The Fame Studios Story 1961-73

Mark Barry's 5-star review details the cornucopia of southern soul that this 3CD box set contains in pristine audio and with meticulous graphics and liner notes all put together by Ace's crack reissue team. While in some aspects this set could be compared to the three box sets on Stax Volt, the 3CDs in the present set cannot in anyway compare with the 29 in these and the compliers have taken great care in choosing the content of the Fame seat which was never the intent of the completist approach taken by WEA and Fantasy on Stax Volt back when. The quality of this release is certainly comparable with the previous Kent box set "Take Me to The River" (which I gave an imaginary 10 stars to) yet very different, even though Fame is well represented in the latter. Take Me to the River had many favorites and as such was less overwhelming. Thus what I find unique about this set is that it is truly overwhelming - track after track of great music - some never heard before (the original unedited version of Otis Redding on "You Left the Water Running"), some very obscure and others that sound new because of the quality of the remastering. Inevitably, playing this set straight through is overload - much like one would imagine dinner at the now closed E Bulli restaurant in Spain. Ace/Kent has once again set the standard for others to emulate in the reissue field, soul and otherwise. One can only imagine - and salivate - at the thought of the present compliers gaining access to the Gamble-Huff tape vaults (not just PIR) and doing the Sound Of Philadelphia the same justice they've done to the Home of the Muscle Shoals Sound, a comment that could be equally applied to the Hi and Hot Wax labels.Unlike Mr. Barry, I like Hey Jude and can see the relevance of including Tommy Roe, The Osmonds and Bobbie Gentry - not that I would buy the Osmonds.A truly great addition to the history of soul music. Kudos and thanks once again to Ace/Kent,

Usually when I have high expectations, I'm ripe for a big fall. Not the case here. There is no soul like southern soul, and I'm a BIG Chicago soul fan. But Fame had it going on, no question about it. When Jerry Wexler sent his roster down there, you know it had to be because Fame delivered the right sound. Here, from Arthur Alexander's original version of You Better Move On in 1961 to Travis Womack's much bluesier version from 1973, you get the absolute best in southern soul, no disrespect to Stax or American studios. Rick Hall had the musicians and the ear. He proved that when he lost his entire studio crew in 1969, and didn't miss a beat. The records here that represent the post-Johnson, Hawkins, et. al. period are just as fine as the ones that came before; a bit different sound, of course, this was an entirely different studio crew, but just as potent. If you are looking for quality and value, this collection cannot be beat. The booklet is informative, well presented, and just about as exhaustive as one can imagine. One can always pit nits. I would have liked a full-sized booklet with bigger and more pictures, but the industry has moved away from that, and, at the price, this represents an incredible value. The producers had much to pick from, and they did a great job. To illustrate just how much they had to pick from: I went through my soul collection and filled two more discs with Muscle Shoals recordings, and I probably could fill 2 more. That is how prolific and popular Muscle shoals was, as my soul collection is hardly definitive, i.e., there is much Fame produced music that I do not own.If you have any type of taste for Southern soul, you should not be without this collection. 'Nuff said.

This 3-CD set has 75 tracks of consistently great music, some of it familiar to me, some it unfamiliar. For instance, there's one track on the third disc where the artist is "Unknown Female." I thought that was hilarious, but whoever sings "Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man" milks the emotion from the lyric on a great record. The point being that even this most obscure of tracks is of a high caliber. The music has artists as diverse as Tommy Roe, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, The Osmonds, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Gentry & Otis Redding. Some of the tracks like the Del-Rays' "Fortune Teller" were familiar to me because of cover recordings, such as The Rolling Stones' version on their "Got Live If You Want It" album. Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Ace's "Searching for My Love" is such an incredible song & this recording holds up so well that it is a great jewel. Clyde McPhatter's "A Shot of Rhythm & Blues" bounces so joyfully that it puts a smile on my face. Irma Thomas' lost gem "Cheater Man" rips with a strong vocal performance. An interesting track is Etta James' soulful take on the Sonny & Cher hit "I Got You Babe." James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet, Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music," Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" & Etta James' "Tell Mama" are classic recordings that sound great. The booklet is replete with the history of Fame and each recording. This is a super anthology, well worth the price. Enjoy!

They've done it again. A masterpiece, instant Grammy material. Even the lesser known hits are fabulous. No complaints, no points taken off for anything. Liner notes are superb, giving a real true insight into how these records were made. They were NOT just a bunch of top-shelf players capturing the moment. These songs were carefully planned and arranged down to the last detail. Hall's fanaticism about mic placement should be taught in every recording school in world. He was apparently quite the control freak, that's allright, the results were worth it. This is a set that should be listened to in sequence, in doing so you will begin to hear the efforts of Hall and Co. as they find their "voice." Halfway through the first disc they are turning such monster cuts as "Steal Away," and "Let's Do Ot Over."This set could quite literally serve as the text for a graduate class on American music; meanwhile it's just plain great,great music. Five ++++++stars.

カントリーとソウルの混ぜ合わせ？、メロディー、リズム、シャウトの融合、満足してます。

Both from the standpoint of one man's (Rick Hall) determination to bring his entreprenurial dream to reality and as a vital chapter of American recorded music history, this is a compelling listen. The output of one tiny studio in a small town on the Tennessee/ Alabama border literally dominated the r&b and soul charts throughout the 60's and early 70's... while with dealing major label backstabbing and the outright theft of many of its prime musical assets. Throughout all the travails, Rick Hall continued to produce hit after hit... from Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett all the way to Mac Davis, Bobby Gentry and the Osmonds! A classic American rags to riches success story... and a chapter of pop greatness that deserves this long-awaited tribute.

サザンソウルの百科事典ですね。素晴らしい内容です。カラーのブックレットだけでも価値有り‼️Fameの歴史が一杯詰まったBoxセットです。流石 のKentの仕事ですね。

Great selection of solid B tracks.

A fantastic compilation from fame studio. Highly recommended