portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Monday, February 06, 2023

The ACE Story Vols 1-5 - TWILIGHTZONE | The ‘pop’ music of Nawleans

 
Dr John - Mac’s Boogie 1986

There is an awesome collection from TWILIGHTZONE lately (released volume by volume) of the ACE label and the music of New Orleans which I have been banging on about all over the blog here for years but this compilation series is a classic record of the Nawleans' attempts to break the singles market and challenge labels like Stax and similar to boost their RnB legends by coming up with their own Tin Pan Alley . . . . this is how I found Fess through the good Doctor John and this led to Archibald, Tuts Washington and then Gumbo made me aware of Huey Piano Smith and thus Eddie B, Bobby Marchan, Irma Thomas  and everyone else from the region. Check them out now the whole collection is fabulous!

ACE STORY Vol I - TWILIGHTZONE


Dr John (Mac Rebenack) - Storm Warning!
With five separate volumes, Ace Story is the most comprehensive portrait of the seminal New Orleans R&B record label. Over the course of the series, each of the label's hits are featured, including "Sea Cruise," "Rockin' Pneumonia," and "Pop Eye," among others, as well as many lesser-known gems...
...During the late '50s and early '60s, Ace's roster featured such R&B giants as Huey "Piano" Smith, Eddie Bo, Joe Tex, Lightnin' Hopkins, Charles Brown, Amos Milburn, and Earl King; each artist is featured on at least one disc of Ace Story, along with several acts that didn't have hits, but recorded some outstanding tracks. Start with the first volume, then proceed to the other discs; every one is filled with timeless R&B.  
- Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

1 Sea Cruise - Frankie Ford Everybody's Carried Away - Earl King 3 Hey Little Girl - Frankie Lee Sims 4 Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu pt1 - Huey Smith & The Clowns 5 Just For You And I - The Supremes You Little Baby Face Thing - Joe Tex 7 Gee Baby - Joe & Ann 8 I Love My Baby - The Phaetons 9 Storm Warning - Mac Rebennack 10 Just A Dream - Jimmy Clanton & His Rockets 11 The Peanut Vendor - Alvin "Red" Tyler 12 Let's Get It On - Hershel Almond with Al Good & His Band 13 Quit My Job - Bobby Marchan 14 Morgus The Magnificent - Morgus & The Ghouls 15 I Warned You Baby - Frankie Lee Sims 16 Just A Moment - Roland Stone 17 Pop-Eye - Huey Smith & His Clowns 18 Alimony - Frankie Ford 19 Lovers Of Love - Chuck Carbo & His Band 20 Every Time I See You - Harry Lee 21 Come On Home - Calvin Spears 22 What's Going On - Frankie Ford 23 Another Sleepless Night - Jimmy Clanton - 24 Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu pt2 - Huey Smith & His Clowns

To clear up a couple possible points of confusion about this 2010 release: although it came out on the British Ace label, it's actually a compilation of material that came out on the American Ace label between the mid-'50s and mid-'60s (with the exception of a couple cuts that didn't appear until the early '70s)...

Amos Milburn / Charles Brown - Educated Fool

1 Blow Wind Blow - Junior Gordon 2 Bad Boogie - Lightnin' Hopkins 3 Silly Dilly Woman - Mercy Baby 4 Roberta - Frankie Ford 5 I Love To Rock & Roll - Eddie Bo 6 Rockin' Behind the Iron Curtain - Bobby Marchan 7 Please Don't Tell 'Em - The Blue Dots 8 Mercy - Gene & Al's Spacemen 9 Sea Cruise - Little Shelton 10 Looped - Joe Dyson/Johnny Collins 11 Educated Fool - Amos Milburn/Charles Brown 12 Go, Jimmy, Go - Jimmy Clanton 13 Would You Believe It (I Have a Cold) - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 14 Teen Age Rock - Little Booker 15 Sleeping In the Ground - Sammy Myers 16 My Talk Didn't Do Any Good - Frankie Lee Sims 17 I Want To Be Your Man - Frankie Ford 18 Little Girl - Earl King 19 Honey Honey - The Supremes 20 Chickee Wah-Wah - Bobby Marchan 21 I Trusted You - Jimmy Clanton & His Rockets 22 New Orleans - Big Boy Myles 23 Curiosity - Joe & Ann 24 The Second Line - Huey & Curley

Dr John (MacRebenack & Orchestra) - Sahara

Included is "You're So Fine," an early track by Sammy Myers, now with Anson Funderburgh; the Supremes' (a male vocal quintet who recorded for Ace in 1957) ultra-collectable "Don't Leave Me Here to Cry;" Joe Tex's "Cut It Out;" several from Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns, etc. - Review by Roundup Newsletter

1 Boppin' with Sonny - Sonny Boy Williamson II 2 Saturday Night Fish Fry - The Blue Dots 3 Everybody's Whalin' - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns Marked Deck - Mercy Baby Snake Eyes - Alvin "Red" Tyler 6 I'm So Glad You're Mine - Albert Scott 7 Don't Take Your Love From Me - Bobby Marchan 8 Somebody Told It - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 9 Don't Leave Me Here To Cry - The Supremes 10 She's Tough - Jerry McCain 11 For Cryin' Out Loud - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 12 My Love For You - Junior Gordon 3 Sahara - Mac Rebennack 14 Cut It Out - Joe Tex 15 Rock and Roll Baby - Mercy Baby 16 Steady - Jerry McCain 17 Loberta - Bobby Marchan 18 You Don't Know - Harry Lee 19 Darling Honey Angel Child (Come On) (Let The Good Times Roll) - Earl King 20 Cheatin' Woman - Frankie Ford 21 I Kneel At Your Throne - The Emeralds 22 Foolish Little Girl - Mac Rebennack 23 What Will Lucy Do - Frankie Lee Sims 24 Little Liza Jane - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns

This fourth entry in chronicling the story of Johnny Vincent's Jackson, Mississippi based Ace Records by the British company that has (legally) used the company logo to become one of the world's largest reissue companies is another fine one. Loaded with 16 tracks of New Orleans styled dynamite from the label's early days,..

1 Teenage Wedding - Johnny Angel 2 Tee-Na-Na - Dicky Williams 3 Walk On - Alvin ''Red'' Tyler I Wanna Know Why - Roland Cook 5 Wherever You May Be - Joe & Ann Free, Single And Disengaged - Huey Smith & His Clowns 7 Goodbye Blues - Jesse Allen 8 Charlie Brown Got Expelled - Joe Tex & His X Class Mates 9 Scald-Dog - Huey Smith 10 Happy Sax aka Stinky - Alvin ''Red'' Tyler 11 Can I Have A Word - Floyd Brown 12 Can't Let You Go, I Love You So - Albert Scott 13 Yum, Yum, Yum - Joe Tex 14 Mother's Advice - Joe Tex 15 I'll Keep On Trying - Eddie Bo 16 Walking With Frankie - Frankie Lee Sims 17 I Got The Blues For You - Al Collins & Orchestra You Can't Stop Her - Bobby Marchan & The Clowns 19 I Think You Jivin' Me - Huey & Jerry 20 Those Lonely, Lonely Nights - Earl King 1 My Love Is Here To Stay - Sammy Myers with The King Mose Royal Rockers 22 Aw! Who - Bat Carroll 23 Well-O Well-O Well-O Baby - Earl King 24 Don't You Know Yockomo - Huey ''Piano'' Smith & His Clowns 

Alvin ‘Red’ Tyler - Stinky

Included are greasy teen ballads, rough southern blues, a superb Nat Cole-sounding trio performance from Charles Brown, Huey "Piano" Smith's "Educated Fool" -- maybe a little less of the overtly New Orleans-sounding stuff than some of the other Ace Story volumes, but a strong, diverse collection anyway. - Review by Roundup Newsletter


1 Well I Never Get Tired - Johnny Fairchild 2 Educated Fool - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 3 Hey Hey Baby Come Home - Albert Scott Baby Say You Will - Jesse Allen 5 Somebody Else is Taking My Place - Bobby Webb 6 Roll On Train - Elton Anderson 7 Well Goodbye Baby - Frankie Lee Sims 8 Doing the Rock and Roll - Calvin Spears 9 Classy Lassie - Red Tyler & the Gyros 10 Love is My Business - Bobby Woods 11 I'm Packing Up - Earl King 12 Keeps Dragging Me On - Ronnie & the Delinquents 13 Love's Like a River - Charles Brown 14 Who Can I Turn To - Big Boy Myles 15 Roll 'Em Back - Eddie Bo 16 Sea Cruise - Huey & Jerry 17 Jockomo - Mac Rebennack & His Orchestra/Sugar Boy Crawford 18 You Aim To Please - Jimmy Clanton & His Rockets 19 Shed So Many Tears - Elton Anderson 20 If It Ain't One Thing It's Another - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 21 Rock - Lee Dorsey 22 What Am I Living For - Frankie Lee Sims/Jimmy Clanton 24 Baby It's Love - Johnny Angel


ALL OUT OF PRINT


Allen Toussaint - Whirlaway

…served by Gyro1966..


.
Professor Longhair, Dr John, Earl King, The Meters play Fess’  Big Chief!' 1974

Huey Piano Smith and The Clowns - Don’t You Just Know It?!


Well I’ll be John Brown! 
IKO IKO! 
Gris gris gumbo yas yas!

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