From his early days as a last-second replacement in the Drifters to his sterling solo career during which he scored a total of 31 pop and 24 R&B chart hits, the late, great Ben E. King was responsible for some of the most indelible recordings in pop music history. His big, beautiful baritone powered such Hall of Fame songs as There Goes My Baby, Save the Last Dance for Me, Spanish Harlem and, of course, Stand by Me, and almost alone among R&B singers of his era he successfully transitioned into the disco era of the 70s with hits like Supernatural Thing and his acclaimed collaboration with the Average White Band.
Now, Real Gone Music, in tandem with SoulMusic Records, is planning to release two of the most ambitious collections ever devoted to Ben E. King s work, a pair of 2-CD sets containing the A and B-side of every single the man released during his storied career recording for the Atco and Atlantic labels.
Long in the making, this first volume features 50 tracks that cover the years 1960 to 1966; many of these songs (especially the B-sides) never came out domestically on CD, and most never came out at all on CD in the original mono single versions found here, all from original tape sources. These are the recordings and the correct versions of the recordings that went out over the radio airwaves and made Ben E. King a legend, including Spanish Harlem, Stand by Me, Don't Play That Song (You Lied) and Amor, remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision and annotated by British soul music expert/DJ Clive Richardson. With Ben s recent passing, a timely release and a major addition to his catalog.
Disc: 1 1. Brace Yourself 2. Show Me the Way 3. A Help-Each-Other Romance (LaVern Baker & Ben E. King) 4. How Often (LaVern Baker & Ben E. King) 5. Spanish Harlem 6. First Taste of Love 7. Stand by Me 8. On the Horizon 9. Amor 10. Souvenir of Mexico 11. Young Boy Blues 12. Here Comes the Night 13. Ecstasy 14. Yes 15. Don t Play That Song (You Lied) 16. Hermit of Misty Mountain 17. Too Bad 18. My Heart Cries for You 19. I m Standing By 20. Walking in the Footsteps of a Fool 21. Tell Daddy 22. Auf Weidersehn, My Dear 23. How Can I Forget 24. Gloria, Gloria 25. I (Who Have Nothing) 26. The Beginning of Time 27. I Could Have Danced All Night 28. Gypsy Disc: 2 1. What Now My Love 2. Groovin 3. That s When It Hurts 4. Around the Corner 5. What Can a Man Do 6. Si Senor 7. It s All Over 8. Let the Water Run Down 9. Seven Letters 10. River of Tears 11. The Record (Baby I Love You) 12. The Way You Shake It 13. She s Gone Again 14. Not Now (I ll Tell You When) 15. Cry No More 16. (There s) No Place to Hide 17. Goodnight My Love 18. I Can t Break the News to Myself 19. So Much Love 20. Don t Drive Me Away 21. I Swear by the Stars Above 22. Get in a Hurry
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