Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies, Johnny Otis Produced Series

[Dan Gould]

Is anyone familiar with these? Discogs.com describes the series thusly:

Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies

Profile:

70's US vinyl album series on Johnny Otis' Blues Spectrum label. All albums are by R&B artists of 50's fame and contains newly re-recorded versions of their major hits, with Johnny and Shuggie Otis leading the sessions. The series hase been releases in sister-series on various labels:
In the UK as Great Rhythm & Blues and in Germany as Rhythm & Soul.

Johnny himself had three volumes, along side Charles Brown, Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Gatemouth Moore, Joe Liggins, Roy Milton, Amos Milborn, Cleanhead Vinson and Richard Berry. I already snagged the first volume which featured Pee Wee Crayton.

As always, Thanks in advance

[paul secor]

The ones I've heard (Johnny Otis, Joe Liggins, & Pee Wee Crayton) are pretty well done - not up to the original recordings, obviously, but worth hearing.

[JSngry]

Yeah, Johnny Otis didn't fuck around. Proceed with confidence and vigor, I'd say!

[Adam]

emusic.com has a bunch of these. I've downloaded two and enjoyed them. Same notes as above, pretty much.

[Big Beat Steve]

I am somewhat underwhelmed by what I've heard from that series (not all of them). I have some (picked up when found very cheaply) and have sold off some again (which is a very, very rare occurrence for me ) and those I've kept have remained here mostly for completeness sake.

It is interesting hearing some of these artists in their later years (some of whom had been neglected unfairly by the time Johnny Otis stepped in so the series as such was a very commendable effort) but being quite familiar with the original recordings, I just cannot really warm up to those "funked-up" updated versions. (But I freely admit I am a bit of a "period purist" when it comes to those styles of music.)

In a way it is the musical equivalent of those on-stage pictures from the early 70s showing greying,balding, ageing R&B heroes from the early 50s wearing that funny, funky, loud VERY 70s-ish street garb in an attempt to "stay with it". But while they looked really sharp back in the early 50s that 70s garb hung on them just didn't do it IMHO (no, the music on those albums is better than that but I think you get the idea ).

Edited April 15, 2015 by Big Beat Steve

[Dan Gould]

Well as long as these don't sound like the Lowell Fulson Jewel recordings of the same era, I think I'll be happy. I think you know what I'm talkin' about.

I actually pulled the trigger on a nice looking copy of the Louis Jordan. The record he made for the Black & Blue label around the same time showed he still had it so that's the one I most want to hear. I'll probably search out a few more whenever the price is right.

Thanks everybody.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Dan Gould

[Tom in RI]

HI Dan,

This cd cherry picks from the series you are asking about.

http://www.amazon.com/Shuggie-Otis-Session-Great-Rhythm/dp/B00C7CKUHC/ref=sr_1_30?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1429399447&sr=1-30&keywords=shuggie+otis

I have it and enjoy it now and then, particularly Richard Berry's remake of Louie Louie.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Tom in RI

[Dan Gould]

Interesting. Thanks Tom.