Release Date: 16 September 2022
Label: Strawberry / Cherry Red
Packaging Type: Box Set
No of Units: 4
Barcode: 5013929430938
Description
While many of the decade’s most successful UK bands (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones et al) were originally inspired and influenced by Black American soul and R&B, it could be argued that Black artists recording in Britain at the time weren’t given the exposure they deserved.
The first two discs of ‘Gotta Get A Good Thing Goin’ document the explosion of homegrown Soul and Rhythm and Blues which reflected the growing success of labels such as Motown and Stax/ Atlantic, which spearheaded the plethora of Black music emanating from the States. Artists such as Carl Douglas and Jimmy James were popular live draws, who later enjoyed chart success in the 1970s. Jackie Edwards, Owen Gray and Jimmy Cliff came to the UK from Jamaica after signing with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records while Geno Washington was an American GI who stayed here and continues to perform to this day. Clyde McPhatter was the legendary original singer in The Drifters and The Chants would eventually evolve into The Real Thing.
However, Soul and R&B aren’t the only genres catered for here. While disc 3 is devoted to the homespun Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae from artists who’d often been born in the Caribbean (chief among them Laurel Aitken, the ‘Godfather of Ska’), Disc 4 reflects a wider range of styles including choice selections from many stars of their day (Cleo Laine, a highly respected jazz singer; Shirley Bassey, a successful worldwide phenomenon; Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, a charismatic maverick; Winifred Atwell, a popular boogie woogie pianist; Geoff Love, a renowned orchestra leader). The UK also played host to many visiting American blues and folk men and women (such as Champion Jack Dupree, Otis Spann and Mabel Hillery).
‘Gotta Get A Good Thing Goin’ boasts numerous tracks new to CD and includes many 45s which now command three figure sums on the collector’s market. With comprehensive sleevenotes and artist biographies, a plethora of rare images and photos and newly remastered sound, this is a fitting homage to a golden era in Black British music.
Tracklisting
Kevin Ayers
Wrath
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Tigertailz
The Fall
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
