The Man Who Invented Soul [Box set]

Amazon.com essential recording
Sam Cooke had a voice like clover honey, and he was as ingenious a businessman as he was an artist--carefully treading the line between smooth pop and deep R&B to bring both audiences to him, as well as together. Disc 1 of this set compiles his 1957-1959 recordings for the Keen label, which had tamed the former gospel tiger into a sweet, wry songwriter with a taste for crooning standards and a signature yodel that marked every song as his property. The second and third discs do the same for his RCA career's singles and album tracks, which, for all their orchestrated slickness, left an indelible mark on soul and even rock (compare "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On" to Elvis Costello's "Blame It On Cain"!). Lastly, there's a disc with two complete albums from Cooke's stylistic poles: Night Beat (after-hours cool soul) and Live at the Harlem Square Club (Cooke as hard-hollering crowd mover). As a survey of the middle period of Cooke's career, this set is totally solid; be advised, though, that it skips over both his early years shouting gospel with the Soul Stirrers and the classic recordings from the last year or so of his life--which include hits such as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" that are still, flabbergastingly, out of print. --Douglas Wolk

Amazon.com
Sam Cooke had a voice like clover honey, and he was as ingenious a businessman as he was an artist--carefully treading the line between smooth pop and deep R&B to bring both audiences to him, as well as together. Disc 1 of this set compiles his 1957-1959 recordings for the Keen label, which had tamed the former gospel tiger into a sweet, wry songwriter with a taste for crooning standards and a signature yodel that marked every song as his property. The second and third discs do the same for his RCA career's singles and album tracks, which, for all their orchestrated slickness, left an indelible mark on soul and even rock (compare "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On" to Elvis Costello's "Blame It On Cain"!). Lastly, there's a disc with two complete albums from Cooke's stylistic poles: Night Beat (after-hours cool soul) and Live at the Harlem Square Club (Cooke as hard-hollering crowd mover). As a survey of the middle period of Cooke's career, this set is totally solid; be advised, though, that it skips over both his early years shouting gospel with the Soul Stirrers and the classic recordings from the last year or so of his life--which include hits such as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" that are still, flabbergastingly, out of print. --Douglas Wolk

The Man Who Invented Soul,Sam Cooke,RCA,Black Gospel,Box Sets (Audio Only),Oldies,Pop,Pop-Soul,R&B,Soul,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,Uptown Soul

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Average customer rating: The Man Who Invented Soul***Excellent*** One of a kind Voice(Angelic) Sam fought the law(yers) but the law(yers) won classic Sam SAM COOKE: ULTIMATE R&B- POP-ROCK SOUL MASTER

The Man Who Invented Soul Sam Cooke Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Classic R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Pop | Box Sets | Stores | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Box Sets | Stores | Music R&B & Soul | Box Sets | Stores | Music Similar Items: Complete Recordings of Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers Keep Movin on Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding Sam Cooke's Sar Records Story - 2 Pack Jewel Case The Rhythm and the Blues ASIN: B00004WFM0 Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

1. You Send Me
2. Summertime (Pt.1)
3. For Sentimental Reasons
4. Desire Me
5. Lonely Island
6. You Were Made For Me
7. Win Your Love For Me
8. Love You Most Of All
9. Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha
10. No One Can Take Your Place
11. Only Sixteen
12. With You
13. Crazy She Calls Me
14. I Got A Right To Sing The Blues
15. Comes Love
16. Ain't Nobody's Business
17. Little Things You Do
18. There, I've Said It Again
19. When I Fall In Love
20. Let's Go Steady Again
21. (What A) Wonderful World

Tracks:

1. Chain Gang
2. I Belong To Your Heart
3. Teenage Sonata
4. Love Me
5. Sad Mood (Unreleased Version)
6. If I Had You (I'd Be Happy)
7. You Belong To Me
8. Sad Mood
9. Tenderness
10. That's It - I Quit - I'm Movin' On
11. Hold On
12. Cupid
13. Tenderness (Unreleased Version)
14. Don't Get Around Much Any More
15. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
16. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
17. Trouble In Mind
18. Out In The Cold Again
19. Exactly Like You
20. Since I Met You Baby
21. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
22. But Not For Me
23. You're Always On My Mind
24. (Don't Fight It) Feel It
25. It's All Right
26. Twistin' The Night Away
27. One More Time
28. Don't Cry On My Shoulder

Tracks:

1. Somebody's Gonna Miss Me
2. Somebody Have Mercy
3. Sugar Dumpling (Original Version)
4. Nothin' Can Change This Love (Unreleased Version)
5. Talkin' Trash
6. Movin' And Groovin'
7. Soothe Me
8. Having A Party
9. Bring It On Home To Me
10. A Whole Lotta Woman
11. I'm Gonna Forget About You
12. Nothin' Can Change This Love
13. Baby, Baby, Baby
14. Send Me Some Lovin'
15. All The Way
16. Smoke Rings
17. I Wish You Love
18. Driftin' Blues
19. Little Girl
20. Cry Me A River
21. These Foolish Things
22. Frankie And Johnnie
23. I Ain't Gonna Cheat On You No More
24. Another Saturday Night (Previously Unreleased Take)
25. Love Will Find A Way
26. Cool Train (First Stereo Release)

Tracks:

1. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
2. Lost And Lookin'
3. Mean Old World
4. Please Don't Drive Me Away
5. I Lost Everything
6. Get Yourself Another Fool
7. Little Red Rooster
8. Laughin' And Clownin'
9. Trouble Blues
10. You Gotta Move
11. Fool's Paradise
12. Shake, Rattle And Roll
13. Intro/(Don't Fight It) Feel It
14. Chain Gang
15. Cupid
16. It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons
17. Twistin' The Night Away
18. Somebody Have Mercy
19. Bring It On Home To Me
20. Nothin' Can Change This Love
21. Having A Party

Amazon.com essential recording

Sam Cooke had a voice like clover honey, and he was as ingenious a businessman as he was an artist--carefully treading the line between smooth pop and deep R&B to bring both audiences to him, as well as together. Disc 1 of this set compiles his 1957-1959 recordings for the Keen label, which had tamed the former gospel tiger into a sweet, wry songwriter with a taste for crooning standards and a signature yodel that marked every song as his property. The second and third discs do the same for his RCA career's singles and album tracks, which, for all their orchestrated slickness, left an indelible mark on soul and even rock (compare "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On" to Elvis Costello's "Blame It On Cain"!). Lastly, there's a disc with two complete albums from Cooke's stylistic poles: Night Beat (after-hours cool soul) and Live at the Harlem Square Club (Cooke as hard-hollering crowd mover). As a survey of the middle period of Cooke's career, this set is totally solid; be advised, though, that it skips over both his early years shouting gospel with the Soul Stirrers and the classic recordings from the last year or so of his life--which include hits such as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" that are still, flabbergastingly, out of print. --Douglas Wolk

Amazon.com

Sam Cooke had a voice like clover honey, and he was as ingenious a businessman as he was an artist--carefully treading the line between smooth pop and deep R&B to bring both audiences to him, as well as together. Disc 1 of this set compiles his 1957-1959 recordings for the Keen label, which had tamed the former gospel tiger into a sweet, wry songwriter with a taste for crooning standards and a signature yodel that marked every song as his property. The second and third discs do the same for his RCA career's singles and album tracks, which, for all their orchestrated slickness, left an indelible mark on soul and even rock (compare "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On" to Elvis Costello's "Blame It On Cain"!). Lastly, there's a disc with two complete albums from Cooke's stylistic poles: Night Beat (after-hours cool soul) and Live at the Harlem Square Club (Cooke as hard-hollering crowd mover). As a survey of the middle period of Cooke's career, this set is totally solid; be advised, though, that it skips over both his early years shouting gospel with the Soul Stirrers and the classic recordings from the last year or so of his life--which include hits such as "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" that are still, flabbergastingly, out of print. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

The Man Who Invented Soul***Excellent***.......2007-01-16

Wonderful music by the best songer that ever lived, period.

One of a kind Voice(Angelic).......2006-09-12

Sam Cooke is the man. I know that Sam is an original Idol. Marvin Gaye, Johnny Taylor, Otis Redding, Ronald Isley, Smokey Robinson and many more singers idolized Sam Cooke. The man who invented the soft sweet angelic notes. For instance he first created the Whoa a whoa a whoa. And it is so smoothe. Sam is a man that can sing both rough and smoothe. If you put sam against a lot of singers today they would have to go back to pushing grocery carts or pumping gas. Even though Sam loved to sing in the old style like nate king cole he also would sing pop,gospel,rock and blues showing he is versatile. If Sam was living today who would still be an Idol. Sam Cooke the man,the legend.

Sam fought the law(yers) but the law(yers) won.......2005-10-15

A pretty audacious title for this box. Does it deliver? Frankly no: There are certainly some of his best tracks here that showcase both his smooth soaring side and the times when he'd allow a little sandpaper into his voice. But it also fails to give you any idea where that great voice got its seasoning (none of his Specialty era gospel material) and turns away for the most part from the grittier material it seems Cooke would have aimed at had a hotel manager's gun not claimed his life. In addition, the recognition of the wonderful instrument that was Sam's voice should be paired with the knowledge that his material wasn't always worthy of it. (This set would probably be fine as a well-chosen 2 CD set)

What's missing here? His time with the Soul Stirrers, plenty of songs that were Top 40 hits on the pop or R&B chart (#1 R&B I'll Come Running Back to You, R&B Top 10 hits Little Red Rooster (you get a live version instead),Shake, and A Change is Gonna Come, as well as Ain't That Good News, Good Times, Tennessee Waltz, Cousin Of Mine, and It's Got The Whole World Shakin', all of which hit Top 40 on one or both charts. The version of "Another Saturday Night" you get here is an alternate take instead of the 45RPM version. It would also seem essential to get his first bid at mainstream appeal with "Lovable". (He released it under the name Dale Cook to try and avoid offending his gospel fans.) Most of these are missing because of lawyers (read the review by compilation producer Paul Williams for the in-depth explanation).

The last disc is the whole albums of NIGHT BEAT and LIVE AT THE HARLEM SQUARE CLUB. It feels more like a record company cash grab from Cooke connoisseurs than an attempt to be comprehensive. Cherrypicking a few live cuts would be the better route.

Soundwise, I can't argue with the remastering. It all sounds stunning. If you're a mono purist, be advised that stereo mixes were used on this set.

BOTTOM LINE:
Cooke is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and deserves better than this. Until the lawyers can get in agreement, Cooke will not have a definitive box set. There's a phenomenal 2 CD box set on Cooke waiting to be made. Until then, most Cooke fans will get the best overview on the remastered SACD audio PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND (31 tracks,B00009N1ZV). It distills Cooke's greatness in a single disc and includes nearly everything mentioned as "missing" above.

3 1/2 stars

classic Sam.......2004-11-20

The songs on this set,some of which I have,and most I don't are just another reason why this man deserves the title of legend for truly he was a gifted individual,and even now some 40 years after his passing,the music still brings tears to my eyes,whether it'a the songs done with the Soul Stirrers or Sam as a solo artist.I highly recommend this set.

SAM COOKE: ULTIMATE R&B- POP-ROCK SOUL MASTER.......2004-04-04

There is only one artist who firmly stands/sits at/on the fine line between Pop-Rock-R&B-Soul Music genres and he is SAM COOKE! You take bits and pieces of Big Joe Turner, Chuck Berry, Johnny Mathis, Judy Garland's universal appeal, Nat King Cole's jazz inflections, A bit of Elvis(you know who)here & there, the warmth of Mel Torme, Little Richard's rawness...the expertise-sass-cockiness of Louis Armstrong, the smoothness of both Billie Holiday & Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin's sensual coolness, Sammy Davis Jr.'s mystique ...put it "Allindamix" and you get the most sensationally incredible, unique, distinct & seductive SAM COOKE! SAM COOKE created an irresistably, inspiring magical sound of his very own that will influence all pop-rock-soul artists to pay their musical debts to his mesmerizing artistry till the end of time. SAM COOKE's voice and performances will remain in a 'class of his own' and keep the recording buying public in a trance and haunted forever. As a music fan, if you pass any Sam Cooke recordings by, you are cheating yourself of the ultimate goldmine!

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