Search - Various Artists :: Sweet Soul Music: 1963

Soul the Bear Family way

Scott D. Reeves | Mason, OH | 06/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am slowly but surely acquiring all the discs in this series - they are marvelous. I chose to review this one because it is my current favorite. For those of you unfamiliar with Bear Family, they are a German company committed to reissuing classic American (among others) music. They are known for their high production values, great sound quality, extensive liner notes and, yes, higher than average (import) prices. The decision when acquiring a Bear Family product is usually do the first three points above justify the fourth.



Sweet Soul Music - 30 Scorching Classics from 1963- is the third in a series of 10 discs - each covering a year in what is generally accepted to be Soul Music's greatest decade. The series follows Bear Family's Blowin the Fuse which was a year by year chronicle of 50's R&B. The 1963 disc, like all the discs in the series, is a nice mix of soul classics with a few rarer cuts. On this disc, we find such old standbys as "These Arms of Mine" by Otis Redding, "On Broadway" by the Drifters and Rufus Thomas'"Walkin' the Dog" sitting beside lesser known cuts like the Five Du Tones amazing "Shake a Tail Feather." The beauty of this approach is that the well-known stuff sounds new again - has there ever been a more sublime vocal performance than "Hello Stranger"? - and the less familiar stuff comes like a bolt of lightning from the sky. The bolt here strikes about 10 bars into Bobby "Blue" Bland's "That's the Way Love Is." Sound quality is simply sensational throughout. This single disc comes in a foldout package with a thick booklet (easily removable) detailing each song beautifully. Photographs are everywhere.



A couple caveats before anybody pushes the "Buy Now" button. First, while there are some rarities on this and the other discs in the series, soul aficionados will have many if not most of these cuts. In particular, there is quite a bit of overlap with Rhino's well-loved but now out of print "Beg, Scream, and Shout" box. Second, soul purists might consider some of these songs not to be soul at all, as Bear Family uses the inclusive definition and includes not only Motown but pop (He's So Fine), and soul-jazz (Watermelon Man). Other discs in the series feature Chuck Berry and Slim Harpo, not exactly soul artists.



Despite these limitations the disc is really wonderful --like finding a great R&B radio station on the dial for an hour in 1963. For most listeners, I imagine the biggest problem will be how to afford the whole series."