The acronym is F-A-M-E, but it may as well be S-O-U-L.
It was a full half-century ago that the recording studio, record label and publishing operation originally known as Florence Alabama Music Enterprises established itself and its trademark sound with the hit recording of ‘You Better Move On’ by Arthur Alexander. In the fifty years since, FAME Studios and its idiosyncratic founder Rick Hall have been at the forefront of the Muscle Shoals Sound. FAME begat the process whereby a little known Alabama backwater would evolve into the very crucible of southern soul, a holy place to where musicians, singers and fans still make a very specific pilgrimage in the hope of experiencing a little bit of the magic behind so many hit records: ‘I’m Your Puppet’, ‘Land Of 1,000 Dances’, ‘Tell Mama’ and countless others.
Rick Hall is now a grand old man of the music business, but back in the 60s he was more akin to an enfant terrible, with an unbending will that helped him make it against almost insurmountable odds, matched by an attention to detail that bordered on obsession. There have only ever been a handful of truly self-sufficient producer/engineers in the history of popular music, and Hall is pre-eminent amongst them. Atlantic, Chess and so many other legendary labels flocked to FAME to avail themselves of the sound, the players, the material, and most importantly the vibe that Rick Hall had created.
The FAME Studios Story 1961-1973 is an exhaustive three CD set derived from two years’ worth of excavations by the intrepid Ace team at the hallowed FAME vault. The result is a full programme of FAME-related releases slated for issue on Ace, Kent, and BGP over the next couple of years, but the lynchpin is this definitive anthology that focuses upon the halcyon days of the studio and the label. It’s an open-minded, celebratory overview that, across 75 tracks, spotlights both artists and records that are either acknowledged greats, or lesser known – yet no less worthy – entries in the lexicon of soul.
The line-up is a virtual Who’s Who of 60s soul, and includes Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Arthur Conley, Irma Thomas, Joe Tex, Joe Simon, Lou Rawls, Spencer Wiggins and Otis Clay. Deep soul fans will recognise names such as The Blues Busters, Billy Young, Maurice & Mac, Willie Hightower, Bettye Swann, James Govan and many, many others. Special attention is paid to those acts closely associated with the Fame label – Candi Staton, Jimmy Hughes and Clarence Carter – as well as its inestimable stable of writers, producers and players, including Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, George Jackson and the Fame Gang. And the programme also includes several of the notable pop hits recorded at the studio by the Osmonds, Tommy Roe and Bobbie Gentry, as well as more obscure recordings by the Del Rays, Mark V and Terry & The Chain Reaction.
With unprecedented access granted to its tape and photo archive, well over a third of the contents of The FAME Studio Story 1961-1973 are new to CD, and of those, over a dozen tracks are fully unissued – including previously unheard rarities by Otis Redding and Arthur Alexander. The heavily-illustrated package with an 84 page book comes laden with two informative essays and extensive track notes, all of which are based upon fresh interviews with many of the principals involved.
If you know anything about soul music, you know FAME, which is why The FAME Studio Story 1961-1973 is an essential purchase.
CD1
01 YOU BETTER MOVE ON
Arthur Alexander
02 LAUGH IT OFF
The Tams
03 NIGHT RUMBLE – PT 1
The Mark 5
04 EVERYBODY
Tommy Roe
05 I HOPE THEY GET THEIR EYES FULL
Arthur Alexander
06 STEAL AWAY
Jimmy Hughes
07 LET THEM TALK
Dan Penn
08 HOLD WHAT YOU’VE GOT
Joe Tex
09 A MAN IS A MEAN, MEAN THING
Barbara Perry
10 FORTUNE TELLER
The Del-Rays
11 FUNNY STYLE
Bobby Marchan
12 ALMOST PERSUADED
June Conquest
13 TOO MUCH
The Entertainers
14 KEEP ON TALKING
James Barnett
15 SEARCHING FOR MY LOVE
Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces
16 WISH YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO GO
Spooner & The Spoons
17 LET’S DO IT OVER
Joe Simon
18 NEIGHBOR, NEIGHBOR
Jimmy Hughes
19 FEED THE FLAME
Billy Young
20 I’M YOUR PUPPET
James & Bobby Purify
21 I CAN’T STOP (NO, NO, NO)
Arthur Conley
22 GONNA MAKE YOU SAY YEAH
Terry Woodford
23 TWO IN THE MORNING
Spooner’s Crowd
24 WHY NOT TONIGHT
James Gilreath
25 LAND OF 1000 DANCES
Wilson Pickett
CD2
01 YOU LEFT THE WATER RUNNING
Otis Redding
02 A SHOT OF RHYTHM & BLUES
Clyde McPhatter
03 SLIPPIN’ AROUND WITH YOU
Art Freeman
04 WITHOUT A WOMAN
Kip Anderson
05 SWEET SOUL MUSIC
Arthur Conley
06 THREAD THE NEEDLE
Clarence & Calvin
07 I NEVER LOVED A MAN (THE WAY I LOVE YOU)
Aretha Franklin
08 MISS YOU SO
Ted Taylor
09 YOU PUT SOMETHING ON ME
Don Covay & The Good Timers
10 TELL MAMA
Etta James
11 KEEP YOUR COOL
Terry & The Chain Reaction
12 CHEATER MAN
Irma Thomas
13 DON’T MAKE ME HATE LOVING YOU
Jeanie Greene
14 EVERYTIME
Linda Carr
15 I STAYED AWAY TOO LONG
The Wallace Brothers
16 AS LONG AS I GOT YOU
Laura Lee
17 DON’T LOSE YOUR GOOD THING
The Blues Busters
18 SLIP AWAY
Clarence Carter
19 DO RIGHT WOMAN, DO RIGHT MAN
Otis Clay
20 ONCE IN A WHILE (IS BETTER THAN NEVER AT ALL)
Spencer Wiggins
21 THIEF IN THE NIGHT
Ben & Spence
22 TAKE ME JUST AS I AM
Mitty Collier
23 WHY DON’T YOU TRY ME
Maurice & Mac
24 SEARCH YOUR HEART
George Jackson
25 TEN MILES HIGH
David & The Giants
CD3
01 LADY IN THE RAIN
Lowell Fulson
02 HEY JUDE
Wilson Pickett
03 ANOTHER MAN’S WOMAN, ANOTHER WOMAN’S MAN
Unknown Female
04 SNATCHING IT BACK
Clarence Carter
05 I GOT YOU BABE
Etta James
06 WANTED: LOVER (NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY)
James Govan
07 FIND ‘EM, FOOL ‘EM AND FORGET ‘EM
George Jackson
08 I’M JUST A PRISONER (OF YOUR GOOD LOVIN’)
Candi Staton
09 GRITS AND GRAVY
The Fame Gang
10 ONE BAD APPLE
The Osmonds
11 I’D RATHER GO BLIND
Spencer Wiggins
12 TAKE ME BACK
Brothers Unlimited
13 WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES
Willie Hightower
14 PATCHES
Clarence Carter
15 FANCY
Bobbie Gentry
16 DOUBLE LOVIN’
George Jackson
17 GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI
Little Richard
18 WHAT COLOR IS LOVE
Roscoe Robinson
19 BRING IT ON HOME TO ME
Lou Rawls
20 I CAN’T LET YOU BREAK MY HEART
Bettye Swann
21 BACK ROAD INTO TOWN
Willie Hightower
22 THE THANKS I GET FOR LOVING YOU
Candi Staton
23 GET INVOLVED
George Soule
24 PUT ON YOUR SHOES AND WALK
Clarence Carter
25 YOU BETTER MOVE ON
Travis Wammack
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