V/A – La Noire Vol. 6, Colored Entrance

Description

This edition of the LaNoire record series is once again lovingly presented to you by our esteemed collector and Doghouse and Bone Records in France. Rare original 45 rpm records pressed to vinyl for your sonic long playing pleasure. This compilation is filled with soul goodness. Songs you can dance to, cry to, and love to as some of the titles suggest. Or perhaps lament to as Rudy Lambert sings on “Love.” Lambert’s fantastic back-up singers remain a mystery, but one voice could be Alice Jean who was cutting sides for Club records at about the same time.
This volume is a soul clap heavy record, so get out the talcum powder and spread it over the basement floor, don’t worry Mom and Dad won’t mind…We have many familiar friends here, starting it off with Bobby Marchan’s dance instruction record on Dial based in Nashville. Otis Rush brings the fuzzy sax with him on, “Homework.” Cool Hawaiian guitar on a Chuck Willis side directed by Jesse Stone and his orchestra. We have records here from Bob Kayli on Detroit’s Tamla, and the formidable Wilson Pickett.

Lou Rawls first single on Capitol records is here. Rawls is famous in the States for his 1970’s era hits, but he was a contemporary of Sam Cooke and replaced Sam in an early gospel quartet. On tour with The Pilgrim Travelers he was in a near fatal automobile accident while touring in a gospel music road show. Many people may not know but Rawls also sang backup vocals for Cooke on “Bring it on home to me,” and other Cooke sides. There must be few greater voices in early American soul music. His first record for Capitol is here, “When love goes wrong.”
I have spoken often about Bobby Bland and his Duke sides. The emotion I feel when this man sings is like few others in the great pantheon of American blues. “Shoes” is considered a Northern Soul rarity record, and it does get the people on the dance floor. Alas, this record is really about loss, and the feeling of longing which you can feel him sing on this early side. First hand accounts of Mr. Bland’s early performances tell of the audience members standing stock still in front of the stage, raptured by Blands delivery. He was later criticized for not being as dynamic performer as some of his contemporaries. But as these early sides on Duke, with accompaniment by Ike Turner and band attest, they are as moving as any singers of the era.
Joe Tex gets serious on his Checker side, “Don’t Play” originally recorded for Anna records in Detroit. This side has stellar horns from Eddie and Mac Williams.
Wilson Pickett had a smash hit with “Land of 1,000 dances,” which in the United States has become a cliche’ at thousands of high-school dances across our county. This is a record that holds up no matter how many times you get on the dance floor to try all sixteen dances it mentions. The title was cut out of the original number when put to wax for radio airplay, as 1,000 dances is never mentioned in the song, and Chris Kenner along with Fats Domino are credited with the original arrangement. First charted by Cannibal and the Headhunters in the early 60’s it is said that Hannibal forgot the lyrics mid-recording hence the famous na, na-na-na-na section. Tape was expensive…. This record hit number 1 on the R and B charts in 1966, and established Pickett’s career for years to come.
Junior Parker rounds things out with a plea to Heaven on his Duke records cut, “I’m in Love.” Credit is due to the fantastic Bill Harvey Band with trumpet by Joe Scott, trombone by Pluma Davis, piano by Connie Mac Booker, bass by Hamp Simmons and Sonny Freeman on drums…a knockout crew.