Artist: various
Album: The Ace Story Vol.1 – Vol.3
Released: 2010 / 2011
Quality: mp3 CBR 320 / 192
Size: 145 / 125 / 73 MB
”A little over 30 years ago, the R&B and rock’n’roll loving directorate of Chiswick Records decided that it might be fun to start a sister label, which did for the recordings of what was then a mere 20 years previously what Chiswick was doing for the more current stuff. Chiswick itself had sprung from small beginnings involving two men with a market stall full of golden oldies both common and rare, so this was not something that surprised too many people who witnessed the birth of this new reissue label – which shared the name of one of the most famous imprints in rock’n’roll/R&B history and which, in 2010, still goes by the name of Ace Records.
The American Ace label, run out of Jackson Mississippi by shrewd record man Johnny Vincent, was a veritable sweet shop of great 50s and early 60s music. Ted Carroll and Roger Armstrong had been selling vast quantities of original Ace 45s on the Rock On stall, and when Ted broached the prospect of licensing some Ace masters for UK issue/reissue with Johnny Vincent, he not only said yes but gave Ted his blessing to use the Ace name as an outlet for these, and other, reissues. Thus it was that UK Ace was able to successfully mine Vincent’s trove of musical treasures and that Ted, Roger and expert Ray Topping were able to compile – among other things – five fabulous volumes of “The Ace Story”.
These original albums stayed in catalogue for years, until the deal ran out and Vincent decided to take his catalogue elsewhere. Of all the old vinyl UK Ace albums, they are among the most asked-for on CD by those who bought them decades ago and want to indulge themselves in a newly digitised version.
Over the course of the next year-and-a-bit, we’ll be reissuing all five volumes of “The Ace (Ms) Story” using the original covers. Each volume will be augmented with additional classics that wouldn’t fit the finite running time of a long player, Some tracks will have been reissued many times since we first compiled them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while others have barely been heard in public since the aspiring hopefuls in question stood before the mic in, usually, Cosimo’s Recording Studio in downtown New Orleans and did their bit to let the good times roll. Each set offers a fabulous overview of New Orleans R&B, and some of the greatest music of their time. We’re sure we don’t need to reintroduce you to Huey Smith, Frankie Ford, Earl King, Jimmy Clanton, Bobby Marchan, Frankie Lee Sims and other members of our company. And we’re sure you’ll greet them with warm appreciation, no matter how many times you might have heard some of the biggest hits that we obviously couldn’t leave out…
…Ace is back on Ace. And this is the story, morning glory…” ~ By Tony Rounce
Artist: Koko Taylor
Album: Deluxe Edition
Released: 2002
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 150 MB
“US R&B singer, sometimes refered to as "The Queen of Chicago Blues". Born september 28, 1928, Bartlett, Tennessee. Dubbed "Koko" due to her love of chocolate. Discovered by Willie Dixon in 1962 leading to a contract with Chess. In close collaboration with Dixon she released several singles, including the 1965 "Wang Dang Doodle" previously recorded by Howlin' Wolf. Not coincidental. Taylor' had the most powerful vocal of the contemporary female Chess staplemates including Etta James, Mitty Collier and Irma Thomas and her shouting style had more in common with e.g. Big Mama Thornton and Howlin' Wolf. Her 1969 selftitled debut album is mostly a compilation of her Chess singles. From 1975 and for more than 30 years she recorded for Alligator Records. Her 1985 album "Queen of the blues" won her a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album that year. Performing till the end, she died after complications from surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding in 2009. Died June 03, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. ~ Discogs
Artist: Nathaniel Mayer
Album: I Just Want To Be Held
Released: 2004
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 85 MB
”Although this soul shouter had a few hits in the early to mid-'60s (including the near classic "Village of Love"), it took nearly 40 years for Nathaniel Mayer to release his first album in 2004. While he's probably lost a few steps along the way, this is an explosive release that sounds as powerful in 2004 as it would have in 1964. With a searing, gritty voice somewhere between James Brown and Mitch Ryder and a terrific band that churns out tough garage R&B, this could have been recorded decades before it was released. That's a compliment of course, since there just aren't many contemporary soul discs that attack with this yard dog-styled intensity. Equally impressive is that all but three songs are original, written in the vein of classic Muscle Shoals-era Wilson Pickett without a hint of pretension or sense that Mayer is trying to emulate a long-gone style. There's a loose, natural swing to the music when the band, complete with snappy Farfisa organ and occasional horns, works a sizzling, unstoppable groove along with the singer. "You Gotta Work," "From Now On," "What's Your Name" -- just drop in anywhere and the churning funk-dance rhythms slice like the hardest-edged Southern R&B. A blistering, grinding version of John Lennon's "I Found Out" might seem like an unusual tune to cover, but it's one that the Beatle probably would have approved of due to the raw emotion Mayer finds in the lyrics. Just in case you think he's not as lip-snarling as he used to be, check out the lascivious, self-explanatory "Stick It or Lick It." Only the gutsy '50s ballad "You Are the One" interrupts the pace, but that proves Mayer is just as passionate on the occasional slow dance number as on the unhinged tracks that dominate the disc. At a brisk 35 minutes it's almost over too quickly, but hopefully listeners won't have to wait another four decades for its follow-up..”~ Hal Horowitz, allmusic.com
