Standout soul from the great Junior Parker – a singer who started out in blues, and already had a big legacy of music for Sun and Duke Records by the time of this Mercury set – but maybe sounding even more amazing here with some soul touches in the backings! The set was produced by Bobby Robinson, and arranged by Gene Bowlegs Miller – and has a Memphis recording pedigree that's a bit like the best way that Stax/Volt was mixing blues and soul in the late 60s! There's still some of the slower-burning Duke moments, but there's also some great sock-soul tracks too – on titles that include "Come Back Baby", "Just Like A Fish", "Country Girl", "Sometimes I Wonder", and "Cracked Up Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully-done tribute to the genius of country rocker Doug Sahm – one that features all of the Mercury and Smash albums by the Sir Douglas Quintet, plus a heck of a lot of bonus material too! Sahm was a key figure in pioneering the rootsier side of rock that began to emerge at the end of the 60s – starting off with producer Huey P Meux in his native Texas, then really taking fire on a move to San Francisco in the late 60s, where the Sir Douglas sound found a very welcome and supporting audience. And while Sahm's best known for the few big hits by the group, there's a depth to his work that easily matches that of The Byrds or The Band – and which actually works well as a bridge between the sounds and eras of both. This package features 6 full albums by the group – Sir Douglas Quintet + 2 (1968, Smash), Mendocino (1969, Smash), Together After Five (1969, Smash), 1+1+1=4 (1970, Philips), Return Of Doug Saldana (1971, Philips), and Rough Edges (1973, Mercury) – plus a full bonus disc of mono singles, the rare Mexican EP, Doug Sahm produced tunes by Roy Head and Junior Parker, and a few other rare bits too! CD