Customer Reviews

Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those wishing to become acquainted with material by Ike and Tina Turner (though they may be few and far between) this is in fact the best compilation of their work. It grabs material from the Turners' early days on the Sue record label; which produced some of the most galvanizing r&b records of the period, to their stint with the Liberty/ United Artists label on which they had much of their success.

The disc opens with Tina's marvelous and bombastic "Fool in Love" on which Tina's strangled singing and shouting heralds the advent of a rising r&b singer. It also started a string of 5 Top 10 r&b releases for the Turners making them soul superstars. The best of the Sue Recordings are in fact "Fool" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" which was the Turner's biggest hit of the 60's reaching #2 and #14 on the r&b and Pop charts respectively. Unfortunately for us, the producers of this compilation weren't able to secure the proper rights to include the original Phil Spector version of "River Deep, Mountain High". Truly one of the most remarkable singles ever produced, "RDMH" was virtually ignored by radio in America as it was considered "too black for the white stations and too white for the black stations." However, in spite of this, Tina truly is in rare form on this record.

The disc presses on skipping from 1962-1968, in the process ignoring some very important Ike and Tina Turner material. Songs from ATCO were excluded as well as from the Turner's stint with Blue Thumb records. Ike and Tina recorded two fine albums on Blue Thumb, "Outta Season" and "The Hunter" which included the hits "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and the stunner "Bold Soul Sister". The album joins Ike and Tina on the Liberty label where they scored hit singles with covers of the Beatles "Come Together" and Sly Stone's "I Want To Take You Higher". The albums liner notes also include commentary on how the Turners actualyl charted 'higher' with their version of "Higher" as they made the song their own. Yet the cover song to end all covers was their cover of the CCR classic 'Proud Mary'. Tina's spoken intro is now one of rock and souls most famous locutions. Then they launch into the bombastic finish which helped them secure a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The disc also includes the ever funky "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter" penned by Tina's sister Alline, Tina's first attempt at writing "Up In Heah" which is indeed a fine record though it went ignored. Then it comes to Tina's classic "Nutbush City Limits" and "Sexy Ida Pt.1" Songs that should have been included from the Turners days on Liberty /UA are : "The Chopper", "Up On the Roof" "Help Him" and a few others. You can find these on the recently released "Funkier Than a Mosquitas Tweeter." Finally we come to Tina's "Acid Queen". This is not the one from the movie which is one of the few disappointments on this disc. The cd ends with funny vintage radio skits by soul station DJs promoting the Turners' 1969/70 album "Come Together".

In all, this is the best place to start for the Ike and Tina novice. A great primer, this album and the 1997 release of "Bold Soul Sister" are a great place to learn about the beginning of two of Rock 'N' Soul's most uplifting entertainers...more specifically Tina. Remember, before there was Aretha or Gladys...there was Tina.

Forget all the other cheap compilations (and beware the ones that bore titles of original LP's),this is the best compilation of Tuners body of work.Because Tina Turner's 1980's long deserved commercial succes overshadowed her early start,its easy to forget that she was one of the best soul singers back in 1960 - public opinion of her ex-husband character basically killed the interest in the music they did together,but its clear now that it was her most important period.From early,raw power of their first singles,to final rock superstardom,this CD follows the metamorphosis of black music 1960-1975,from gospel start to rock-heavy guitar-riff end.As their original LP's are hard to find,and the market is full of cheap "compilations" that jump from one era to another,this is the best possible introduction to what made Turner's great.None of Tina's 1980's hits can match the animal power of these recordings she made in her hungy,angry years.The only setback is the inclusion of lesser version of 2 of her most important songs - "River Deep,Mountain High" and "Acid Queen" are NOT her original recordings from 1966. and 1975. but Ike's own versions,almost blasphemious in his attempt to produce them again.

If you would like a career retrospective of Ike & Tina Turner on a single disc, this is the best overview. BTW, Acid Queen is not on River Deep-Mountain High while the title song of "River Deep" is the only re-recording on the album so if they were to include half stars, I'd say 4 1/2 rather than 5. Other than that, the liner notes are great and it does span her entire career with the only omission being the tracks from the River Deep-Mountain High album (you can get that separate here at Amazon.com as an import) featuring their hits on the Sue label such as the original recordings of A Fool In Love, I Idolize You and It's Gonna Work Out Fine (they have re-recorded these 3 songs on "River Deep-Mountain High" with Phil Spector being the producer) plus their biggest hits for Liberty/UA such as their soulful and funky version of the CCR classic "Proud Mary," and "Nutbush City Limits," and many lesser known gems such as "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter," "Sweet Rhode Island Red," "Up In Heah," "Workin' Together," and many others plus 1 single (A Side and B Side) from their years on the Minit label, their covers of "Come Together" and "Honky Tonk Women" are included. While Ron Furmanek is renowned for his remixing on other volumes in the Legends of Rock & Roll Series and the Legendary Master Series, these are all the original mixes in wonderfully remastered sound. Unless you are a diehard fan, this compilation and the "River Deep-Mountain High" album are all you need from Ike & Tina.

I've never been a Tina Turner fan, & was only vaguely familiar with Ike & Tina's reputation as a duo, so I didn't know quite what to expect. But this is one of the best collections I've ever heard. Actually, there are two distinctly different parts. The first six or seven tracks are reminiscent of the "girl groups" of the 50's & 60's. But the rest of the set contains some of the funkiest, most soulful R&B and rock you'll ever hear. Covers of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Sly & the Family Stone and Creedence Clearwater all hold up well to the originals. Every song is consistently great. Tina hasn't been this good since.

I was so pleasantly surprised to learn there was alot more to Tina Turner than "whats love got to do with it". This music really grabs you. Tina's vocal range is phenominal and no matter what problems Ike had in his personal life, he's a musical genius. I highly recommend this CD.

Finding a good Ike & Tina compilation is no easy task. Not only did they record for multiple record labels, there are a plethora of low-budget and low-quality compilations available. This is one of the decent ones.

PROUD MARY: THE BEST OF IKE & TINA TURNER (from the "Legends of Rock n' Roll Series") consists of 23 songs recorded 1960-1975, in chronological order. Also included are two uncredited ("bonus") tracks; they are two commercials/radio ads for Ike & Tina. Disc packaged in black jewel case; total running time: 73:07. Booklet (in the form of a 6-pannel map-style fold-out sheet) includes a substantial small-font essay by Al Quaaglieri, one b&w photo of Ike & Tina, a photo of an assortment of original Ike & Tina album covers, and track information (including release dates and chart positions). Sound quality ranges from poor (on earlier recordings) to good; volume is low on all tracks.

This compilation seems to cover, with the exception of their Blue Thumb recordings, most of their career. Ike & Tina's labels included Sue, Modern/Kent, Warner Bros./Loma, Minit, Atlantic/Pompeii, Liberty, and United Artists. I do wish it included "Shake a Tail Feather".

The vocals of this Tina Turner are closer to that of LaVern Baker, Etta James, Lyn Collins, or Janis Joplin than to the pop/rock singer she would later become. She shouts and screams, often singing in a strained, almost forced-sounding, voice.

Notes: The version of "River Deep, Mountain High" is not the Phil Spector version; the version included is from the "Nutbush City Limits" LP. The voice heard on "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" and addressed as "Ikey" is not Ike Turner; it is Mickey of studio team Mickey & Sylvia. Ike's voice is heard on "Baby-Get It On", where he sings co-lead vocals. It is also interesting that the essayist mentions several times that the Ike & Tina story "would make a great movie" - this was a couple years before the 1993 bio-pic "What's Love Got to Do With It" was released.

I would recommend this CD to anyone that really likes Tine Turner music! Great!

As a huge Tina Turner fan, I bought this album in its entirety through iTunes. Though not essential, this album provides a basic overview of Ike & Tina Turner's most popular material. "A Fool in Love" opens the album with a raw, growly performance rarely heard from female musicians. WOW! Why can't female rockers scream like this anymore? Here she puts plenty of male singers to shame. "I Idolize You" and "I'm Jealous" include even more hair-raising screaming and growling, and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a wonderfully enjoyable duet with Mickey Baker (from Mickey and Sylvia), singing as "Ikey." "Poor Fool" is a welcome return back to the gritty screaming that made Tina a star. "Tra La La La La" isn't as good as the previous songs, but the wonderful "You Should'a Treated Me Right" brings it right back up to par.

"Come Together," "Honky Tonk Women," "I Want to Take You Higher," and of course, "Proud Mary" are excellent rock and roll cover songs. "Workin' Together" and "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" are good too, but I like Nina Simone's version of the latter song better than the original. According to my iTunes purchase, "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" and "I'm Yours (Use Me Anyway You Wanna)" are the same song. What the BLEEP? "Up in Heah" is another good one, but the re-recording of "River Deep, Mountain High" is just plain cheap and a totally unnecessary inclusion. However, we forget about this mess as soon as we hear "Nutbush City Limits," a Tina Turner-penned song that remains one of her best. "Sweet Rhode Island Red" is a rockin' follow-up, and while "Sexy Ida: Parts One and Two" are both good, Part One is by far the superior number. Next is an inferior remake of "Acid Queen" followed by a much-better tune called "Baby - Get It On." The last two tracks on the CD are not songs, but rather radio advertisements.

Overall it's a decent collection, but not ideal. It deserves only three stars for a few major reasons. I understand the omission of the original Phil Spector recording of "River Deep, Mountain High," because Ike had absolutely nothing to do with it. But substituting it with a crappy re-recording and trying to pass it off as the master is almost childish. Also, this collection hardly includes the best of Ike & Tina Turner's music. Where are the Blue Thumb recordings, like "Bold Soul Sister" and "3:00 In The Morning Blues?"

Very disappointed. This, along with the last several CD's I've puchased through Amazon have been of extremely poor quality; so much crackling and popping over the actual recording that I cannot even listen to the music. I guess I'll have to start buying my CD's elsewhere. CD's I've purchased through other companies have been just fine, so it's not my equipment.

Ike Turner was a "Hall of Fame" jerk, abuser of women, and druggie. But, he is also the musician who discovered the talent of Tina Turner, and brought her to the attention of the world. This CD is the best "One CD" collection of the work Tina Turner did with Ike from 1960 to 1973.

The original studio masters for many of these songs were lost decades ago, and so many of this re-issued recordings sound thin, without the warmth and depth of the original releases of fifty years ago...but poorly remastered Tina Turner is better than NO Tina Turner...folks don't complain about the cracks in the paint on the Mona Lisa.

If you are a fan of Tina Turner, or great R & B, or the pop music of the 1960's, this is a music collection to treasure.