Hank Ballard – unwind yourself: the King Recordings 1964-1967

Geweldige cd op Ace. Bij release hadden we deze even gemist maar dankzij Mike Mariconda er alsnog op gewezen.
Ballard was zoveel meer dan alleen een ‘twister’. Hier al zijn latere King opnames, met veel deelnemers uit de wereld van James Brown en met veel geweldig gitaarwerk van Lonnie Mack. De nodige prachtige ballades met vet orgel ook. Dikke aanrader!
‘“Unwind Yourself” focuses on the period in Hank Ballard’s long career that has remained relatively under the radar in the CD era. It features every surviving record he made between early 1964 and late 1967, a period during which soul took over from R&B and his King label-mate James Brown spearheaded the funk revolution. Ballard made every effort to remain up-to-date but struggled to get his records heard by a wide audience. Whatever reasons DJs might have had for ignoring them, it surely was not the quality of the records or Ballard’s performances, which are first-rate throughout. While this collection is aimed primarily at soul and funk fans, there are lots of choice R&B cuts to grab the attention of those who enjoy music of an earlier vintage. The vast majority of the tracks here have never been reissued. All but three are presented in the straight-ahead mono sound of the original King singles and albums. Featured musicians include Lonnie Mack, Beau Dollar and a host of other Cincinnati notables, not to mention James Brown himself.’