15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lee Dorsey's 1960s, August 24, 2007
This review is from: Lee Dorsey: The Definitive Collection (Audio CD)
One of the best compilations to spotlight New Orleans' soul/funk legend Lee Dorsey, this German import is the very same album as Arista's out-of-print 1997 "Wheelin' and Dealin". Unlike most available Dorsey comps, this one is both a fine sampler and is distinguished by excellent remastering by Bob Irwin, who heads Sundazed Records, and is responsible for lots of quality work on Legacy reissues (Jefferson Airplane, Byrds, Sly & The Family Stone, etc). This set opens with two of Lee's hits for Bobby Robinson's Fury label - 'Ya Ya'(1961) and 'Do-Re-Me' (1962). The rest of this 20 track sampler is gathered from the prolific 1965 - 70 period, when Allen Toussaint was producing one gem after another for Lee on the Amy/Sansu labels. We get the classic singles 'Working In A Coal Mine,' 'Holy Cow', 'Ride Your Pony' and other hits as well as lesser known gems, Arista was unable to license anything from the work Toussaint and Dorsey produced at Polydor (1970 - 73) , especially the essential album "Yes We Can" (1970). For me, the better deal is to get the two Dorsey CDs ("Ride Your Pony" and "The New Lee Dorsey") on Sundazed (Bob Irwin's label) which together collect a generous 47 tracks from that fertile Amy/Sansu period. Then go for the Polydor material. For casual fans, this is an enjoyable and inexpensive introduction that will likely whet the appetite for more. Plus the rarely reproduced photo of Lee at his body-and-fender shop (in 1974) on the back of the booklet is priceless.
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