Atlantic Gold

One of the triumvirate of great soul labels from the 60s / early 70s heyday of the genre (along with Stax & Motown), Atlantic is responsible for a host of recordings which every music fan should have in their collection - and many (from Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & the MGs, and The Drifters to name but a few) are featured on this excellent 3CD set. As usual with Atlantic releases, sound quality is very good too, considering the age of many of the recordings.If listening to this CD doesn't lift your spirits, get you singing or humming along (as you remember days gone by if you're of a certain age), or make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end then you just may need a doctor!The reason I've only given 4 stars is because there are better options available for both the dedicated fan and the new or casual listener. Most serious soul fans will surely already own at least the "best of" albums from all the major artists featured plus the more comprehensive 8CD set Atlantic R&B 1947-74 (making this 3CD release redundant), while people who want to experience classic soul for the first time would be better opting for something which includes tracks from other labels too: the 1995 Warner Music releases Ultimate Soul Collection Volumes 1 & 2 would be my personal choice (90 tracks and every one of them an absolute gem).

There's plenty of choice out there if you're looking for Atlantic or Stax compilations. The 8 vol Atlantic R&B box set from 1947-1974 is excellent value but if you're looking for something a bit shorter, opt for the 75 or 100 track Atlantic Gold comps. You'll rightly get the big hits from the big names - What'd I Say, Try A Little Tenderness, A Natural Woman etc - but you'll also be reminded that the Drifters and Ben E King's relaxed pop and latin tinged version of R&B has lasted remarkably well. You'll also be treated to lesser known pleasures such as Doris Troy's simple but powerful Just One Look (much better than the Hollies' cover), the passionate deep soul of When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (a revelation to me), and Donny Hathaway's blaxploitation jazz-funk epic The Ghetto. The packaging and sound quality are not perfect but you'll have a fine survey of two classic record labels summarising a vital period - roughly 1952 to 1972 - of American music.

Love this album . Great value and wonderful music ! What’s not to like ?

I should really start by thanking Amazon for finding me all the fantastic music that I have purchased in the last couple of years.This is another of them!It contains some songs that you know so well you can sing along to them, as well as some that are new to me (how did I miss them first time around?)Highly recommended.....

This is an amazing collection of records from Atlantic Records, everyone a gem. You won't be disappointed.

Great Album however Cd 1 is more like old 50s soul Roll n Roll Cd 2&3 you then get into the 60s classic soul you'd expect,Note tor tagging,this album comes tagged as rock? Easy enough to change the tag back to soul though

Absolutely excellent cd set 50's and 60's atlantic soul and rock'n'roll blues 5 star CDs for me 3 rd cd is 70 disco so OK if you like it

Great cd !!