Beg, Scream & Shout! The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul

by

Various Artists

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Rhino has done it again! The beauty of this collection is that it limits each artist to only one song (not counting collaborative efforts). This means that many lesser known artists share the spotlight with the more established stars. In other words, by purchasing this collection, you get the chance to hear the orginal recordings of "Mustang Sally" (Sir Mack Rice, who also wrote the song), "Piece of My Heart" (Erma Franklin, Aretha's older sister), and Betty Everett's pre-Linda Ronstadt version of "You're No Good." Other rarities of note include Clifford Curry's "She Shot a Hole in My Soul," Toussaint McCall's "Nothing Takes the Place of You," and "Back Up Train" by Al Greene & The Soul Mates. The latter was Al's first hit a few years before he dropped the "e" and embarked on a successful solo career. Of course, the CD collection is also loaded with more familiar cuts like "Soul Finger" (Bar-Kays), "I Was Made to Love Her" (Stevie Wonder), "Dry Your Eyes" (Brenda & the Tabulations), "Stand by Me" (Ben E. King), and "Every Little Bit Hurts" (Brenda Holloway). Avoided are many of the otherwise good, but overplayed tracks on "Oldies" radio like the most popular versions of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye/Gladys Knight & the Pips), and Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect." For fans of those artists don't fret, they are represented in this collection with "Can I Get a Witness" (Marvin Gaye), "Friendship Train" (Gladys Knight & the Pips), and "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" (Aretha Franklin). Of course, by virtue of the fact that you are checking out this collection, you probably already have "Grapevine" (both versions) and "Respect." For fans of the latter track, I suggest you check out Minnie Riperton's psychedelic version with Rotary Connection on her Chess CD. Why doesn't radio play that track (not to mention Otis Redding's original version)? By the way, Otis is represented in the Rhino collection with "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)." Enough said. If you're a serious fan of 1960's R&B, this is the box set for you!