Had Your Choice" by The Ovations, "Soul City USA" by Spencer Wiggins, "Ticket To Ride" by Wee Willie Walker, "That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me" by James Carr, "Love Me Tonight" by Carmol Taylor, and "He's Too Old" by Spencer Wiggins. 56 tracks on 2CDs!

A long-overdue look at one of the greatest vocal groups on the southern scene of the 60s – the amazing Ovations, a trio with a sound like nobody else! The group were noted for a strong love of the music of Sam Cooke – and they worked in the years after Sam's death in a blend of sweet and smooth harmonies that were not only a loving tribute to the Cooke genius, but which also show the way that Sam's style might have changed in the 60s. Lead vocalist Louis Williams has a warm and crackling vocal mode that's very much in the Sam Cooke mode, but the use of additional harmonies from the group really changes the overall sound quite a bit – making for a warmer, smoother style that's very much the group's own, especially when it's being pushed by some heavier Memphis soul touches. The CD features 26 tracks in all, plus great notes on the group – and titles include "I've Gotta Go", "Don't Cry", "I Miss You Baby", "You Had Your Choice", "Happiness", "I'm Living Good", "Qualifications", "It's Wonderful To Be In Love", "You & Tom", "Won't You call", "Peace Of Mind", and "I Know You Don't Want Me".

Incredible work from one of the greatest deep soul labels ever – the legendary Goldwax Records, a smaller company that languished in the shadows of Stax and Hi Records during their glory years! Like so many small labels in cities that were important to soul music, Goldwax seemed to have an amazing talent for picking up all the bits that Stax and Hi left behind – recording artists who were every bit as good as the bigger stars from Memphis, but who also seemed to benefit even more from the personal sound, and richer recording quality they got from the label. The most legendary figure to record for Goldwax was James Carr, and the work on this set follows very much in Carr's tradition – a deeply burning, extremely heartfelt approach to southern soul – one that even leaves some of the bigger names of the scene in the dust! The set features 24 tracks in all, including a number of unreleased tracks – and it's packaged with a great set of notes on this legendary imprint! Titles include "I Never Loved A Woman" by Spencer Wiggins, "Crying Baby Baby Baby" by Percy Milem, "Welcome Home Baby" by Barbara Perry, "Peace Of Mind" by The Ovations, "Country Style" by Dorothy Williams, "Good Times" by George & Greer, "Toddlin" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "I Ain't Gonna Cheat On You No More" by Wee Willie Walker, "When You Look In The Mirror" by Eddie Jefferson, "The Side Wind" by The Lyrics, "Darling" by The Vel Tones, and "A Man Needs A Woman" by OB McClinton.

Sublime southern soul from one of the greats! James Carr is right up there with the best of the 60s – Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, and others – but he never made it as big as them because of personal troubles and bad planning on the part of his label and management. Fortunately, his genius has been kept alive by record collectors everywhere – for whom this rare gem is a holy grail! The album features 11 tunes that sum up the best of the south in the 60s – all sung by James with his unbelievably heartbreaking voice. Titles include "The Dark End Of The Street", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "A Woman Is A Man's Best Friend", "I'm A Fool For You", "Stronger Than Love", "More Love", and "Sowed Love & Reaped A Heartache".

An incredible bit of southern soul – one of two classic albums cut by James Carr for the Goldwax! At the time of release, this album virtually died in the racks – but thanks to the work of countless music writers over the past few decades, Carr has finally achieved legendary status in the annals of soul music – and this album's one of the best examples of his genius! Every track is a deep soul masterpiece – and the album sparkles with production by Quinton Claunch and Rudolph Russell, and is filled with classic tracks like "The Dark End Of The Street", "You Got My Mind Messed Up", "She's Better Than You", "These Ain't Raindrops", and "Coming Back To Me Baby".

A surprisingly nice later album from Chicago soul singer Ruby Andrews – quite different than her famous work of the late 60s, but proof that she's still a heck of a singer in the long run! The style here is mostly in a modern southern soul mode – the style used by the revived Goldwax label at the time – and in that manner, Ruby brings in a bit more blues than before – yet still goes for a mostly-soul delivery in the end. The album's got the feel of some of those Malaco sessions made by southern soul singers in the 80s – but maybe a bit more Memphis overall – and titles include "Cheaters Can't Be Choosers", "Footprints On The Ceiling", "I Don't Want To Wake Up", "Trying To Love Two", "Dead To Right In The Wrong", "When You Love Somebody", and a mighty nice remake of "Casanova" – almost done as a modern stepper!

The cover's a bit weak, but the music is mighty strong – a killer collection of James Carr's 60s Memphis soul for the Goldwax! As you'll hear right from the start, Carr had a quality level that easily rivaled greats like Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett – whether on the kind of heartbreaking ballads that fans always love, or on the harder-edged numbers that we especially love in James' music! The whole thing feels like an expanded set of 60s classics from Stax Records – and titles include "She's Better Than You", "Let It Happen", "Adorable One", "There Goes My Usta Be", "A Woman Is A Man's Best Friend", "Love Attack", "These Ain't Raindrops", and "I'm A Fool For You".

James Carr is really maturing here – stepping forth with a sound that's every bit as great as his early Goldwax singles, yet also hitting a newly sophisticated vibe that helps take southern soul to a whole new level! Recordings were done both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – and in addition to opening up a few more bluesy sounds in his style, James also brings in some of the more adult modes that he'd really help inspire in other singers in years to come – that open, honest attitude that really comes through in the more heartbreaking numbers. Titles include the classic "Dark End Of The Street" – plus "You Don't Want Me", "Hit & Run", "Bring Her Back", "Stronger Than Love", "More Love", "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia", "The Word Is Out", and "What The World Needs Now Is Love".

Forget blues, because Geater Davis is a soul singer through and through – a really incredible southern talent with a deep soul sound that few others can match! Although Davis didn't record nearly as much as his contemporaries, he's got a sound that matches or beats them – a raw, raspy quality that's a bit like Bobby Blue Bland, touched with the depth of feeling we love in James Carr, peppered with elements of other Memphis singers – all produced to perfection with a sound that's as classic as anything on Stax or Goldwax. This excellent collection features all tracks from Geater's rare album Sweet Woman's Love, plus additional singles from the time – all produced by Allen Orange, an overlooked genius in the southern studio scene of the 70s. Titles include "Don't Marry A Fool", "Cry Cry Cry", "I Love You", "I Know My Baby Loves Me", "I Can Hold My Own", "Cold Love (long version)", "I'll Get By", "I'll Play The Blues For You", "Breath Taking Girl", and a killer long take on "For Your Precious Love".