Earl Gaines - Lovin' Blues: The Stairday King Years 1967-1973

Size: 159.9 MB
Time: 67:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. My Woman (3:00)
02. The Things I Used To Do (3:12)
03. Three Wishes For A Fool (2:54)
04. Fruit From Another Man's Tree (2:57)
05. From Warm To Cool To Cold (2:56)
06. It's Love Baby (24 Hours A Day) (2:47)
07. My Pillow Stays Wet (2:25)
08. The Door Is Still Open (2:16)
09. The Meaning Of A Sad Song (Medley) (3:12)
10. Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go) (3:19)
11. Everyday I Have The Blues (5:07)
12. Have Faith (In Me) (3:04)
13. Tell Me Tonight (2:43)
14. You Belong To Me (2:52)
15. Good Good Lovin' (2:02)
16. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go (Thrill On The Hill) (2:17)
17. What In The World Can I Call My Own (3:23)
18. Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go) (Overdubbed Version) (4:48)
19. I'm The One You Need (2:20)
20. House Full Of Rooms (2:20)
21. Sixty Minute Man (2:41)
22. Little Boy Blue (2:16)
23. Finger Lickin' (Instrumental) (2:26)

The years covered on WestSide's 1999 compilation Lovin' Blues: The Starday-King Years 1967-1973 are not necessarily among Earl Gaines' best-known or most-celebrated sides. The singles he cut in the late '50s and early '60s, primarily for Excello, form the core of his legacy, but this music is high-grade Southern soul all the same. It's in a similar vein as the Excello recordings, but it's clear that this is post-Stax material with the punchy horns and gritty rhythm section. The first part of the compilation is devoted to the 1969 album Lovin' Blues, which is a tight, passionate, unheralded minor gem of soul-blues, and then the rest of the compilation is devoted to singles and unreleased tracks. Some of this material is a little generic and faceless, while others are simply serviceable covers of R&B standards like "Sixty Minute Man," but it's all listenable and its completeness is certainly a boon to collectors. But the real reason to get this compilation (once you've already absorbed the Excello recordings, that is) is that Lovin' Blues is a fine Southern soul-blues record, worth seeking out by aficionados. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lovin' Blues: The Stairday King Years 1967-1973 MP3
Lovin' Blues: The Stairday King Years 1967-1973 FLAC

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Earl Gaines - That's How Strong My Love Is (Japan Edition)

Year : 1979
Bitrate : 320K/s
Total Time : 35:01
Total Size : 80,3 MB
Styles: Funk / Soul, Blues
Scans: Front
Vinyl, LP, Compilation

A1. Turn on Your Love Light (3:13)
A2. Been So Long (2:38)
A3. Soul Children (2:57)
A4. Taking All The Love I Can (2:48)
A5. Since I Lost You (2:18)
A6. Nine Pound Steel (3:43)

B1. That's How Strong My Love Is (3:29)
B2. Hello My Lover (2:29)
B3. Certain Girl (2:23)
B4. Trust In Me (2:47)
B5. It Takes You (3:01)
B6. Lovin' Her Was Easier (3:10)

Earl Gaines was one of the great undiscovered southern soul talents of the early 70s, and this rare Japanese album is one of the few full length collections we've ever seen on vinyl!
Production is by John R and Allen Orange – and titles include "Certain Girl", "That's How Strong My Love Is", "Turn On Your Love Light", "Been So Long", "Since I Lost You", "Soul Children", and "Loving Her Was Easier". (Limited, numbered pressing!)

That's How Strong My Love Is

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Various - The Blues Meets The Beatles

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:36
Size: 138.7 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock/Blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:11] 1. Stan Webb - She Loves You
[3:16] 2. Earl Green - From Me To You
[2:28] 3. Fred James - I'm Down
[3:58] 4. Charles Walker - Don't Let Me Down
[3:38] 5. Paul Lamb - Norwegian Wood
[4:08] 6. Johnny Jones - Come Together
[6:07] 7. Stan Webb - I Saw Her Standing There
[3:10] 8. Earl Green - Run For Your Life
[2:31] 9. Al Garner - The Word
[3:13] 10. Ruby Turner - You Can't Do That
[2:49] 11. Earl Gaines - Oh Darling
[4:28] 12. Fred James - Why Don't We Do It In The Road
[4:03] 13. Mo'indigo - I Call Your Name
[3:13] 14. Paul Lamb - Get Back
[3:46] 15. Roscoe Shelton - Let It Be
[3:30] 16. Tony Wilson - I Feel Fine
[2:00] 17. Lee Moses - Day Tripper

The Blues Meets The Beatles

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Earl Gaines - 24 Hours A Day

Size: 121,3 MB
Time: 51:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Blues Soul, Soul
Art: Full

01. Best Of Luck Baby (2:28)
02. How Do You Hear (2:08)
03. Sittin' Here Drinkin' (3:00)
04. Love You So (2:09)
05. If I Could Only Hold Back The Tears (2:09)
06. Three Times Seven (2:48)
07. Let Me Down Easy (2:24)
08. Show Me Something (2:10)
09. You Are My Sunshine (2:41)
10. Best Of Luck To You, The (2:46)
11. It's Worth Anything (2:37)
12. Trust In Me (2:35)
13. Too Many Times (2:00)
14. Door Is Still Open, The (2:03)
15. Poor Man Gotta Make It (2:34)
16. Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness (2:30)
17. You Belong To Me (2:22)
18. I Have Loved And I Have Lived (3:00)
19. 24 Hours A Day (1:57)
20. Mercy On My Soul (5:15)

A 20-track compilation of Gaines' early tracks for Champion and his entire album for HBR produced by Hoss Allen. This is R&B/soul/blues from the late '50s to mid-'60s and Gaines' honeyed tones sound every bit as fine as they do on his Excello sides. The numerous highlights include "Best Of Luck Baby," "Now Do You Hear," "Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness," and "Love You So." ~Review by Cub Koda

24 Hours A Day

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Earl Gaines - House Party

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:19
Size: 108.3 MB
Styles: Soul/R&B/Blues
Year: 1989/2010
Art: Front

[3:07] 1. 24 Hours A Day
[4:56] 2. Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
[3:55] 3. Tell Me Tonight
[3:57] 4. House Party
[4:58] 5. Trust In Me
[4:12] 6. You Don't Know, But I Do
[3:46] 7. Just A Ennie Wennie Bit
[3:50] 8. Somebody, Somewhere
[4:45] 9. In A World Like This
[3:50] 10. Every Night Of The Week
[5:57] 11. Olene

In 1955 Gaines joined up with Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers as lead singer and scored a #2 R & B smash "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)," which has become his signature song since. The outfit didn't score a followup hit and Gaines went solo for the same label, Excello, in addition to Champion and Poncello resulting a slew of unsuccessful singles. During this time he sang lead for Bill Doggett's band. In 1966 he finally snagged a hit under his own name with "Best Of Luck To You" (#28 R 7 B) for the HBR label. He subsequently recorded record for Hollywood, Athens Deluxe/King and Seventy-Seven, including "Hymn Number 5".

Gaines recorded a single for Ace in 1975 ("Drowning On Dry Land") but then embarked on a fourteen year hiatus from the studio and working as a truck driver. He resurged in 1989 with a new album "House Party" on Meltone Records, and this began his eventual comeback thanks in large part to producer Fred James. James, a Nashville-based producer whose affection for the classic Excello sound also resulted in the resurrection of onetime label staples including Clifford Curry and Roscoe Shelton.

House Party mc
House Party zippy

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Various - The Best Of Southern Soul Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:56
Size: 146.3 MB
Styles: Soul, Blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[6:43] 1. Denise Lasalle - Mississippi Woman
[3:48] 2. O. B. Buchana - She's Got The Best Lovin' That Ever Put On A Pair Of Drawers
[3:58] 3. Donnie Ray - Just Give Me My Blues
[4:31] 4. Earl Gaines - Meat And Potatoes Man
[4:15] 5. Ms. Jody - He Takes Me Around The World Without Leaving My Bedroom
[4:33] 6. Chuck Roberson - A Whiskey Glass And A Woman's Ass
[4:40] 7. Barbara Carr - Bo Hawg Grind
[3:57] 8. Carl Sims - Mojo Hand
[3:55] 9. Earl Gaines - Good Old Country Boy
[4:56] 10. Denise Lasalle - They Made A Blues Fan Out Of Me
[4:37] 11. Lee Shot Williams - Caught In The Middle
[4:19] 12. Luther Lackey - The New Orleans Blues
[5:24] 13. Chuck Roberson - She Made A Hoochie Man Out Of Me
[4:12] 14. Rick Lawson - Let The Past Be The Past

Perhaps one of the most modern forms of blues, Soul-Blues fuses disparate elements of black popular music to create a wholly urban amalgam of its own. Artists who wanted to move stylistically beyond the three-chord confines of conventional blues forms found the rhythm & blues strain of the 1950s and the southern soul style of the mid-'60s far more to their creative liking. Soul-blues combines the best elements of the two and blends that with the standard blues band instrumentation -- sometimes augmented with an R&B-styled horn section. The genre also provides more traditional blues artists with a style to visit on occasion, injecting some contemporary life into their recordings. ~AllMusic

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The Best Of Southern Soul Blues zippy

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Earl Gaines - The Lost Soul Tapes

Year: 2005
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:45
Size: 128,8 MB
Styles: Soul, soul-blues
Scans: Full

1. Keep Your Mind On Me (2:53)
2. I Can't Face It (2:47)
3. I'll Take Care Of You (2:49)
4. If You Want What I Got (2:16)
5. That's How Strong My Love Is (3:23)
6. Soul Children (2:51)
7. Nine Pound Steel (3:41)
8. Certain Girl (2:23)
9. Hymn #5 (3:22)
10. Hello My Lover (2:23)
11. Been So Long (2:33)
12. It Takes You (2:54)
13. Lovin' Her Was Easier (3:07)
14. Taking All The Love I Can (2:41)
15. Since I Lost You (2:11)
16. Trust Me (2:45)
17. Yearning And Burning (2:24)
18. You're The One, Pt. 1 (2:32)
19. You're The One, Pt. 2 (2:32)
20. Turn On Your Love Light (3:08)

The history of R&B - like the history of rock, jazz, blues, country, reggae and many other types of music - is not only a history of major stars. It is also a history of unsung heroes who - for whatever reason - fell through the cracks commercially. In 2005, the Australia-based AIM Trading Group acknowledged some of R&B's lesser-known talents with releases by Earl Gaines and the late Geater Davis - both skillful vocalists even though they never came close to the type of superstardom that Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett achieved.

The Lost Soul Tapes focuses on material that Gaines recorded for the small, obscure Seventy-Seven label in the early '70s, including singles, B-sides and outtakes. The best-known track is a memorable, blues-drenched cover of "Hymn #5" (previously recorded by the Mighty Hannibal) and which, according to AIM, was a number 36 R&B hit; the tune is perfect for Gaines' gruff, rugged yet vulnerable delivery. At Seventy-Seven Records, Gaines tended to favor a very southern approach to soul, and most of these enjoyably gritty recordings (which were made in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, AL) would be right at home on a Stax or Malaco compilation.

But that is not to say that Gaines was devoid of Northern soul influences in the '70s; the infectious "Soul Children", for example, has an Edwin Starr-ish appeal and might have been a major hit had Gaines enjoyed Motown's promotional muscle. But that is speculation. What we can say with certainty is that serious soul connoisseurs should welcome the release of The Lost Soul Tapes, a collection that is generally solid and - at times - downright excellent. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

The Lost Soul Tapes mc
The Lost Soul Tapes zippy

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Earl Gaines - Good To Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:35
Size: 102.1 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. I'd Like To Try It One More Time
[5:15] 2. I Don't Wanna Be Here
[4:32] 3. It Ain't Easy To Tell The One You Love Goodbye
[4:37] 4. I Just Don't Know Anymore
[3:44] 5. You've Been Good To Me
[4:05] 6. Good Old Country Boy
[5:11] 7. I'm Throwing In The Towel
[5:05] 8. Let The Past Be The Past
[4:33] 9. If I Could Do It All Over
[4:22] 10. Let's Call A Truce

The Nashville veteran comes back with a fine new record, performed by real musicians. He sounds strong as ever, and the songs are hand-picked. Very good. EARL GAINES - voc, JOHN WARD - gtr, JAMES JACKSON -kbds, AL WILDER - bass, STEVE POTTS & ROY CUNNINGHAM - drums, plus horns.

Good To Me

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Earl Gaines - Don't Take My Kindness For A Weakness

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:43
Size: 100.1 MB
Styles: R&B/Soul/Blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[1:57] 1. Too Many Times
[1:56] 2. 24 Hours A Day
[5:13] 3. Mercy On My Soul
[2:42] 4. The Best Of Luck To You
[2:33] 5. It's Worth Anything
[2:31] 6. Trust In Me
[1:59] 7. The Door Is Still Open
[2:30] 8. Poor Man Gotta Make It
[2:29] 9. Don't Take My Kindness For A Weakness
[2:19] 10. You Belong To Me
[2:56] 11. I Have Loved And I Have Lived
[4:05] 12. We're Gonna Miss You Otis
[3:24] 13. Our Friend Is Gone
[4:09] 14. Your Gonna Make Me Cry
[2:52] 15. The Best Of Luck To You (Alternate Take) (Alternate Take)

In 1955 Gaines joined up with Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers as lead singer and scored a #2 R & B smash "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)," which has become his signature song since. The outfit didn't score a followup hit and Gaines went solo for the same label, Excello, in addition to Champion and Poncello resulting a slew of unsuccessful singles. During this time he sang lead for Bill Doggett's band.

In 1966 he finally snagged a hit under his own name with "Best Of Luck To You" (#28 R 7 B) for the HBR label. He subsequently recorded record for Hollywood, Athens Deluxe/King and Seventy-Seven, including "Hymn Number 5". Gaines recorded a single for Ace in 1975 ("Drowning On Dry Land") but then embarked on a fourteen year hiatus from the studio and working as a truck driver.

He resurged in 1989 with a new album "House Party" on Meltone Records, and this began his eventual comeback thanks in large part to producer Fred James. James, a Nashville-based producer whose affection for the classic Excello sound also resulted in the resurrection of onetime label staples including Clifford Curry and Roscoe Shelton; for Appaloosa, Gaines issued his 1995 comeback effort, "I Believe in Your Love", and in 1997 he also joined Curry and Shelton for a joint live recording. Since then he's appeared on a host of labels, culminating in his 2008 CD for Memphis-based Ecko Records.

Don't Take My Kindness For A Weakness

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Earl Gaines - You Got The Walk

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:52
Size: 118.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Louisiana blues
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. You Got The Walk
[5:13] 2. A Fool's Advice
[3:42] 3. The Preacher's Daughter
[5:03] 4. Living On Borrowed Time
[6:04] 5. Love And Tenderness
[4:06] 6. Shoulda Been Me
[3:34] 7. Stacked In The Back
[4:04] 8. Mercy On My Soul
[4:36] 9. Part Time Love
[4:48] 10. You're Gonna Burn
[2:30] 11. Somebody Somewhere
[4:36] 12. Breakdown

Fred James (guitar); Dennis Taylor (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone).

Probably the last recordings made bv this great vocalist who had his first (and only) hit record in 1955 for Nashville's Excello label. These recordings are augmented by four tracks from the mid-nineties.

You Got The Walk mc
You Got The Walk zippy

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Earl Gaines - Nothin' But The Blues

Year: 2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:34
Size: 102,4 MB
Styles: Blues, soul-blues
Scans: Full

1. 24 Hours A Day (3:52)
2. Let's Call A Truce (4:48)
3. Meat And Potatoes Man (4:32)
4. Let The Past Be The Past (5:08)
5. If I Could Do It All Over (4:46)
6. You Better Know Your Hole From Mine (4:26)
7. Everything Sweet Reminds Me Of You (5:08)
8. Good Old Country Boy (3:54)
9. Nothing But Party Blues (3:58)
10. Cheat On Schedule (3:58)

The history of music is littered with the damaged and neglected. Dreamers who received little or no payoff for years of commitment as they followed whatever muse to whatever level of hell they descended. James Carr, Little Joe Blue, Howard Tate, Little Sonny, Willie Brown, Walter Brown, they all show up on the radar, they bring something potent to the table and then they drop off that radar. Sometimes one is re-located by someone who gives a damn and, less frequently, they get a second chance.

This new CD by Earl Gaines marks such a second chance, actually a third. Having been a modestly significant artist in the Black community from 1955 until about 1975, Gaines faded from recognition while performers like O.V.Wright, Syl Johnson, Latimore, and the obscure Little Beaver nibbled on the leftovers as one more Soul Man fell away. /John Harrelson

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Various - The End Of An Era: 20 Years In Bluesland

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:05
Size: 139.8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Roscoe Shelton - She's The One
[5:37] 2. Earl Gaines - I Believe In Your Love
[5:24] 3. Johnny Jones - I Can't Do That
[3:12] 4. Al Garner - Fatback
[4:23] 5. Herbert Hunter - Her Love Is Killing Me
[4:37] 6. Larry Ladon - Automobile
[3:27] 7. Charles Walker - You Got The Walk
[5:11] 8. Freddie Waters - Full Moon On Main Street
[4:09] 9. Dave Riley - Heat Up The Oven
[3:21] 10. Sam Lay - I'm The One
[6:43] 11. Homesick James Williamson - Crawlin' Kingsnake
[4:24] 12. Frank Frost - Born To Be Wise
[3:23] 13. Sam Carr - All My Life
[3:36] 14. Fred James - Herb Stuffing

Although the liner notes to this 14-track blues collection are otherwise thorough, one not so insignificant element is missing: the original release and recording dates of the material. The common thread seems to be that they were all produced by Fred James, who also plays guitar on all of the cuts, one of which, the instrumental "Herb Stuffing," is credited to James himself. Though James also wrote the notes, the time frame of the tracks (four of which were previously unissued) is maddeningly unspecific, though it can be deduced that they were all done sometime in the 20 years prior to this 2010 release. At any rate, these are pretty average, workmanlike contemporary electric blues, not many of them by big names in the field, with Earl Gaines, Frank Frost, Sam Lay, and Johnny Jones being the biggest. Sometimes performances of particular strength cut through to get noticed, especially Gaines' ballad "I Believe in Your Love," which has a rich and moving vibrato vocal. James is a decent and versatile guitarist, too, but in part owing to the substandard documentation, it's not a notable compilation of 20th into 21st century blues. ~Richie Unterberger

The End Of An Era: 20 Years In Bluesland mc
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