VARIOUS - Soul 66 (From The Vaults Of Atlantic, Atco, Calla, Loma, Reprise, Roulette, Stax, Volt and Warner Bros) 3CD Clamshell Box Set

Limited Edition 3CD Set housed in a Clamshell Box featuring 91-tracks gathering hits and rarities from 1966: the year that soul music broke big. Notes are by MOJO and Record Collector soul expert Lois Wilson.

• Key artists include Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam And Dave, Carla Thomas, Ben E. King, Arthur Conley, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Darrell Banks, Solomon Burke, Esther Phillips, William Bell, Doris Troy and Mary Wells.

1966 has been heralded as a boom year for rock music, but it was also a peak for soul, the sounds coming out of Memphis, Detroit, New York, Chicago et al exploding into the US charts and influencing pop music in America and beyond. This box tells part of that story with tracks taken from legendary Memphis southern soul label Stax, New York’s Atlantic Records, Warner Brothers’ imprint Loma that became a favourite of the UK northern soul scene and more.

Hits include Wilson Pickett’s ‘Land Of 1,000 Dances’ (US R&B #1, US #6), Sam And Dave’s ‘Hold On I’m Comin’ (US R&B #1, US #21), Eddie Floyd’s ‘Knock On Wood’ (US R&B #1, US #28), Carla Thomas’ ‘B-A-B-Y’ (US R&B #3, US #14), Otis Redding’s ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ (R&B #4, US #25) and Darrell Banks’ ‘Open The Door To Your Heart’ (US R&B #2, US #27). There’s northern soul floorfillers such as Darrell Banks’ ‘Our Love Is In The Pocket’, The Marvellos’ ‘Something’s Burnin’’, The Blossoms’ ‘That’s When The Tears Start’, Bobby Womack’s ‘Find Me Somebody’, Mary Wells’ 'Keep Me In Suspense’, Charles Thomas’ ‘The Man With The Golden Touch’, and Bobby McNutt’s ‘I’m Gettin’ Ready’.

This isn’t just about hits, there’s B-sides, obscurities and a couple of Loma tracks that were unissued until the 21st century. The focus may be mainly on the dancefloor but there’s also room for a few deep soul numbers such as Jeff Dale’s sublime ‘A Suffering Pain’. Notes are by MOJO and Record Collector soul expert Lois Wilson.

Mastering is by Grammy nominated archivist/producer Alec Palao who discovered The Marvellos’ stomping ‘I Need You’ (featured here) when he digitised the Loma tape archive.

Everything on ‘Soul 66’ is licensed from Warner Bros.

Tracklist: 

Disc 1
1    Ben E. King - I Can't Break The News To Myself
2    Esther Phillips - Just Say Goodbye
3    The Apollas - Just Can't Get Enough Of You
4    The Blossoms - That's When The Tears Start
5    Little Joe Cook - Don't You Have Feelings
6    Ray Sharpe - Help Me (Get The Feelin') Part 1
7    Arthur Conley - Who's Fooling Who
8    Rufus And Carla Thomas - Never Let You Go
9    Gate Wesley & Band (Vocal Billy Lamont) - Do The Thing
10    Johnnie Taylor - Changes
11    Dick Jenson & The Imports - Back In Circulation
12    Charles Thomas - The Man With The Golden Touch
13    Ruby Johnson - Weak Spot
14    Sam & Dave - Hold On I’m Comin’
15    The Coasters - Saturday Night Fish Fry
16    Eddie Floyd - Things Get Better (When I'm With You)
17    Derek Martin - Bumper To Bumper
18    Percy Sledge - Love Me Like You Mean It
19    Ruby Johnson - I'll Run Your Heart Away
20    Jeff Dale - A Suffering Pain
21    The Invincibles - Can't Win
22    Paul Days - Wake Me Up Baby
23    The Dolls - The Reason Why
24    Vala Reegan And The Valarons - Fireman
25    The Romeos - Mon Petite Chow
26    Darrell Banks - Open The Door To Your Heart
27    Bobby McNutt - I'm Gettin' Ready
28    The Four Shells - Hot Dog
29    Otis Redding - Cigarettes and Coffee
30    The Mar-Keys - Plantation Inn
31    Mable John - Your Good Thing (Is About To End)

Disc 2
1    Doris Troy -  I'll Do Anything
2    Darrell Banks - Our Love (Is In The Pocket)
3    The Marvellos - Something's Burnin’
4    The Four Shells - Reputation
5    Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers - Sock It To 'Em J.B. Part 1
6    Bonnie - My Love Keeps Growin’
7    Otis Redding - Don't Mess With Cupid
8    Wilson Pickett - Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won’t Do)
9    William Bell - Share What You Got (But Keep What You Need)
10    Larry Laster - Help Yourself
11    Delilah Kennebruew - Bright Lights
12    The Marvellos - I Need You
13    Mary Wells - Keep Me In Suspense
14    Mary Lee Whitney - Don't Come A Knockin'’
15    Larry Laster - Go For Yourself
16    Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood
17    Carla Thomas - B-A-B-Y
18    The Soul Shakers - I'm Getting Weaker
19    Booker T. & The M.G.s - My Sweet Potato
20    Solomon Burke - Lawdy Miss Clawdy
21    Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1,000 Dances
22    Sam & Dav - Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody
23    Herbie Mann - Philly Dog
24    The Capitols - Zig Zagging
25    Brother Jack McDuff - Gonna Hang Me Up A Sign
26    King Curtis - Dancing In The Streets
27    Ted Taylor - Help The Bear
28    Solomon Burke - Keep Looking
29    The Invincibles - Got A Thing Goin'’
30    Booker T. & The M.G.s - Booker-Loo

Disc 3
1    Arthur Conley - I Can't Stop (No, No, No)
2    J. J. Jackson - But It's Alright
3    William Bell - Never Like This Before
4    The Mad Lads - Patch My Heart
5    Darrell Banks - Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You
6    The Marketts - Stirrin' Up Some Soul
7    Deon Jackson - That's What You Do To Me
8    Lorraine Ellison - I Got My Baby Back
9    Rufus Thomas - Sister's Got A Boyfriend
10    Cliff Nobles - My Love Is Getting Stronger
11    Dee Dee Sharp - Bye Bye Baby
12    Percy Sledge - Heart Of A Child
13    Barbara Lewis - I Remember The Feeling
14    The Capitols - We Got A Thing That's In The Groove
15    Tamiko Jones With Herbie Mann - Sidewinder
16    King Curtis - Pots And Pans Part 1
17    Sam & Dave - You Got Me Hummin’
18    The Drifters - Baby What I Mean
19    Ben E. King - What Is Soul?
20    Clarence Carter - Tell Daddy
21    Johnnie Taylor - Toe-Hold
22    Wilson Pickett - Three Time Loser
23    Darlene Love - Too Late To Say You're Sorry
24    Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness
25    Carla Thomas - Something Good (Is Going To Happen To You)
26    The Delacardos - She's The One I Love
27    The Teen Turbans - We Need To Be Loved
28    Bobby Womack - Find Me Somebody
29    Esther Phillips - Fever
30    Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles - Take Me For A Little While