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| Atlantic Blues Boxed Set Rhino Handmade will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Atlantic Records, one of the most influential independent music companies of all time, with a trio of limited- edition boxed sets honoring genres championed by the label. The series begins June 12 with the release of Atlantic Blues (1949-1970). The next title in the series, Atlantic Soul (1959-1975), is due in August, with the third installment, Atlantic Vocal Groups (1951-1963), expected later in the fall. For each, Rhino Handmade will limit production to 3,000 individually numbered boxed sets. All three will be presented in a vintage-looking 12” x 12” box that includes a booklet filled with extensive liner notes and rare photos. ATLANTIC BLUES will be available June 12 exclusively from www.rhinohandmade.com for a list price of $79.98. Ahmet Ertegun moved to New York and, together with Herb Abramson, started Atlantic Records in 1947 with a $10,000 loan from his dentist. By the mid 1950s, Atlantic had become the country's preeminent R&B label. The “Atlantic Sound” - a boogie-based, sax-led band arrangement that became an integral part of rhythm and blues - grew into a phenomenon that swept across the nation and the world. Produced by Billy Vera, ATLANTIC BLUES features 80 tracks culled from the label's first two decades highlighting the wide variety of blues that found a home at Atlantic. From the gutbucket down-home blues of Blind Willie McTell to the jumping blues of Joe Morris, from the piano blues of Jimmy Yancey and Floyd Dixon to the guitar blues of T-Bone Walker and Otis Rush, from male shouters Joe Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon to female blues-icians like LaVern Baker and Esther Phillips - ATLANTIC BLUES has any kind of blues you can imagine. The set opens with Atlantic's first hit, “Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O- Dee” by Stick McGhee and His Buddies followed by a procession of influential artists and songs including Professor Longhair's Carnival classic “Mardi Gras In New Orleans”; Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade performing Atlantic's first #1 single, “Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere”; seven songs from “Big” Joe Turner including the smash “Chains Of Love”; three cuts from Aretha Franklin, “Going Down Slow,” “Today I Sing The Blues” and “River's Invitation”; plus four feelin'-lowdown tracks from Ray Charles, “Worried Life Blues,” “Losing Hand,” “Feeling Sad” and a masterful performance of Percy Mayfield's “Two Years Of Torture.” Other well-known artists that appear on ATLANTIC BLUES are Leadbelly, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Witherspoon, LaVern Baker, Freddy King and Otis Rush. In August, Rhino Handmade will continue the celebration of Atlantic's 60th anniversary with the release of Atlantic Soul (1959-1975). The four-disc set will have a similar look and feel to ATLANTIC BLUES and will feature classic Atlantic artists such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and The Spinners. Later in the fall, the final installment in this series will arrive with the four-disc set, Atlantic Vocal Groups (1951-1963), celebrating such classic performers as The Coasters, The Drifters, and The Clovers. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |