The original title for this 4-CD set was Atlantic Gold but, presumably, TV ad campaigns require a more hard-sell approach. Bit sad that you can’t rely on the great British public to respond to the name of one of the greatest labels of all time, but those with more taste (RC readers, naturally) will recognise that for around 12p a track they can pick up a bumper box whose imaginative choice of songs more than compensates for the minimalist packaging.
All the big names are here – Aretha, Otis, Ben E King, Drifters, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Spinners etc – and their big hits are complemented by their less obvious tracks. Many less obvious names, too: Richie Barrett, Patti Labelle, Cliff Nobles, Deon Jackson, Willie Tee, Jimmy Hughes, Howard Tate, Margie Joseph, and the great Darrell Banks.
Purists may complain that the 40s and 50s are absent but, since this is a “Soul” set, the story starts in 1959 with Ray Charles’ groundbreaking, What’d I Say and runs through to the mid-70s with the likes of Donny Hathaway. No label had higher quality control than Atlantic, with its roots in jazz and solid musicianship, and it achieved the perfect synthesis of Southern soul and big city sophistication. From funk to Philly, soul-jazz to sock-it-to-me, it’s all here, and never done better.
