Search - Sam Cooke :: Man Who Invented Soul

THE BOX SET FROM THE PRODUCER'S POINT OF VIEW

Paul Williams | Warwick, NY USA | 11/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reading through the twenty or so reviews of "The Man Who Invented Soul" I wanted to comment on a number of issues raised by the various writers.1. BMG/RCA does not own material recorded by Sam recorded after September 1963, even though it was originally released on the RCA label. This is owned by ABKCO Records (Allen Klein).2. For the above reasons we were unable to inlcude signature songs like "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Shake" and so on. These titles will presumably appear on future releases from ABKCO.3. The intention of this box was to focus in on the Keen repertoire which RCA purchased in the early '60s and his RCA recordings up until the "Tracey" period (post 9/63).4. That having been said, it was my intention to use come up with some hundred or so Cooke classics, many of which have never been on CD. I would have loved to include the ABKCO owned material, but this wasn't possible and it is my feeling that it is best to have something out there than nothing at all. 5. All the RCA songs are from the original first generation session or master tapes so this is the best ever sound quality, substantially better than "The Man and his Music" (compare 'em).6. RCA had to delete (cut out) "The Man And His Music" because it contained several titles which reverted to ABKCO. (There are no copies of this CD on the market legitimately).7. There is a legal issue over the original version of "Another Saturday Night", so we used a very similar alternate version.8. Many people have commented that they prefer the stereo versions to the mono mixes. All these titles were mixed to stereo at the same time (or very close to) the original 45. In some cases, "Cool Train" for example, this is the first release in stereo.9. RCA was very limited in its use of photos because of legal issues; this also goes for some of the original album covers.10. Mr Klein approved the liner notes and made corrections as appropriate.All in all, I was very happy with the end result which, although I have to admit I'm a little biased, is as good as it gets, given the various issues surrounding Sam's recordings. I am sure that it will only be a matter of time before Allen and/or Jody Klein put together a release befitting the repertoire that is now ABKCO's. ABKCO has put together some wonderful boxes in the past and I know that the Tracey period will be well served by them.Paul Williams - Compilation Producer"

A word of caution

Paul Williams | 09/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A great collection, as far as it goes. But potential buyers should keep in mind that this collection does not span all of Sam's career. First, the box includes nothing from Sam's tenure with the Soul Stirrers, from 1951 to 1957. If you're interested in Sam's work with that fabulous gospel group, check out "Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers" on Fantasy/Specialty.Second, the box includes nothing that Sam recorded during the last 15 months of his life, including such essential tracks as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come." Unfortunately, that material is not readily available; the recordings are owned by ABKCO, and we can only hope that ABKCO sees fit to release its own collection sometime soon. Some of the best songs from that period, including the two mentioned above, are on the excellent but out-of-print "The Man And His Music." Look for it at used CD stores, eBay, etc."

Terrific (But Not Perfect) Box Set

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 10/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WARNING: This deluxe 4-CD box set treatment by one of the greatest soul singers of all time is not as thorough as a 96-song collection should be. Yes, you get all of his hits from the Keen label and most of his big hits for RCA where Cooke recorded from 1960 until his untimely death in December 1964 (although some of these are not the original single versions). And the disc-4 inclusion of the entire Night Beat and Live at the Harlem Square Club albums is a nice bonus.But there are glaring omissions. Here was RCA's opportunity to justify deleting 1986's The Man & His Music from their catalog, and they blew it big time. Where are the tracks covering Cooke's work with the Soul Stirrers? And even if RCA couldn't negotiate with Specialty to get these tracks, it doesn't explain the absence of all of Cooke's 1964 hits: "(Ain't That) Good News," "Good Times" (both of which went to No. 11), or the raucous "Cousin of Mine" (his last single before his death). And where are the posthumous hits? "Shake" (his final Top Ten) was the consumate party song--later covered by Rod Stewart. And perhaps the most glaring omission is the poignant "A Change Is Gonna Come." This box set is an amazing testament to the genius of Same Cooke--but I'm also still hanging on to my copy of The Man & His Music. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"