Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Jimmy Reed And His Trio - High And Lonesome
2. The Spaniels - Baby, It's You
3. The Spaniels - Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite
4. Floyd Jones And Band - Ain't Times Hard
5. Jimmy Reed And His Trio - You Don't Have To Go
6. L.C. Mckinley - Blue Evening
7. Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would
8. The El Dorados - At My Front Door
9. Morris Pejoe - Hurt My Feelings
10. Eddie Taylor - Bad Boy
11. The Highway QC's - Somewhere To Lay My Head
12. Jay McShann's Orchestra, Vocalist Priscilla Bowman -Hands Off
13. The Five Echoes - Fool's Prayer
14. Earl Phillips - Oop De Oop
15. The El Dorados With Al Smith's Orchestra -I'll Be Forever Loving You
16. Jimmy Reed - Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
17. Al Smith's Combo - Fooling Around Slowly
18. The Magnificents - Up On The Mountain
19. Eddie Taylor - Big Town Playboy
20. Camille Howard - Rock `N Roll Mama
21. The Dells - Oh What A Nite

Disc 2:

1. John Lee Hooker - Dimples
2. Pee Wee Crayton - The Telephone Is Ringing
3. Snooky Pryor - Judgment Day
4. The Staple Singers - Uncloudy Day
5. Sonny Til's Orioles - For All We Know
6. The Delegates - Mother's Son
7. Billy Emerson - The Pleasure's All Mine
8. Jimmy Reed - Honest I Do
9. The Harmonizing Four - Farther Along
10. Gene Allison - You Can Make It If You Try
11. Elmore James - It Hurts Me Too
12. Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - The Twist
13. Priscilla Bowman With The Spaniels -A Rockin' Good Way
14. Lee Diamond And The Upsetters - Hattie Malatti
15. Bobby Parker - Blues Get Off My Shoulder
16. Jerry Butler & The Impressions - For Your Precious Love
17. Leonard Carbo - Pigtails And Blue Jeans
18. John Lee Hooker - I Love You Honey
19. The Original 5 Blind Boys Of Mississippi -Leave You In The Hands Of The Lord
20. Dee Clark - Nobody But You
21. Sheriff & The Ravels - Shombalor
22. Harold Burrage - Crying For My Baby

Disc 3:

1. The Swan Silvertones - Mary Don't You Weep
2. Memphis Slim - Steppin' Out
3. Rosco Gordon - Just A Little Bit
4. Jimmy Reed Baby - What You Want Me To Do
5. Donnie Elbert - Will You Ever Be Mine
6. The Staple Singers - Will The Circle Be Unbroken
7. Wade Flemons - Easy Lovin'
8. John Lee Hooker - No Shoes
9. J.B. Lenoir - Oh Baby
10. Jerry Butler - He Will Break Your Heart
11. Eddie Harris - Exodus
12. Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man
13. Dee Clark - Raindrops
14. The Pips With Gladys Knight - Every Beat Of My Heart
15. The Sallie Martin Singers - Old Ship Of Zion
16. Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City
17. The Dukays - Nite Owl
18. Gene Chandler - Duke Of Earl
19. The Moonglows - Real Gone Mama
20. The "5" Royales - Help Me Somebody
21. John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

Disc 4:

1. Christine Kittrell - I'm A Woman
2. Jerry Butler - Make It Easy On Yourself
3. The Four Seasons - Sherry
4. Gene Chandler - Rainbow
5. The Pyramids - Shakin' Fit
6. Birdlegs & Pauline And Their Versatility Birds - Spring
7. Aki Aleong & The Nobles - Body Surf
8. Betty Everett - You're No Good
9. The Original Blind Boys Of Alabama -I Can See Everybody's Mother
10. Betty Everett - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)
11. Jimmy Hughes - Steal Away
12. The Honeycombs - Have I The Right
13. Jerry Butler & Betty Everett - Let It Be Me
14. Hoyt Axton - Bring Your Lovin'
15. Betty Everett - Getting Mighty Crowded
16. The Caravans - Walk Around Heaven All Day
17. Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
18. Billy Preston - Billy's Bag
19. The Dells - Stay In My Corner
20. Fred Hughes - Oo Wee Baby, I Love You
21. Joe Simon - Let's Do It Over
22. Little Richard - I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87026 in Music
• Released on: 2007-08-21
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: 1.48 pounds

Album Description
86-track boxed set contains the cream of the Vee-Jay label's run, from 1953 to 1966, including hits by Jimmy Reed,Jerry Butler & The Impressions, John Lee Hooker, The Four Seasons,Little Richard, The Staple Singers, The Dells, Betty Everett, The Swan Silvertones, Dee Clark, The El Dorados, Gene Chandler, The Spaniels, and many others, as well as amazing obscurities by less-well-known artists. Vee-Jay Records was the first nationally successful African-American owned record company. At one point it was bigger than even such powerhouses as Motown Records and Chess Records. Though Vee-Jay is now best known as the first American label to release records by The Beatles, it is classic singles like The Spaniels' "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite," John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom," Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City," Betty Everett's "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)," Jerry Butler's "Make It Easy On Yourself," The Four Seasons' "Sherry," Gene Chandler's "Duke Of Earl," and Little Richard's "I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me" that remain the label's enduring legacy. Contains 86 tracks spread across four CDs, along with a beautifully designed 40-page booklet packed with photos and featuring two essays: a historical overview and a detailed track-by-track commentary.

Amazon.com
For a label that lasted only 13 years and closed in 1966, Vee-Jay Records left a large legacy, though one that is largely underrecognized. This four-disc retrospective provides a corrective, documenting the range and richness of the catalog from the Chicago rival to Chess Records. Many know Vee-Jay as the first American label to license the Beatles (not included here) and to introduce the Four Seasons ("Sherry" is). But the depth of this set lies in the signature classics by artists including bluesmen John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed, gospel greats the Staple Singers and Swan Silvertones, doo-wop groups such as the Spaniels and Sonny Til's Orioles, and soul singers Jerry Butler and Gene Chandler. The well-known artistry merely scratches the surface of the sets' delights, as those familiar with such hits as Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" and Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" will finds revelation in the Vee-Jay originals (by Betty Everett and Gloria Jones, respectively). An auspicious launch to what promises to be an ambitious reissue program. --Don McLeese

MOJO August 2007
"4 stars" --MOJO August 2007

Customer Reviews

Update to my original review
My original review of this set included a complaint that the song, The Twist, was missing. Just wasn't on the disc even though it was in the track listing and in the note. I checked AMG and their samples had the same problem my disc had. After I whined about this in my review I emailed Shout! Factory to complain to them. I got a nice email back from them and within a week I got a new copy of disc two sent to me in the mail. Excellent customer service and not what I was expecting which was to be ignored. I commend them for that.

I have the Bear Family Blowin' the Fuse set of R and B songs from 1946-1960 which also has Hank Ballard doing the Twist. That version is very close to the Chubby Checker version and I assume it was the model for the Chubby Checker version. The version on this disc is very different from those two with a very different rhythm structure. I think this was the first version. Nice to have all three.

Beyond that song, this is a nice box, sequenced well, fun to listen to, heavy on the Jimmy Reed as it should be. I would have included my favorite Jimmy Reed song, Shame Shame Shame, with some of that extra cd space that Mike mentions in his review.

The package is nice. There are notes on each song, similar to the notes in the Bear Family collection. Nice to have. I have no complaints about the package, but I wouldn't call it "gorgeous". That reviewer loses alot of credibility with his raving. My standard for a gorgeous box set package would be the Revenant boxes for Charlie Patton and Albert Ayler or maybe the deluxe limited edition of the Forever Changing Elektra collection.

So I'm happy with this and you will be too if you like this type of music or just want to start exploring the old stuff. Thanks for the new disc, Michael.

Unfortunately, while the Amazon system let me update my review, it wouldn't let me change my rating. I'd go four to five stars on this now, but the system won't let me change that.

A mishmash (but in a good way)
You're in a smoky, rundown dive bar. You know, the kind that's near a bus station, hasn't had a woman in it since 1957 and is called something like the Frolic Room or the Tick Tock. Sound good to you? Well, this box set is the jukebox in the joint.

Yup, there are a lot of great tracks here. The sequencing reinforces the somewhat scattershot nature of Vee-Jay though; rather than having a house-sound like, say, Stax or Chess, Vee-Jay covered several genres. The result is a mishmash of different styles, sounds, and attitudes. It's not a bad thing...just don't expect a highly focused experience. Just like that old jukebox under the buzzing neon beer sign, no?

Be sure to check Disc 2 carefully if you buy this set. As mentioned by earlier reviewers, "The Twist" may be missing. If you contact Shout Factory corporate customer service (NOT the customer service for their online store) they will send you a replacement disc without any hassles--at least they did so for me. It's nice that Shout Factory has made it easy to obtain corrected discs.

Bottom line: not an essential set but good for anybody who already has the basic building blocks in their blues, R&B, soul, and gospel collections. Also good for collectors who are into cover versions due to the inclusion of the originals of "Tainted Love" and "You're No Good", among others. The book is decently put together but could have included a lot more info about both songs and artists.

A stunning collection!
The release of Vee-Jay: The Definitive Collection is a major event for fans of rhythm and blues, soul, gospel, and blues. Atlantic, Stax, Chess, and Motown are household names, but the black-owned indie Vee-Jay, which was at one time bigger than any of these giant labels, is almost forgotten, except by hardcore Beatles collectors as a footnote to the Beatles' story.

That's a shame, and it's fantastic that Shout! Factory has stepped up and filled a gaping hole in the catalog with this set.

Not only does the set have requisite hits by the likes of Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, Jimmy Reed, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Betty Everett, The 4 Seasons, John Lee Hooker, Dee Clark, and the Spaniels, but it also has crucial rarities and now-forgotten hits by such soul acts as Joe Simon, Gloria Jones, Billy Preston, Gene Allison, and Little Richard (yes, Little Richard, singing soul with a pre-fame Jimi Hendrix on guitar!); R&B acts such as The "5" Royales, The Moonglows, Donnie Elbert, Rosco Gordon, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Billy Boy Arnold, Sheriff & The Ravels, and The Dells; blues acts such as Memphis Slim, Eddie Taylor, L.C. McKinley, Bobby Parker, and J.B. Lenoir; not to mention gospel giants like The Staple Singers, The Swan Silvertones, The Original Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Original 5 Blind Boys Of Mississippi, and The Caravans.

Plus the packaging is truly gorgeous, and the liner notes are insightful and detailed.

It all adds up to one of the best reissues of 2007, featuring tons of crucial music you probably have never heard before.

Buy it now!