Tag Archives: Ace Records
RAY STEVENS-FACE THE MUSIC-THE COMPLETE MONUMENT SINGLES 1965-1970.
RAY STEVENS-FACE THE MUSIC-THE COMPLETE MONUMENT SINGLES 1965-1970. In a career that’s lasted the best part of sixty years, Ray Stevens has been a singer, songwriter, session musician, arranger and producer. He’s a member of various Halls Of Fame and has won two Grammy Awards. Ray Stevens is also a truly prolific, and has released …
CLEAR LIGHT-CLEAR LIGHT.
CLEAR LIGHT-CLEAR LIGHT. There aren’t many record labels that are founded in a college dorm. However, that’s where the Elektra Records story began in 1950. Jac Holman and Paul Rickol were students at the prestigious and exclusive St. John’s College, in Santa Fe. They decided to form a record label, and agreed to invest $300 …
HARMONY OF THE SOUL: VOCAL GROUPS 1962-1967.
HARMONY OF THE SOUL: VOCAL GROUPS 1962-1967. For many record companies, especially smaller independent labels, a successful compilation can be the answer to a label manager’s prayers. Suddenly, all the small losses that they’ve accumulated over the financial year are wiped out. Even better, there’s some profit left over. So it’s no surprise that the …
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE VOLUME 9.
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE VOLUME 9. Recently, Ace Records released a new volume in one of their longest running, and most successful compilation series. The compilation series in question, is Where The Girls Are. Its story began back on 27th May 1997. That’s when Ace Records released Where The Girls Are. Back then, hope was …
THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977.
THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977. As the seventies dawned, America was still at war in Vietnam, and the struggle for racial equality continued. Things were improving, but still, when it came to racal equality, America’s report card said “could do better.” There was hope though. The civil rights movement hoped …
THE PARIS SISTERS- ALWAYS HEAVENLY-THE PARIS SISTERS ANTHOLOGY.
THE PARIS SISTERS- ALWAYS HEAVENLY-THE PARIS SISTERS ANTHOLOGY. The Paris Sisters weren’t an overnight success. Far from it. It took nearly a decade of hard work and dedication before they made a commercial breakthrough. Suddenly, all the hard work was worthwhile. Especially when I Love How You Love Me reached five on the US Billboard …
CLARENCE CARTER-THIS IS CLARENCE CARTER & THE DYNAMIC CLARENCE CARTER.
CLARENCE CARTER-THIS IS CLARENCE CARTER & THE DYNAMIC CLARENCE CARTER. The Clarence Carter story is one of triumph over adversity. Clarence Carter was born in Alabama, on January 14 1936. Sadly, shortly after his birth, doctors discovered that Clarence Carter was blind. This was a huge blow for the Carter family. They worried what the …
SHAZAM! AND OTHER INSTRUMENTALS WRITTEN BY LEE HAZLEWOOD.
SHAZAM! AND OTHER INSTRUMENTALS WRITTEN BY LEE HAZLEWOOD. During a career that spanned six decades, Lee Hazlewood was a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He even founded his own record label LHI Records in 1967. By then, Lee Hazlewood had been involved with music since the the early fifties. By then, Lee Hazlewood’s life was …
NEW BREED WORKIN’-BLUES WITH A RHYTHM.
NEW BREED WORKIN’-BLUES WITH A RHYTHM. Not many compilation series survive to release six volumes, never mind thirteen. That’s almost unheard of. However, recently, two compilation series celebrated the release of their sixth and thirteenth volumes. They seem to have found the ‘secret’ of a successful compilation. For those waiting with baited breath, there’s no …
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION.
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION. Over the last few years, there’s been an upsurge in interest in vinyl. In 2014, reached a record high. For the first time in over twenty years, vinyl sales in America surpassed the nine million mark. Things got even better in the first quarter of 2015, with sales increasing by …
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAX-STAX-VOLT 45PRM RARITIES 1964-1968.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAX-STAX-VOLT 45PRM RARITIES 1964-1968. Just like Picasso, the Stax and Volt labels had a blue period. In Stax and Volt’s case, this began in 1964, and lasted until mid-1968. During this period, Stax released over 300 singles and Volt in excess of 120 singles. This included some of best music …
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-TROUBLES, TEARS AND TRAINS.
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-TROUBLES, TEARS AND TRAINS. One of Ace Records longest-running, and most successful compilation series, is their By The Bayou series. Compiled by Ian Saddler, the thirteenth instalment in the By The Bayou series was recently released. However, Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Troubles, Tears and Trains is only the second compilation of …
OUT OF LEFT FIELD-WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL.
OUT OF LEFT FIELD-WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL. Country music has always been inextricably linked with soul music. In some cases, the two go hand-in-hand. This has been documented by Ace Records on their Where Country Meets Soul series. The series began in June 2012, with the release of Behind Closed Doors: Where Country Meets Soul. …
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015.
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015. The final category in my best of series is live albums. For some reason, live albums seem to divide opinion. While some people love live albums, others loathe them. There seems to be no middle ground. Partly that’s down to how an artist approaches a live album. It may be …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 1.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 1.. The next stop in my look back at 2015, is the compilations released during the last twelve months. Again, I started with a long-list, and over the course of a few weeks, gradually, narrowed it down to fifty-five albums. That took some doing. After all, 2015 was a …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2. DISC0 2: A FURTHER FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1976-80. Just seven months after Soul Jazz Records released Disco: A Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul and Boogie in November 2014, the London based label return with the sequel, Disco 2: A Further …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3. GROOVE WITH A FEELING-SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS-BOOGIE, SOUL AND FUNK 1975-1985. By 1975, soul music was no longer as popular as it had once had been. Executives running the Sounds Of Memphis label realised this; and between 1975 and 1985, the label released a much more eclectic selection of …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5. PRIVATE WAX VOLUME TWO. Private Wax Volume Two was released on BBE Music in October 2015. This is another compilation of “Super Rare Boogie and Disco Compiled By Zaflovevinyl.” Given their rarity, it’s no wonder it’s taken three years to compile Private Wax Volume Two. However, if anyone …
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