LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Ace’s ongoing acquisition of some of the very best West Coast 1950s R&B catalogues has yielded some stellar compilations for fans of the genre in the past, and there’s plenty more to look forward to in 2009 and beyond.
• We kick off the year with a second multi-artist set drawn from the tapes and acetates that came as part of the purchase of the catalogues that were originally owned and operated by Los Angeles R&B entrepreneur, John Dolphin.
• Owner of the most prominent R&B record shop on the West Coast, Dolphin was inevitably a magnet for some of the best Los Angeles talent of the early 1950s and he, like all of the local R&B producers, always recorded far more than he could actually find time, space and money to release. Thus it is that most of the repertoire on “The Toast Of The Coast” has never been issued before. It may have taken over half a century, but no R&B fan will dispute that it’s been worth the wait.
• This heady brew of jumpin’ R&B and cool blues offers stellar names like Pee Wee Crayton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Peppermint Harris and Memphis Slim, cult heroes such as Erwin “Big Boy” Groves, moonlighting doo wopper Vernon Anders aka Vernon Greene of the Medallions and one or two mystery artists whose names may be lost in the mists of time, but whose talent remains apparent and abundant. The source material is in remarkable shape considering its age and the conditions it was stored under for many years, and the sublime remastering puts the listener on the studio floor with the musicians.
Track listing:
1. Hollywood Hop Part 1 - PORKY HARRIS & THE SOPHISTI-CATS 2. Lovin’ John (Take 2) - MONROE & VERNON 3. Treat Me Like I Treat You (Take 4) - MEMPHIS SLIM 4. Another Ticket (Demo) (Take 1) - BIG BOY GROVES & LITTLE MARGIE 5. Yes I Know (Take 2) - LINDA HAYES 6. Boogie Bop (Take 1) - PEE WEE CRAYTON 7. Big Family Blues (Take 1) - JIMMY WITHERSPOON & UNKNOWN FEMALE 8. You Said You Had A Woman - GENEVA VALLIER 9. Ride Lone Stranger, Ride (Take 3) - SONNY HARPER 10. Uncle John (Take 2) - AL CALLOWAY 11. Years And Tears Ago (Take 2) - LITTLE MARGIE 12. Hound Dog and Alley Cat (Take 6) - VERNON ANDERS aka VERNON GREENE 13. I’m A Humdinger - UNKNOWN MALE 14. Pretty Daddy (Take 1) - LOIS BUTLER with JOE HOUSTON’S BAND 15. Let’s Ball All Night Long (Take 2) - UNKNOWN MALE 16. Cadillac Funeral (Take 6) - PEPPERMINT HARRIS 17. Hound Dog Hop - UNKNOWN MALE/FEMALE DUET 18. Watch Your Best Friend (Take 3) - TAPP ANTHONY & HIS ALL STAR BAND (Vocal: UNKNOWN MALE) 19. Yes It’s You (Take 2) - LITTLE MARGIE 20. Uh - Huh - BIG BOY GROVES 21. Jivin’ Around (Female vocal version) (Take 6) - ERNIE FREEMAN COMBO with SHERRY WASHINGTON 22. Treat Me Like I Treat You (Take 3) - PEPPERMINT HARRIS 23. A Little Bit Of You - LITTLE EVE 24. Hollywood Hop Part 2 - PORKY HARRIS & THE SOPHISTI-CATS "