Jerry Ragovoy Story-Time Is on My Side 1953-03 - The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is on My Side 1953-2003
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Artist: Jerry Ragovoy Story-Time Is on My Side 1953-03Brand: VARIOUS
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2008-04-29
Music Label: Ace Records UK
Soundtracks:
- As Long As I Have You - Garnet Mimms
- Stay With Me - Lorraine Ellison
- Good Lovin' - The Olympics
- A Wonderful Dream - The Majors
- My Girl Awaits Me - The Castelles
- I'm Comin' Home - The Fabulous Four
- Cry Baby - Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters
- I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face - Pat Thomas
- Disappointed - Claudine Clark
- You're Looking Good - Howard Tate
- You Got Just What You Asked For - Estelle Brown
- Time Is On My Side - Kai Winding
- Pata Pata - Miriam Makeba
- Thinkin' - Garnet Mimms
- The Hurt's All Gone - Irma Thomas
- I Wanna Thank You - The Enchanters
- What's It Gonna Be (Remix) - Dusty Springfield
- You Don't Know Nothing About Love - Carl Hall
- Ain't Got Nobody To Give It To - Howard Tate
- What Do You Want Me To Do? - Lou Courtney
- What About You - Carl Hall
- Move Me No Mountain - Dionne Warwick
- Pretty Red Lips (Kiss My Blues Away) - Major Harris
- Get It While You Can - Howard Tate
Free Music Notes for The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is on My Side 1953-2003
Free Music Review: If You Have The Bert Berns Volume, You Have To Get This Too
Hit: 5 Stars
It figures that Ace of London would issue a volume on Jerry Ragovoy, another song-writing/producing legend after issuing one on his equally-renowned and occasional partner, Bert Berns (Piece Of My Heart was one co-written with Berns). As Al Kooper says in the voluminous liner notes that are a hallmark of anything issued by Ace, the duo were considered to be "...the white kings of soul music." As with the Berns volume, you likely came to this release while searching under a song title.
Whereas Berns died young (at age 39 on December 30, 1967), Jerry, born in Philadelphia in 1935, is still with us, although not as involved in music as much as was in the 1960s and early 1970s. His last major award came in 1973 when he received a Grammy for producing the "Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album" for "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope," although he also received high acclaim for his 2003 CD Howard Tate Rediscovered, a collaboration with an artist who recorded a number of his songs back in the late 1960s (the last track, Get It While You Can, is from that 2003 album).
Jerry's first composition to be recorded was the elusive "This Silver Ring" by the Philadelphia group The Castelles (not to be confused with The Castells of California) on the Grand label in 1953. It's said that Ragovoy, then all of 18, "hovered over the recording session" making the group do one take after another until it met with his approval, a focus he himself described in the liner notes by saying "With every singer I've ever worked with I was like Hitler when it came to vocals. Every time I produce something, it's as if I'm still trying to prove myself. Every note, every song, every project that I immerse myself in, whether it's an arrangement or whatever, all of it is a unique challenge." It's too bad that first song has been lost to posterity.
Another composition, Time Is On My Side, was written under the pseudonym Norman Meade and first recorded by the trombonist Kai Winding, although the best version, to my mind anyway, was by Irma Thomas. Hers, recorded in 1964 and released as the B-side of her hit Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand), never made any singles charts either, but a cover later that year by The Rolling Stones reached # 6 Billboard Pop Hot 100.
In terms of hit singles in this release, just 8 made any national charts, the earliest here being A Wonderful Dream by the Philadelphia group The Majors which peaked at # 22 Hot 100/# 23 R&B in October 1962 on Imperial (Disappointed, by Claudine Clark, was heard earlier that summer, but it was the uncharted flip of her hit Party Lights). In October 1963, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters hit it big with Cry Baby, taking it to # 1 R&B/# 4 Hot 100 for United Artists, and in September 1964, billed as just The Enchanters, I Wanna Thank You topped out at # 91 Hot 100 on Warner (note that Billboard had suspended the R&B charts from late 1963 and all of 1964).
When Good Lovin' by The Olympics hit the airwaves in 1965, those charts had been reinstated, but it was shut out on the R&B listings, and only managed a weak # 81 Hot 100 in May on Loma, a subsidiary of Warner. However, the parent label released Lorraine Ellison's Stay With Me in late 1966, and in December it reached # 11 R&B but a disappointing # 84 Hot 100. A year later, Miriam Makeba would have a huge hit with Pata Pata (# 7 R&B/# 12 Hot 100 on Frank Sinatra's Reprise label) while Dusty Springfield scored a # 49 Hot 100 with What's It Gonna Be? for Philips (re-mixed here). The latest hit represented here is What Do You Want Me To Do? by Lou Courtney, which finished at # 48 R&B in October 1973 on Epic.
Some other notable Jerry Ragovoy-penned hits not included here, but which could hopefully be included in a Volume 2, are: About This Thing Called Love by Fabian (# 31 Hot 100 in March 1960 on Chancellor; One Way Love by The Drifters (# 56 Hot 100 in May 1964 on Atlantic); I'll Take Good Care of You by Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters (# 15 R&B/# 30 Hot 100 in May 1966 on United Artists); Ain't Nobody Home, a # 12 R&B/# 63 Hot 100 for Howard Tate in summer 1966 on Verve, and a # 28 R&B/# 46 Hot 100 for B.B. King in late 1971 om on ABC; Heart Be Still by Lorraine Ellison (# 43 R&B/# 89 Hot 100 on October 1967 on Loma); Stop by Howard Tate (# 15 R&B/# 76 Hot 100 in March 1968 on Verve); Sure Thing by Dionne Warwick (# 66 R&B in December 1974 on Warner); You Got It by Diana Ross (# 39 R&B/# 49 Hot 100 in June 1978 on Motown; Love Makin' Music by Barry White (# 25 R&B in August 1980 on United Artists); and Cloudy With a Chance of Tears, first recorded by The Manhattans, but only a hit in 1993 (# 97 R&B) by The Voices on Zoo Records).
Excellent sound quality as always with an Ace product, and a must-have if you purchased the Bert Berns volume.
The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is on My Side 1953-2003 Poster
Having showcased the work of his friends and collaborators Mort Shuman and Bert Berns, Ace now turns the spotlight on Philadelphia songwriter-arranger-producer Jerry Ragovoy. It brings together two dozen of his most significant moments from half a century of music making.Ragovoy's production work exemplifies the classic New York 'Big City' sound of the 60s. His catalogue includes numerous hall-of-fame classics, almost all of which are included here in their original versions. (Others can be heard on Vol 1 and the forthcoming Vol 2 of Ace's Bert Berns Story, Jerry and Bert having worked together in the mid 60s).
The artists Ragovoy worked with on a regular basis: Garnet Mimms, Lorraine Ellison, Carl Hall, Irma Thomas and, perhaps especially, Howard Tate - are among the most cherished by serious soul fans, and all are featured here.
The CD highlights include the rare original version of Time Is On My Side by trombonist Kai Winding, the even rarer, £300-rated debut 45 from Howard Tate You're Looking Good (also never previously reissued) and titles from both Jerry's first session (the Castelles) and his most recent to date (playing piano on Howard Tate's recut of Get It While You Can.
The CD booklet contains a 2008 interview with Ragovoy, specially conducted for this project by another song writing legend (and friend of Ace), Al Kooper.
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