King Curtis: The Complete Atco Singles. (3-CD Set)

King Curtis was the greatest R&B instrumentalist of all time, period. And it’s not much of a contest. Born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Texas in 1934, the saxophonist played on hundreds of the most hallowed recording sessions of all time, everything from the Coasters’ “Yakety Yak” to John Lennon’s Imagine album. But Curtis wasn’t just a superstar sideman; he also was responsible for some of the greatest Pop/R&B instrumental albums of all time, including such Atco label classics as Live at Small’s Paradise, King Curtis Plays the Great Memphis Hits, Instant Groove, and, of course, Live at Fillmore West. 

Often overshadowed by the brilliance of his session work and his long players, however, is the fact that Curtis was actually quite a successful singles artist, notching 25 Pop and 10 R&B hits during his storied career. And, though it was during his tenure(s) at Atco that he recorded the most popular albums of his career, he also cut a mind-boggling 33 singles (including one that was never released until now) for the label. It is this hitherto-untapped treasure trove that Real Gone Music’s KING CURTIS: The Complete Atco Singles presents on three CDs in this unprecedented collection. 

Not only is this the first time on CD for virtually all of these original mono single mixes, but among these 66 tracks are over two dozen sides that never appeared on LP! That’s right…even if you own every Atco album King Curtis put out, you have never heard over a third of this set unless you bought all of the original 45s back in the day. And the caliber of the musicianship? 

Well, as the most in-demand session man in America, Curtis got to know a lot of folks, so appearing on these sessions are the great Muscle Shoals and Memphis studio cats like Cornell Dupree, Jimmy Johnson, Spooner Oldham, Roger Hawkins, Tommy Cogbill, and Reggie Young, plus a few other folks you might have heard of, like Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, and Delaney Bramlett! Not to mention the alternately tender, searing, and soaring sax lines of Mr. Curtis himself, heard on such classic tracks as “Memphis Soul Stew,” “Ode to Billie Joe,” and “Whole Lotta Love” (yes, the Led Zeppelin song) cheek-by-jowl with a host of smokin’ rare B-sides. Leiber & Stoller Music Publishing head honcho Randy Poe supplies the liner notes (Leiber and Stoller, of course, had a long relationship with Curtis), which we’ve put inside a gleaming 8-panel digipak sporting some great photos and Atco single labels. 

All but one of the 66 tracks have been transferred from tape in the Warner/Atlantic archives, and Mike Milchner of SonicVision provides the meticulous remastering. The R&B retrospective of the year! Release is set for December 4, 2015 via Real Gone Music.

SONGS:

Disc One

1. The Birth of the Blues

2. Jest Smoochin’

3. Ific

4. You Made Me Love You

5. Castle Rock

6. Chili

7. Honeydripper (Part 1)

8. Honeydripper (Part 2)

9. Heavenly Blues

10. Restless Guitar

11. Spanish Harlem

12. Boss

13. Quicksand

14. On Broadway

15. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling

16. Make the World Go Away

17. Dancing in the Streets

18. He’ll Have to Go

19. Pots and Pans (Part 1)

20. Pots and Pans (Part 2)

21. Something on Your Mind

22. Soul Theme

Disc Two

1. Jump Back

2. When Something Is Wrong with My Baby

3. You Don’t Miss Your Water

4. Green Onions

5. Memphis Soul Stew

6. Blue Nocturne

7. Ode to Billie Joe

8. In the Pocket

9. For What It’s Worth

10. Cook-Out

11. I Was Made to Love Her

12. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)

13. (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay

14. This Is Soul

15. Valley of the Dolls

16. 8th Wonder

17. I Heard It thru the Grapevine

18. A Whiter Shade of Pale

19. Harper Valley P.T.A.

20. Makin’ Hey

21. The Christmas Song

22. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve

Disc Three

1. Games People Play

2. Foot Pattin’,  Part II

3. Instant Groove

4. Sweet Inspiration

5. La Jeanne

6. Little Green Apples

7. Rocky Roll

8. C. C. Rider

9. Patty Cake

10. Pop Corn Willy

11. Teasin’

12. Soulin’

13. Get Ready

14. Bridge over Troubled Water

15. Whole Lotta Love

16. Floatin’

17. Changes – Part II

18. Changes – Part I

19. Changes – Part I (Live)

20. Changes – Part II (Live)

21. Ridin’ Thumb – Part 1 (Unreleased)

22. Ridin’ Thumb – Part 2 (Unreleased)