Customer Reviews

The Best of Sam & Dave

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a review for THE BEST OF SAM & DAVE (Atlantic)!! Some of the other reviews here were misplaced--they are talking about the dreadful "The Greatest Hits of Sam and Dave." This is a GREAT collection of the ORIGINAL recordings. Some of this album was co-produced by one of soul music's greatest, Issac Hayes, along with David Porter--more than half produced by Jim Stewart. Stewart produced many of their most well known hits: "Soothe Me," "Hold On I'm Comin'," and of course their signature hit "Soul Man." The only reason this doesn't rate five stars is because this is a CD transfer of the original recording--a digital remaster would do wonders for this title (and I hope it's soon!). "Soothe Me" has a a bit of a hiss in the opening that I'm sure a remaster would eliminate--it's a bit distracting until it gets rolling, then you can't notice it much. If you love the Blues Brothers film and remember hearing Sam and Dave during that great first chase scene, then you will certainly enjoy the rest of this wonderful selection of R&B tunes by two of the best!

I guess it doesn't exactly matter *how* you come across something wonderful - all that matters is that you did. A little while ago, I was watching The Blues Brothers Movie (for about the thousandth time) and thought "I kinda like that background music"! Since I now have the movie on DVD, I was able to stop and look at the 8-Track Elwood and Jake were playing in their Cop cruiser; The Best of Sam & Dave. Amazon.com to the rescue.

This was the first (of many) Soul and R&B albums I have purchased and it remains at or near the top. Of course, "Soul Man" and "Wrap It Up" will draw you in, but this album has 21 tracks of pure gold. There is NO filler! I'm just sorry that I wasn't old enough in the sixties to see them in their prime - it would of been fun.

Sam & Dave let their souls rip on these tracks. They laid it out for anybody to hear. "Soul Man" "Hold On I'm Comin" "Wrap It Up" "When Something's Wrong With My Baby" "I Thank You" are all genuine soul classics. As the other reviewer said this is true soul & grit.

All the amazing songs are here. The horn riff on "Wrap it up" along with the vocal harmonies are alone worth the price of admission. But the hiss on "Soothe Me" was so noticeable, I had to re-check the CD case to make sure it was an Atlantic release and not a bootleg! These tracks are PRIME for a digital remaster, as they are timeless classics that deserve preservation.

I have this and the Rhino release titled The Very Best of Sam & Dave, and if pressed to rate one over the other, I suppose I'd have to go with Rhino, if only because the overall sound is marginally better (both are decent) and you get much more in the way of liner notes - 4 pages compared to the one meager page here by Bob Rolontz on the back of the insert (for which you'll likely need a magnifying glass to read). The Rhino release also provides chart details for the hits (but no label information) whereas this one only shows the recording dates for each track.

Both omit their final two hits for Atlantic, Born Again (a # 27 R&B/# 92 Hot 100 on Atlantic 2608 in March 1969, and their cover of the Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds hit, Don't Pull Your Love, which finished at # 36 R&B/# 102 Hot 100 Bubble Under in November 1971 on Atlantic 2839.

What you DO get here are both sides of their first two uncharted Stax singles in 1965, A Place Nobody Can Find/Good Night Baby (Stax 168) and I Take What I Want/Sweet Home (Stax 175), along with the following B-sides to some of their hits: A Small Portion Of Your Love which backed the # 2 R&B/# 42 Hot 100 When Something Is Wrong With My baby on Stax 210 in early 1967; May I Baby, the B-side to the # 1 Soul Man (7 weeks at the top spot) on Stax 231 in the fall of 1967; Wrap It Up, the flip of the # 4 R&B/# 9 Hot 100 I Thank You on Stax 242 in February/March 1968; This Is Your World, backing t6he # 20 R&B/# 48 Hot 100 You Don't Know What You Mean To Me on Atlantic 2517 in June 1968; Still Is The Night, the B-side to the # 19 R&B/# 54 Hot 100 Can't You Find Another Way Of Doing It on Atlantic 2540 in late summer 1968; and Come On In, the flip of the # 18 R&B/# 41 Hot 100 Soul Sister, Brown Sugar on Atlantic 2590 in January 1969.

Sam Moore was born on October 12, 1935 in Miami while Dave Prater came into this world on May 9, 1937 in Ocilla, Georgia, and left it tragically in a vehicle accident at age 50 on April 9, 1988, 4 years before the duo was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

I'm happy to have both this and the Rhino volume and, if you're a fan of Sam & Dave, I recommend both.

I had forgoten some of their songs that clicked into my head on the second note. I love the CD. I was pleased after worrying about buying things online. This is my first time buying something from someone, instead of something(ie. PBS) I have been pleasantly pleased with the experience. Thanks to the AM of ZON. and Sam and Dave without you Amazon would be meaningless.

If you are a true fan of Memphis soul music and especially a fan of the Stax label, this is a must
have. The CD has all the songs that received "air-play"
during Sam and Dave's heydey and some that I had never heard but are testaments to the Stax sound and production values. Listen to "Goodnight Baby". I'm a hardcore OG but
the song gives me chills!

It's clearly an older disc, and it sounds like they dubbed it straight from the reel. I love that warm sound, especially with music like this.

The world of show business is not a place where shrinking violets bloom. On the contrary, it is known for bombast, opportunism, and egos larger and more gaseous than zeppelins.

Consequently it is rare indeed to find an act featuring two prodigious talents who have chosen to share billing equally. This extraordinary gesture of selflessness is indicated by the word - AND - which links the two names.

A small handful of examples comes to mind where two geniuses are paired. The Captain And Tennille, of course, The Fluorescent Leech And Eddie, and the late lamented duo, Wayland Flowers And Madame who, tragically, died simultaneously.

Add to this distinguished list the names, Sam And Dave. These powerhouse singers, who secured their place in history with a few hits covered by shabby second-stringers, simply define everything that is good about R&B. In fact, if you were beginning an R&B collection, this outstanding CD would be an excellent place to start.

You'll find barnburners like Soul Man and I Thank You, among many others, but you may be surprised how these guys work a ballad. The Best Of Sam AND Dave delivers the goods; and so much more.

Very good assortment of Sam and Dave's best. What I like about this CD is that it is not digitally remastered which preserves the original sound.