Or, more accurately, a Starter R&B Collection that justifies itself by qualifying as a single purchase. On the basis of a recent R&B query I may have rather rashly promised an actual post on the subject, intrigued as I was by the premise. Could one single purchase really provide the depth required to meet the challenge, even if I did stretch the definition to include multi CD compilations. I have nonetheless answered the query as best I could but, to do so, I have violated one or two of the criteria I established to arrive at the decision. They are, in no particular order, timespan, availability, price and, subjectively, quality. Guess on which one(s) I almost immediately reneged!!
Atlantic R&B 1947-1974
Had to start with this one for at least two reasons. Firstly, it’s the one that is I believe alluded to in the question posted in the Q& A by BluesFan001. Secondly, I think that for perhaps 90% of diehard fans out there it would indeed be the definitive statement as a guide to the quality and wide variety of styles to be found within its ‘grooves’; and you would get no argument from me either. It covers the period 1947 – 1974 and we cover just about every variation of music to be found under the umbrella generic term of rhythm and blues, to give the music its proper moniker. It kicks off with Joe Morris, Tiny Grimes etc. etc. (1947) and finishes with Blue Magic, The Spinners And Major Harris (1974) and in between encompasses just about every other artist on eight discs of superb performances. So why not declare it the winner and end the post at this point. It’s main drawback is price. The cheapest I can find the Box Set is £80 and that is for a used copy. You could cheat and buy each CD individually but it would still be a tidy sum and it wouldn’t be a single purchase. So, close but no banana!
R&B No. 1s of the ’50s
This is another fantastic collection of R&B performances over a set of six CDs. Its strengths are that it’s absolutely all ‘killer and no filler’ – the concept is simple but brilliantly effective and it’s that very premise that ensures it essential purchase status. As it deals exclusively with the 1950s it’s a tighter set than the previous contender but it still encompasses a terrific roster and broadens the sound to occasionally feature a few more ‘non-descript’ entries (‘When’ by the Kalin Twins, ‘Splish Slash’ by Bobby Darin anyone) but that’s the drawback of including every Number One on the R&B chart. I would say that’s not the real issue though. It is after all a representation of the charts of the time and as such it shows the cross pollination taking place as early as the beginning of the 1950s, although it is illuminating to note that it’s the white artist entries on the black charts that are showcased here. The pop charts were far less accommodating of black artists. Its main strength is however its main drawback. By concentrating solely on No.1s it misses quality artists and releases that for some unfathomable reason didn’t make it to the top of the R&B charts. Concentrating on the 50s also means, by definition, that it misses out on the 40s showbands and the quality productions of the 1960s. For those two reasons, it misses out. It goes without saying however that at £25 (as this post is written) for 6 CDs of first class music, it is still an essential purchase!
The R&B Hits Of ….
This is a slightly left field offering but is included as an option for any newbies who might be interested in music from a very defined time period. Each of these 3 CD compilations focus on a specific year and in doing so allow for a deeper understanding of the breadth and depth of the music of the period. In so doing they are very much an adjunct to the previous compilation, even allowing for the very occasional overlap. The picture on the left showcases 1952, but I also have 1954 and 1955. Given the additional depth on offer, you might even finding the odd track a little grating, but that’s all part of the fun – you might also find a myriad of long lost gems as well. They are priced competitively but you’d need them all to justify recommendation and then it wouldn’t be a single, complete R&B collection. They are also a little scarce. They might also be a little off putting to those exploring the genre for the first time. Still buy them all though, obviously.
There are variations on this theme, including the series on Acrobat called “The (insert year here) R&B Hits Collection” which is a particularly fine example, with four CDs of material devoted to each year – there are a lot of them and they can vary in price, but if you get them all, you’ll have gone way beyond the remit of this post. The 60s years are well represented though and these later years do sugar coat the rougher feel of the earlier timescale’s material. The inset picture is of the 1961 edition, which I happen to possess!
The Rhino R&B Box
And so we get to the elephant in the room and the Overall Winner. In all but one aspect the Rhino Box Set is undeniably the primary choice for any newbie looking to dip their toes into the murky depths of R&B. It’s a proper 6 cd box set with a fine well written booklet, is impressively ambitious, arching as it does from the “race record” era to the day before disco. Jump blues, boogie, post-war vocal groups, shouters and honkers, early rock & roll, doo-wop, and myriad varieties of soul music all rear their heads here; while the selections may often seem obvious to long-time listeners, the set will certainly knock out anyone new to the history of these sounds. It is of course broadly comparable to the Atlantic Set with which I started this post, but has the added benefit of not being label specific. I’ve owned it twice – it was nicked during a house burglary (I’m pretty sure they didn’t know what they were getting) but fortunately Mrs. No Name managed to secure me another copy many years later. Therein lies the problem. It is no longer available and the second hand prices are largely ridiculous. I am therefore making this the perfect single purchase R&B Various Artists R&B Collection solely on the premise that at the time of writing there is a copy available for £45 on ebay (other retailers are available)
In truth, get on-line, look for bargains and, err, definitely get them all!! And if you’ve been piqued by this apparent love affair, you could always take a little peek (see what I did there) in this general direction
Hi There
Finally got round to reading the blog entry – it was good to know that my supposition was correct and that the Atlantic R&B Box Set was one of the options for my argument about one starter purchase for the newbie. I would argue that it was one of the ONLY choices for such a question as it covered such a spread of years (until 1974 I believe). Too many of the other compilations focused on what some might term the ‘heyday’ of R&B and the success of the big bands’ jump blues and boogie and the like. I think you made the point it was limited by the focus only on Atlantic (and its associate labels of course) and for that reason alone I agree the Rhino Box is the better option.
I would still prefer the Atlantic Box though, for one simple reason. As you suggest, you can buy each of the CDs separately and that makes it a cheaper option for the newbie. Of course, that then means it doesn’t meet the brief (one single purchase) but for quality (and cheapness if bought second hand) they can’t be beaten. That was my approach and I now have them all!
I should however finish by agreeing that the Rhino R&B Box is really the only choice that meets the question I set. Single purchase, covers the period in question and not tied to only one label. But a cursory look at the prices, second hand at that, truly inspires the ‘elephant in the room’ moniker.
Thanks for attempting the challenge though…..😎
Nine out of ten ✔
This is a great topic for us die hard R&B and blues fans. I’m a child of the 50s however (now 75 years young) and so I disagree with the recommendation purely because I’m only fascinated by 50s R&B. So for me, any series that majors on that decade would be the one to go to. I’m also a hoary older unconstituted male so I won’t hold to the one purchase only rule set by BluesFan. I knew and have a few of the “R&B Hits of…….” series – specifically 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955. After then, we definitely veer more and more into rock’n’roll. The similarly titled “The Greatest R&B Hits of….” are similar but are on the Acrobat label and are not currently generally available – they are definitely worthwhile.
The only issue with the plethora of R&B releases is that although we are spoilt for choice, that choice is frequently not available for long. Secondly, if you do buy without a cursory review of the material, you’re gonna have to accept a fair amount of duplication; actually, even if you do your research, the end result would still be the same!!
Well, I’ll sign off now. I’ve got to buy the six CD “The R&B No. 1s of the 1950s”, which I didn’t know about and have to own – even though it does indeed duplicate many of the other compilations I mention. So, well done and thanks a lot for that!! 😭😭
It’s gone up in price a little but still a bargain – watch out for the pesky rock’n’roll cuts (which I like BTW) 🤴
Yep, I wasn’t joking about buying it. Don’t know how it got past me. So a genuine thanks for pointing to it and well done on the R&B site. I think it’s a perfect introduction for those new to the music’s charm. Hope it goes well!
P.S
I have now noted you mentioned the Acrobat sets, so apologies for trying to show off 🗣️
Wow, news alert….actual comments on a Redandwhite Rag post; enough for me to suggest they almost amount to a thread, which is clearly an aberration. Next thing you know, we’ll actually be getting regular visitors to the web page. Seriously though, it was refreshing to see, unusual though it was, as it feels sometimes that I’m the one climbing Everest in my snorkel and flippers, not the accidental but occasional tourist. Shades of Blue, as it was then called, was quite popular back in its day, but the WWW has moved on considerably since then. But the infrequent boost such as this keeps me motivated, so thank you! Good for the soul 🙏.
Oh, and Frankie (if I can be so bold), the Acrobat reissues are occasionally difficult to find, but there are a lot of them. The 1950s decade is well represented and with each hosting 4CDs of material, they are a worthy competitor to the compilations discussed in this post (notwithstanding the single purchase requirement stipulated by theBluesFan in the original question). If I hadn’t already explored the alternatives, I would have been tempted to get more than just the 1961 edition. You can check out the label here