Sound Bite: Booker T. Washington on The Negro Population in the South
The St. Louis Blues - Bessie Smith
Black Bottom Stomp - Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
Heebie Jeebies - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
Ol' Man River - Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller
Pony Blues - Charlie Patton
My Black Mama (Part I) - Son House
Tiger Rag - Mills Brothers
Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra
Sound Bite: Jesse Owens on the 1936 Olympics
Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson
Rock My Soul - Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet
If I Didn't Care - Ink Spots
Jumpin' At The Woodside - Count Basie & His Orchestra
Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
Stormy Weather - Lena Horne
Tiger Rag - Art Tatum
Track Listings (23) - Disc #2
Straighten Up And Fly Right - The King Cole Trio
Ko Ko - Charlie Parker's Ri Bop Boys
If You Could See Me Now - Sarah Vaughan
Sound Bite: Joe Louis Returns from the Army
The Midnight Special - Leadbelly
Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad) - T-Bone Walker
'Round About Midnight - The Thelonious Monk Quartet
Sound Bite: Frank Stanley on Negro Newspaper Week
How High The Moon - Ella Fitzgerald
It's Too Soon To Know - The Orioles
I Feel Like Going Home - Muddy Waters
Boogie Chillen' - John Lee Hooker
Sound Bite: President Harry S. Truman's Civil Rights Legislation
In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down - Charles Brown Trio
Baby, Get Lost - Dinah Washington
Sound Bite: Civil Rights Bill Narrowly Defeated in Senate
Saturday Night Fish Fry (Parts I & II) - Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Mardi Gras In New Orleans - Professor Longhair
Sound Bite: Jackie Robinson on the Eve of the 1949 World Series
Rocket "88" - Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats
(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Ruth Brown
Money Honey - The Drifters
Shake, Rattle And Roll - Joe Turner & His Blues Kings
Track Listings (23) - Disc #3
I've Got A Woman - Ray Charles
Ain't It A Shame - Fats Domino
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Sound Bite: Sammy Davis, Jr. on Prejudice
That Old Black Magic - Sammy Davis, Jr.
Four - Miles Davis Quintet
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Sound Bite: W.E.B. Du Bois on the Place of the Black Man in Society - W.E.B. Du Bois
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry & His Combo
Banana Boat (Day-O) - Harry Belafonte
Touch The Hem Of His Garment - The Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke
Sometime I Feel Like A Motherless Child - Marian Anderson
Misty - Johnny Mathis
Sound Bite: President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Address to the Nation on Segregation
The Twist - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
I Ain't Superstitious - Howlin' Wolf
I Pity The Fool - Bobby Bland
At Last - Etta James
Sound Bite: Interview with a Dade County Janitor
Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting - Charles Mingus
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
Track Listings (22) - Disc #4
You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles
Take My Hand Precious Lord - Mahalia Jackson
Sound Bite: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech
Cotton Fields - Odetta
How Blue Can You Get? - B.B. King
No Pity (In The Naked City) - Jackie Wilson
Sound Bite: President John F. Kennedy's Address To The Nation
Change Gonna Come - Otis Redding
Walk On By - Dionne Warwick
Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops
Sound Bite: Malcolm X on "Our Common Enemy"
Land Of 1000 Dances - Wilson Pickett
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Hey Joe - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Klan - Richie Havens
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Sound Bite: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Mountain Top" Speech & the Report on His Assassination - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Say It LouI'm Black And I'm Proud - James Brown
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey - Sly & The Family Stone
Choice Of Colors - The Impressions
To Be Young, Gifted And Black - Nina Simone
Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone - Charley Pride
Track Listings (21) - Disc #5
I Want You Back - Jackson 5
I Want To Take You Higher - Ike & Tina Turner & The Ikettes
Sound Bite: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on Segregation
Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) - The Temptations
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron
My Tribute - AndraH Crouch
Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green
Sound Bite: Gordon Parks & Melvin Van Peebles on Shaft
Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Be Real Black For Me - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
Sanford & Son Theme (The Street Beater) - Quincy Jones
Love Train - The O'Jays
Ghetto Child - The Spinners
Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
You're The First, The Last, My Everything - Barry White
Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
Chocolate City - Parliament
Wake Up Everybody (Part 1) - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Track Listings (19) - Disc #6
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Fight The Power Part 1 - The Isley Brothers
Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang
The Breaks (Part 1) - Kurtis Blow
The Message - Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five
A House Is Not A Home - Luther Vandross
If You Only Knew - Patti Labelle
Sound Bite: Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic National Convention
Proud To Be Black - Run-D.M.C.
Colors - Ice-T
Sister Rosa - The Neville Brothers
Express Yourself - N.W.A.
Sound Bite: Louis Farrakhan on the Million Man March
Me Myself And I - De La Soul
Ladies First - Queen Latifah
Elvis Is Dead - Living Colour
Sound Bite: Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley on the Rodney King Verdict
Fantastic Voyage - Coolio
As with 1999's Respect box, which chronicled women recording artists, Rhino again attempts to capture and condense a mighty field with the six-CD Say It Loud! And again, it largely succeeds. A companion to the VH1 series o... more »f the same name, Say It Loud! tells one story and many. It covers the development of many related genres, the business of locking many outsize talents and personalities into the grooves of records, and the music as it mirrored a rustling, ever-changing society--that last underscored by the inclusion of spoken sound bites (everyone from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Sammy Davis Jr.). But within these larger themes move many smaller but no less compelling tales. The roughly chronological programming allows for accidental, startling juxtapositions--disc one places Paul Robeson's pained, dignified reading of "Ol' Man River" just a few tracks away from bluesman Son House's insistence in "My Black Mama (Part 1)" that "there ain't no burnin' Hell." From there, pop ballads, big bands, bop, gospel, doo-wop, rock & roll, soul from Motown! Memphis! and Philly!, gorgeous civil-rights-era jazz, funk, and rap cohere and speak to one another in a selection about as good as can be expected given its length and various legal restrictions. (The most glaring omission is Stevie Wonder.) Any taint of "this stuff is good for you" is lost in the parade of great gifts, personalities, statements, dance crazes, poetry, and word games. If the above track listing contains lots of names you don't recognize, Say It Loud! will offer you a topnotch one-stop survey course. --Rickey Wright« less
As with 1999's Respect box, which chronicled women recording artists, Rhino again attempts to capture and condense a mighty field with the six-CD Say It Loud! And again, it largely succeeds. A companion to the VH1 series of the same name, Say It Loud! tells one story and many. It covers the development of many related genres, the business of locking many outsize talents and personalities into the grooves of records, and the music as it mirrored a rustling, ever-changing society--that last underscored by the inclusion of spoken sound bites (everyone from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Sammy Davis Jr.). But within these larger themes move many smaller but no less compelling tales. The roughly chronological programming allows for accidental, startling juxtapositions--disc one places Paul Robeson's pained, dignified reading of "Ol' Man River" just a few tracks away from bluesman Son House's insistence in "My Black Mama (Part 1)" that "there ain't no burnin' Hell." From there, pop ballads, big bands, bop, gospel, doo-wop, rock & roll, soul from Motown! Memphis! and Philly!, gorgeous civil-rights-era jazz, funk, and rap cohere and speak to one another in a selection about as good as can be expected given its length and various legal restrictions. (The most glaring omission is Stevie Wonder.) Any taint of "this stuff is good for you" is lost in the parade of great gifts, personalities, statements, dance crazes, poetry, and word games. If the above track listing contains lots of names you don't recognize, Say It Loud! will offer you a topnotch one-stop survey course. --Rickey Wright
CD Reviews
A phenomonal collection, however...
Pat Kelly | Here, There & Everywhere | 11/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is truly a terrific set. I'd buy each of these CD's separately if they weren't available together. But stop and think about this for a minute.Can you imagine a box set called "A Celebration of White Music in America"? Would anyone put together a collection that included tracks from, say, Rudy Vallee, Backstreet Boys, The Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Glen Miller, Elvis Presley, Meat Loaf, Patti Page, Sons of the Pioneers, The Captain & Tennille, Vaughn Monroe, Limp Bizkit, Carole King, Itzhak Perlman, Green Day, Pat Boone, Pat Benatar and about a hundred other artists? Of course not.Why? Because these acts have nothing in common! Now the tough follow-up question: Why should being black give the artists on this set anything more in common?Let's call this what it truly is: A Celebration of GREAT Music In America, and hope the day arrives soon when no other label need apply"
"Say It Loud"-A celebration of Black music in America
Veggiechiliqueen | 10/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Say It Loud" is a six-CD testament to the vibrant, fascinating history of black music in America. The box set features music featured in the five-part "Say It Loud" miniseries on VH1 divided into songs of politics, protest, and spreading the message, progress in the music business, gospel and blues, black sexuality in music, and the reflection (and creation) of popular culture in (and through) black music.This is the definitive box set of black music and culture. It features 128 tracks chronicling ragtime, jazz, blues, spirituals, gospel, R&B, rock 'n' roll, pop, soul, jump blues, Motown, funk, country, and hip-hop, sound bytes from influential moments (Jesse Owens on the 1936 Olympics, Civil Rights legislation, prejudice, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Mountain Top" speech and the report on his assassination, Blaxploitation films, the Rodney King verdict and more). The 100-page book features a foreword by Quincy Jones and extensive essays by David Ritz, Earnest Hardy, Ingrid Monson, and Grammy®-nominated journalist Gerald Early. "Say It Loud" is a cultural legacy as well as an excellently packaged box set. For maximum effect watch the "Say It Loud" miniseries as well...there are numerous interviews with many of the recording artists and producers and the stories behind the music and the times as well as rare early (black-and-white) TV footage of concerts by Motown artists. Much of today's popular music owes a large debt to black music and to black artists that paved the way for later generations. In the words of legendary producer Quincy Jones, "The history of black music in America is the history of America itself." So buy "Say It Loud" as a sonic history lesson, whether to brush up on your knowledge of black music or to learn from the beginning. This is one of the best box sets I've seen on the market, period. Made with love, with track after track of great cuts and informative liner notes. The only box set you'll need to buy."
Important History Lesson
Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 10/19/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Say It Loud! A Celebration of Black Music in America is a important musical collection for people of all races, creeds and colors to own. It is a musical history lesson and celebration of music and sounds that have helped shape American culture. The set spans the entire 20th century including such turn of the century icons like Scott Joplin, Fats Waller and Paul Robeson. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" is one of the most stirring vocal performances in history. Many people acknowledge the Ink Spots as the first group to employ the rock 'n' roll sound and their "If I Didn't Care" is offered as evidence. Jazz is well represented with tracks by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others like the superb "'Round Midnight" by The Thelonious Monk Quartet. As the set moves into the 60's and beyond, the songs become more Afro-centric. The Impressions' "Choice Of Colors" is one of the most thought-provoking songs of the civil rights movement. James Brown sums up the spirit of the box set with "Say It Loud! I'm Black, I'm Proud". The grooves in Parliament's vision of black leaders in politics "Chocolate City" led to songs like De La Soul's "Me, Myself & I". Interspersed throughout the disks are news cuts from Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and news stories like breaking the segregation lines make this set more powerful and relevant."
Very Strong
mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | usa | 11/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"way too Many times folks don't get the facts right on the History of Music.thank goodness Quincy Jones helped put this Compilation together&it showcases a History that hasn't gotten it's full do.Great Writers,Arrangers,Producers,Performers&Creative Minds that have Created Timeless Music.A Big Salute to Quincy Jones&all the Great Minds Featured here I say Thank You&Right ON!"
An absolute must have!!
Johnnie Gregory | Jersey City, New Jersey USA | 08/04/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To any black person who wants educate their child musically, this is a must have, yes there are some omissions, but the depth and breadth of the artists represented is astonishing. I will listen this with my child very often, as a history lesson."