Sweet Inspiration - The Songs of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham

Ace Records continues its winning streak of classic anthologies. Songwriters Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham wrote so many classic tracks that no one disc will cover everything, but "Sweet Inspiration" delights from start to finish. The set opens with "Out of the Blue" that mesmerized me when I first heard it on John Fred & his Playboy Band's 60s album  Agnes English . Percy Sledge's version milks the soul and polishes this delicious song of love & longing. "I'm Your Puppet" is slow soulful track with Dionne's voice in its prime, "I'm just a toy, just your funny toy that makes you laugh when you feel blue." "Sweet Inspiration" by the group of the same name is a strong track written by Dan when he didn't feel the material the group was recording was strong enough -- great story, great song. Soloman Burke serves up a slow gorgeous rendition of "Take Me As I Am" with the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals. While very familiar with the Box Tops' version of "Cry Like A Baby," I hadn't heard this very similar version by Arthur Alexander. I love the organ line on the infectious "Slippin' Around" by Art Freeman. James Carr's passionate vocals on "Let It Happen" pulse urgently, "Don't push away these arms that long to hold you, Don't deny my lips or the right to touch you; You can't keep on running, pretty soon you got to stop. You got to let it happen; let's fall in love." Ambrosia! The Wallace Brothers' "I Need Someone" boasts such a strong lovely melody that it's a shame it didn't get the attention it deserves. Other tracks like "Dreamer" by Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells & Irma Thomas' "Good Things Don't Come Easy" are also delights. This is a strong compilation, well engineered with stunning songwriting. Enjoy!

Sure, you know these songs. At least you do if you're over the age of forty and weren't raised in an Amish commune. Even if the title doesn't ring a bell, once you listen to the song, you'll have one of those "Oh, yeah!" moments. These are songs so delicious that they melt in your ears. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham rank as one of the finest songwriting duos of the rock and soul era. From Muscle Shoals to Memphis, these guys are musical royalty. The songs they wrote are so well crafted that they could be covered by soul, blues, country, pop, or rock acts, and always sound like they were written especially for that artist. Many diverse examples of the duo's songwriting craft can be found on this 24-track compilation. It focuses on the duo's late 1960s output, with artists such as Percy Sledge, Dionne Warwick, Charlie Rich, Etta James, Solomon Burke, the Box Tops, Tony Joe White, Ronnie Milsap, Patti LaBelle, Irma Thomas, Tommy Roe, and Joe Simon performing a sumptuous bunch of songs. Needless to say, there's not a dud in the bunch.

I'm quite familiar with Penn and Oldham songs since the Sixties. I not surprised to get a few country/pop songs in this CD. I wish the title song, "Sweet Inspiration" was in stereo, since it was on Atlantic. I would give this a hearty endorsement. Even "It Tears Me Up and "Cry Like a Baby" were quite a pleasant surprise. Penn & Oldham are worthwhile to have two songbooks like Van McCoy.

Sweet InspirationThe songs of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, loved these 2 guys from the early days of soul, when I found their names backing Aretha on her first albums. These songs are the best tracks found anywhere and include a great variety of soul and country singers. Percy Sledge, out of left field, Dionne Warwick, I'm Your puppet, Charlie Rich and Jeanne Newman singing the heck out of the songs. Great names such as James Carr, The Box Tops, Tony Jo White and arthur Conley are also present in this anthology. 24 songs, great artists, great variety, wonderful backing tracks. This collection belongs in everyone's music library.

Great selection of artists, excellent sound and copious notes. Highly recommended.

The terms "Blue-Eyed Soul" must have been coined by Rolling Stone or some other "authority". Soul, R&B, R&R.... they are collectively the sound of Memphis. Transcend race, social status and every other artificial barrier you can think up. Penn and Oldham and the artist who record the songs show what happens when the cultures collide. "Out of Left Field" , "Dreamer ", and "I'm Your Puppet" are proof of this fact. TOO GOOD TO BELIEVE!

Beautiful tribute to two of rock's (R&B's) most wonderful journeymen songcrafters. Great set.

product was just as described--great cd

Slightly disappointed, some decent stuff on here but some not so good

Not always the obvious choices of recordings of these songs but it goes to show the quality of the writing. Another great album from Ace.

gehört diese Platte; vom Booklet - Ace Style - zur Bearbeitung der Klangquellen, aber vor allem der Auswahl der Titel; und zwar ohne Einschränkung; ich erspare mir irgendwelche Elogen und empfehle die eloquente, superinformative Kritik auf der amerikanischen Seite; von den beiden Künstlern gibt es auch eine Liveplatte sehr viel neueren Datums, die vermutlich eben so unverzichtbar wie dieses Teil für die jenigen von uns ist, die auch Dan Penn's Do right man von 1994 mit auf die Insel nehmen würden. Country got Soul vom allerfeinsten - und völlig jenseits aller Moden und Stile; absolut außergewöhnlich.1. Out Of Left Field by PERCY SLEDGE (1967, Atlantic 2396)2. I'm Your Puppet by DIONNE WARWICK (1968, Scepter 12352)3. Sweet Inspiration by THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS (1968, Atlantic 2476)4. A Woman Left Lonely by CHARLIE RICH (1971, Epic 10745)5. I Good Things Don't Worship The Ground You Walk On by ETTA JAMES (1968, Cadet 5606)6. I'm Living Good by THE OVATIONS (1969, Goldwax 342)7. Take Me (Just As I Am) by SOLOMON BURKE (1967, Atlantic 2416)8. Cry Like A Baby by ARTHUR ALEXANDER (1969, Sound Stage 7 2652)9. It Tears Me Up by JEANNE NEWMAN (Previously Unreleased Goldwax Recording From 1966)10. Slippin' Around With You by ART FREEMAN (1966, Fame 1008)11. I Met Her In Church by TONY BORDERS (1969, Revue 11040)12. Are You Never Coming Home by SANDY POSEY (1967, MGM 13824)13. Let It Happen by JAMES CARR (Previously Unissued Alternate Version of Goldwax 323)14. Everything I Am by THE BOX TOPS (1967, Mala 580)15. Feed The Flame by TED TAYLOR (1967, Atco 6481)16. Watching The Trains Go by TONY JOE WHITE (1968, Monument 1053)17. In The Same Old Way by ARTHUR CONLEY (1966, Fame 1007)18. Denver by RONNIE MILSAP (1969, Scepter 12246)19. Dreamer by PATTI LaBELLE And THE BLUEBELLES (1967, Atlantic 2408)20. Good Things Don't Come Easy by IRMA THOMAS (Originally Unissued Chess Recording From 1967 Put Out In 1988)21. I Need Someone by THE WALLACE BROTHERS (1968, Jewel 792)22. He Ain't Gonna Do Right by BARBARA LYNN (1968, Atlantic 2585)23. Wish You Didn't Have To Go by TOMMY ROE (1965, ABC 10706)24. Let's Do It Over by JOE SIMON (1965, Vee-Jay 694)

Ils ont écrit "Do Rigth Woman - Do Right Man" et "The Dark End Of The Street", deux mémorables perles de soul sixties qui sont entrées dans l'histoire et la légende. Pour ne pas faire doublon avec ce qu'on pourrait avoir déjà - notamment avec d'autres CD de chez Ace ou Kent - cette formidable compilation nous propose des morceaux moins connus de ce duo de songwriters doués. Et c'est phénoménal d'un bout à l'autre, les découvertes pleuvent, soul sudiste imparable avec relents country de la meilleure veine. Il y a invariablement de quoi faire avec ces 24 titres qui rivalisent de splendeur et d'évidence. Il y avait quand même des époques bénies, non?

C'est du haut de gamme que nous offre cette compilation,avec en plus des inédits.Grand niveau de mélodies,de chansons & d'orchestrations.Indispensable