A Short Phoenix Excursion Pays Off
Donoldsongs | Los Angeles | 05/15/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Meet The Servicemen (Classic Soul From Phoenix, Arizona) is more than just a CD. It is a flashback to another era, much like the travel trip in the movie, Back To The Future, in that it isn't just a photograph, or just a sound, or even just a feeling... although it certainly is all of those, and more!
I was lucky enough to get a copy of this disc recently, and was not only entertained... I was blown away! I likened the experience to something that happened to me some years ago. Then, I walked into an antique store, and on the way out, picked up an old aspirin tin, the kind that men used to carry in their pockets, or women in their purses, just to see what it might feel like in my palm. I closed my hand around it, and immediately, my mind went to another location, another era, to the place that this tin was from, and certainly, a place I would never go in my travels. The same feeling came over me when I held The Servicemen disc in my hand. I knew nothing of the group prior, so the simple act of popping the disc into my player was certainly no different than any of the thousands I have popped in over the years, that is, until the nearly flawless harmonies started to tickle my ears, like a feather playfully touching them, beckoning me to smile. I decided to search out the packaging while I listened, hoping for just a tidbit of information about the group, if such information might be inside.
I opened the plastic covering for the second time, since I had done so minutes before when I took the disc out to play it, but this time, I studied the packaging closely as I disassembled the tidy envelope and contents. I noticed that it was among the most interestingly packaged CDs I have come across, starting with the library type identification end piece, much like those import CDs from Japan or Europe, only in English, spilling the track titles like candy from a box. Even more interesting was the solid cardboard case, very reminiscent of an old Beatles vinyl record jacket from the same era, and real liner notes by a guy (Dan Nowicki) who obviously did his homework before writing them, letting me in on the incredible inside story of these young men and their efforts. I learned as well, the efforts of a young Hadley Murrell, who was smart enough to not only give them a shot at the music business, but recorded them, and promoted them, before moving on to other projects and groups. His solid ear immediately picked up on their abilities, but timing was not on any of their sides. Unfortunately for the group, but very fortunate for us listeners today, the world has spun enough times, and we have all heard enough bad music, so that only now are we truly ready for taking the time to listen to what we should have been hearing all those years ago.
I was instantly hooked at the first track, "Are You Angry", and then, like a re-take, I got to hear it again, only in a capella form on track 2. What is so great about this is that Mr. Murrell didn't do what most record people do when putting together a disc; he didn't slip in an "extra", calling it a capella, but only taking out the music tracks to make it sound like it...no, he actually gave us another version and a separate recording, unspliced, unedited, un-punched, and ultimately, unbelievably good!
I love Doo Wop as a rule, but this isn't actually Doo Wop. I happen to like original Pop music too, and yet, this isn't that, either. The sound is something like The Mills Brothers, in that the group's vocal arrangements are so good, and still melodic, but the years were 1966 and 1967, and when listening for the first time to these tracks in 2010, the group that immediately came to mind was Bill Deal & The Rhondells, the first American group to successfully integrate races, and find chart success with versions of The Tams' "I've Been Hurt" and "What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am", as well as their own "Nothing Succeeds Like Success". But just when I was getting comfortable thinking I had found a rare gem copy of those groups, I got to "Close Your Eyes", and an instant flashback to groups like The Spaniels or The Duprees popped out at me, only with a vocal trick of releasing a breath to halt the music, a trick that was genius in that era. Truthfully, it's hard to pick out the winner in the disc, since so many of them are awesome in their own right, but what surprises me is that I like the previously unreleased tracks maybe more than the released ones. So rare is it that a CD shows up where I like it in it's entirety, and one of those rare moments came along with The Servicemen. Eleven tracks, all winners.
I'm back now from that travel through time, where I saw a glimpse of 1966 and 1967 in Phoenix, Arizona, and for that little excursion, I have to say a note of thanks to Hadley Murrell, who shared with us his diamond in the rough, something that without him, would have stayed in dark boxes somewhere in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. He didn't just throw it at us though. He produced it well, packaged it better than most discs are today, and gave us the chance to listen in. He made this available to us in it's divine simplicity, because of his love for the sounds, and because this is one of the groups from the past that really mattered, even though unrecognized until now. The shame in it all is that (I am guessing) we won't hear from The Servicemen again... unless we want to pop it back in and take another little excursion in our minds, and smile while their harmonies tickle our ears.
Don Arnold, Jr.
Los Angeles, Ca."
Excellent
William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 05/04/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"We all know the world is not a just place: the second you play the first track of this compilation, "Are You Angry" you'll agree--The Servicemen should be in that billiard ball triangle of bands that fly to mind when people think of great 1960s soul
They've got the kick of Motown and the silky vocals of northern bands like the Esquires and The Impressions. With the upbeat bounce, this soul is not meant to go down smooth, but sure goes down easy.
The Servicemen met in the army in the 60s and formed a band. It was easy to cut a 45 or two back then, and this collection compiles all this soul that is, sinfully, not playing on your local oldies station right now.
And it gets better: after each song you get the vocal tracks alone, and if these were the only cuts here, you should still be pointing and clicking. They have even got a female vocal section that just kicks--ladies in the ranks in the mid-1960s, who would have thunk. `
But you get both versions of each song, and if a died hard lefty like me can think something great come out of the US Army, anyone can dig on the Servicemen.
Get this. NOW--That is an order, dogface."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1