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Track Listings
| 1. Soulful Dress | |||
| 2. I Don't Wanna Fuss | |||
| 3. In The Basement, Part 1 - Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto | |||
| 4. Witch For A Night | |||
| 5. Slip-In Mules (No High Heel Sneakers) | |||
| 6. Mama Didn't Raise No Fools | |||
| 7. Go Go Power | |||
| 8. Do I Make Myself Clear - Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto | |||
| 9. Mr. & Mrs. | |||
| 10. Good Timin' | |||
| 11. Here You Come Running | |||
| 12. Ask Me | |||
| 13. Can't Let You Go | |||
| 14. Crazy Lovin' - Sugar Pie DeSanto & The LaFlammes | |||
| 15. I Love You So Much | |||
| 16. It Won't Be Long | |||
| 17. Jump In My Chest | |||
| 18. Love Me Tonight - Sugar Pie DeSanto & The LaFlammes | |||
| 19. There's Gonna Be Trouble | |||
| 20. Use What You Got | |||
See all 24 tracks on this disc
| |||
Editorial Reviews
Sugar Pie DeSanto is one of the best-known female soul singers of the 1960s, particularly in the UK, where she was a frequent visitor. She appeared at the Folk Blues Festivals in Europe in the mid-60s and is still going strong, performing around the world.
Several of her tracks are popular on the Northern soul, mod and new breed scenes. She was inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame in 2008. Go Go Power, one of her rarest 45s, was used in a recent British TV ad campaign.
There was a CD of Sugar Pie's Chess recordings released 10 years ago, but that set comprised just 12 cuts and is now deleted. Our 24-tracker comprises all of her Chess singles, including a UK-only gem, three classic duets with Etta James and a great previously unissued track. Many of the selections have never been released outside the USA before or are reissued here for the first time ever.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By rollo
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This cd contains most of the Chess recordings by Sugar Pie DeSanto. Many of the compositions are by Sugar Pie herself in conjunction with first rate arrangements by Phil Wright, Riley C. Hampton, George Patterson and Leonard Caston. Here you have 24 tracks of Sugar Pie's best stuff, much of it remastered for STEREO too. Wow!!!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have to admit that the only reason I checked out the GO-GO POWER: THE COMPLETE CHESS SINGLES CD by Sugar Pie DeSanto was because of her unusual name and unique cover picture. I was expecting something like a soft-voiced Minnie Mouse type of girl singer but listening to the samples on Amazon and I was blown away by this diminutive woman with a B-I-G booming, powerhouse voice! I just had to buy GO-GO POWER...
This CD is truly rockin' and Sugar Pie sounds a lot like Tina Turner--when she was with Ike. But DeSanto has a style all her own with better clarity than Turner especially on some of the slower type ballads on this set like "Ask Me," "Crazy Lovin'," "I Love You So Much," " Love Me Tonight," "Never Love A Stranger," and "Somewhere Down The Line" (one of three duets with Etta James).
The rest of the tracks are funky, with infectious beats, and explosive. Since it covers the time period between 1961-1966, when rock 'n' roll was in its infantile and evolving stages, it's not hard to imagine groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones listening to Sugar Pie to get their inspiration.
DeSanto is of mixed ethnicity, which explains her exotic looks, and was born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton. She was re-christened as "Little Sugar Pie" by band leader and hipster Johnny Otis, and not only is she a talented singer but she also wrote a lot of the songs included in this collection.
My favorites tracks are "In The Basement pt.1" (duet with Etta James), "Witch For A Night," "Go Go Power," "Good Timin'," and "Use What You Got."
Ace Records/Universal/Island did a fantastic job remastering the songs on this 2009 release, which all sound as though they were recorded yesterday, and the CD comes with a booklet with pictures of Sugar in action and wonderful liner notes by Mick Patrick that tells you all about Sugar, her career and her life.
GO GO POWER...CD is like finding a needle-in-a-haystack. Who knew there was such wonders to discover in music? If you like blues mixed with rock then I highly recommend this CD. And to see some vintage performances of Sugar Pie DeSanto go to YouTube.
This CD is truly rockin' and Sugar Pie sounds a lot like Tina Turner--when she was with Ike. But DeSanto has a style all her own with better clarity than Turner especially on some of the slower type ballads on this set like "Ask Me," "Crazy Lovin'," "I Love You So Much," " Love Me Tonight," "Never Love A Stranger," and "Somewhere Down The Line" (one of three duets with Etta James).
The rest of the tracks are funky, with infectious beats, and explosive. Since it covers the time period between 1961-1966, when rock 'n' roll was in its infantile and evolving stages, it's not hard to imagine groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones listening to Sugar Pie to get their inspiration.
DeSanto is of mixed ethnicity, which explains her exotic looks, and was born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton. She was re-christened as "Little Sugar Pie" by band leader and hipster Johnny Otis, and not only is she a talented singer but she also wrote a lot of the songs included in this collection.
My favorites tracks are "In The Basement pt.1" (duet with Etta James), "Witch For A Night," "Go Go Power," "Good Timin'," and "Use What You Got."
Ace Records/Universal/Island did a fantastic job remastering the songs on this 2009 release, which all sound as though they were recorded yesterday, and the CD comes with a booklet with pictures of Sugar in action and wonderful liner notes by Mick Patrick that tells you all about Sugar, her career and her life.
GO GO POWER...CD is like finding a needle-in-a-haystack. Who knew there was such wonders to discover in music? If you like blues mixed with rock then I highly recommend this CD. And to see some vintage performances of Sugar Pie DeSanto go to YouTube.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By James Morris
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sugar Pie DeSanto is one of the most overlooked ladies of soul, and this CD of her complete Chess singles is long overdue.
Although she was frequently overshadowed by her more successful childhood friend, Etta James, Sugar Pie had a sassy manner and a bouncy rhythm all her own, as is well demonstrated on this release. She first came to my attention when my favorite vocalist, Tracy Nelson, told me that she had learned the song, I Want To Know, from the singing of Sugar Pie DeSanto. Intrigued, I checked her out, as Tracy has never steered me wrong on the subject of singers or musicians that I've never heard of. I first sampled Sugar Pie with an earlier Chess collection (Down In The Basement), but with the acquisition of Go Go Power, my admiration for her talents really took off.
Go Go Power begins with Sugar Pie's best known hit, Soulful Dress, which was later covered by NOLA singer/pianist Marcia Ball on a CD of the same title. Soulful Dress is about the most finger-snapping, get happy R & B number I think I've ever heard. I have never played this track for anyone who didn't immediately want to know who Sugar Pie is, and how she escaped their radar. While there is not a bad track on the whole CD, several songs stand out.
I Don't Wanna Fuss has a rhythm that doesn't quite invite description; it simply has to be heard and absorbed. Pure R&B, the backup instrumentals on this track are just heavenly, especially a single sax that comes in between one verse to chase Ms. DeSanto's amazing phrasing.
Next up is a duet with her childhood pal, Etta James. In The Basement is a tribute to the type of party that tends to spring up in the inner-city when times are tough but spirits run high. This song has long been associated with Etta James as much as Sugar Pie, and pops up frequently on reissues of Etta's early hits. I have been playing this CD in my car on rotation for months. Just these first three tracks alone managed to imbed themselves in my mind and heart so thoroughly that I was singing along within a few days. But it sure doesn't stop there. Slip In Mules is another finger-snapper on the order of Soulful Dress. Every time I listen to this CD, and I listen to it a lot, I find myself wondering how all these delightful songs had slipped past me for all these years. While I'm a little young to remember the period in question (1961-1966) I just can't believe that such a wealth of R&B material escaped my attention until now.
The CD includes a total of 24 tracks, and after just a few listens, I decided that each one had its own merits, and more than one style is represented - R&B, Rock and Roll, Blues, Funk, Soulful Ballads and even a touch of Country-Western. Can't Let You Go has a baseline remarkably similar to the previously mentioned I Want To Know, which unfortunately is not included here. There are three duets with Etta James, and a curiously country-infused number, It Won't Be Long, which (for me) seems to bring up images of Patsy Cline
Additional songs of note include Mama Didn't Raise No Fools, Do I make Myself Clear; and the wonderful wry rocker Ask Me. Last but not least, the delightful, earthy pure blues Use What You Got, which has become my favorite track. Sugar Pie's talk-song delivery is every bit as delicious as it is sassy.
If you have never heard of Sugar Pie DeSanto, or are even curious, this CD is a damn good place to start. If you know her but don't have this collection, what are you waiting for? You know you have to have it.
Highly recommended.
Although she was frequently overshadowed by her more successful childhood friend, Etta James, Sugar Pie had a sassy manner and a bouncy rhythm all her own, as is well demonstrated on this release. She first came to my attention when my favorite vocalist, Tracy Nelson, told me that she had learned the song, I Want To Know, from the singing of Sugar Pie DeSanto. Intrigued, I checked her out, as Tracy has never steered me wrong on the subject of singers or musicians that I've never heard of. I first sampled Sugar Pie with an earlier Chess collection (Down In The Basement), but with the acquisition of Go Go Power, my admiration for her talents really took off.
Go Go Power begins with Sugar Pie's best known hit, Soulful Dress, which was later covered by NOLA singer/pianist Marcia Ball on a CD of the same title. Soulful Dress is about the most finger-snapping, get happy R & B number I think I've ever heard. I have never played this track for anyone who didn't immediately want to know who Sugar Pie is, and how she escaped their radar. While there is not a bad track on the whole CD, several songs stand out.
I Don't Wanna Fuss has a rhythm that doesn't quite invite description; it simply has to be heard and absorbed. Pure R&B, the backup instrumentals on this track are just heavenly, especially a single sax that comes in between one verse to chase Ms. DeSanto's amazing phrasing.
Next up is a duet with her childhood pal, Etta James. In The Basement is a tribute to the type of party that tends to spring up in the inner-city when times are tough but spirits run high. This song has long been associated with Etta James as much as Sugar Pie, and pops up frequently on reissues of Etta's early hits. I have been playing this CD in my car on rotation for months. Just these first three tracks alone managed to imbed themselves in my mind and heart so thoroughly that I was singing along within a few days. But it sure doesn't stop there. Slip In Mules is another finger-snapper on the order of Soulful Dress. Every time I listen to this CD, and I listen to it a lot, I find myself wondering how all these delightful songs had slipped past me for all these years. While I'm a little young to remember the period in question (1961-1966) I just can't believe that such a wealth of R&B material escaped my attention until now.
The CD includes a total of 24 tracks, and after just a few listens, I decided that each one had its own merits, and more than one style is represented - R&B, Rock and Roll, Blues, Funk, Soulful Ballads and even a touch of Country-Western. Can't Let You Go has a baseline remarkably similar to the previously mentioned I Want To Know, which unfortunately is not included here. There are three duets with Etta James, and a curiously country-infused number, It Won't Be Long, which (for me) seems to bring up images of Patsy Cline
Additional songs of note include Mama Didn't Raise No Fools, Do I make Myself Clear; and the wonderful wry rocker Ask Me. Last but not least, the delightful, earthy pure blues Use What You Got, which has become my favorite track. Sugar Pie's talk-song delivery is every bit as delicious as it is sassy.
If you have never heard of Sugar Pie DeSanto, or are even curious, this CD is a damn good place to start. If you know her but don't have this collection, what are you waiting for? You know you have to have it.
Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great sixties soul
Sugar Pie was one of the best female blues-soul singers of the 1960s, but has been largely forgotten. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kelvin Rowley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Raw Female Soul
Sugar Pie DeSanto - Go Go Power, Complete Chess Singles
Excellent collection of tracks from the early sixties by Miss Sugar Pie. Read more
Excellent collection of tracks from the early sixties by Miss Sugar Pie. Read more
Published on September 25, 2010 by 6 String Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A shot of rhythm and blues
I'd heard the name and that Sugar Pie could sing, but nothing prepared me for the blast of rockin' soul that ignited when I played this disc. Read more
Published on May 6, 2010 by kevnm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent overview of underrated soul sister
This collection was long overdue, and well worth the wait. In addition to the items you'd expect from the underrated, acrobatic soul singer - rockin' classics like "In The... Read more
Published on March 11, 2010 by Kurt B. Reighley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great CD from a Neglected Artist!
I'd been awaiting a Sugar Pie compilation CD for years - all I could ever find was a reissue LP of the Chess Masters series - which only has 10 tracks. Read more
Published on August 28, 2009 by Charles Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suger Pie De Santo
Another great Chess Soul release from Kent covering this sadly often rejected genre, and every bit as good as last years treasures from Mitty Collier. Read more
Published on August 24, 2009 by Christopher Gray
