Out of This World

Gino Washington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 13, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Norton
• ASIN: B00000JG1D
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,723 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

A rip-snorting collection of Gino Washington tearing it up on 15 classics that run the gamut from early R&B to rock & roll to Northern soul. On most of the tracks he's accompanied by Jeff and the Atlantics, a local Detroit combo who also played on the Reflections' "Just Like Romeo and Juliet," the Shades of Blue's "Oh How Happy" and Edwin Starr's "Agent Double-O Soul." Jeff Williams' guitar breaks on "Out of this World" and "Gino Is a Coward" are worth the price of admission alone, while Washington's performances on the frantic "Come Monkey with Me," the soulful and smooth "Puppet on a String" and "I'll Be Around (When You Want Me)," "Like My Baby" (here in a faster alternate take), "Romeo" and the seldom-heard screamer "Baby Be Mine" make this collection a lost chapter in Detroit rock & roll history well worth owning. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Music That Is 'Out Of This World', June 12, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Out of This World (Audio CD)

Here's another artist I would never have found if I hadn't picked up Dave Marsh's book The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Each song in the book is accompanied by a mini-essay and I've been on a ten-year-plus journey to find all 1001 songs. (I've only got four left!)

Anything by Washington was out of print until this release last year, which includes "Gino Is a Coward," the song Marsh included in his book at No. 938. [It never made the pop chart, which only shows that a lot of talent in the music industry goes unnoticed by the record-buying public.]

In the liner notes Washington says his three favorite performers were Jackie Wilson, Elvis Presley and Johnny Mathis. However, the CD kicks off with the rollicking "Out Of This World," which begs comparisons to Gary "U.S." Bonds. "Gino Is a Coward" is another footstomping song with a honking sax and loud guitar.

All but three of these songs were recorded between 1962 and 1964. Gino might have made the leap to the bigtime if his career hadn't been interrupted in 1964 for a three-year hitch in the service. Tracks 11, 12 and 14 were recorded between 1967 and 1968, but Washington was unable to jumpstart his career and settled into hosting a local Detroit TV show in the mid-Seventies that featured up-and-coming talent (including a young Anita Baker).

So what you have here are the songs from the peak of Washington's career. Listen and enjoy. RECOMMENDED

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Detroit rock 'n' roll, thank god for Norton Records, July 24, 2005

By 

TimothyFarrell22 (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of This World (Audio CD)

As I said above, thank God for Norton Records. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have great reissues of Hasil Adkins, Gino Washington, the Sonics, Arch Hall Jr., the list goes on and on. The first two tracks show you what you're in for. "Out of This World" is truly out of this world, and is Gino's masterpeice. In fact, I'd go so far as to put it in my top fifty songs. "Gino Is a Coward" is amoung his most popular tracks, and is his second best song. The rest of the tracks aren't up to the levels of those classics, but are great on their own levels. This is truly the way R&B should be. Fun, raw, unproduced, and above all soulful. Few artists have such a wide scale of emotions in their voice as Gino does, and from what I hear he is an explosive live performer. Pick up both Norton comps, along with some stuff by Gino's contemporary Nathaniel Mayer. Gino may be a coward, but hes also a great rock 'n' roller.

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of This World, August 23, 2009

By 

Josh Austin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Out of This World (Audio CD)

I cannot believe this guy is not more well known. This music stands the test of time. Amazing soul, rock and roll, pop, whatever you want to call it.