Very limited box set. Nina Simone, Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ike and Tina Turner, Isley Bros, Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, Bessie Smith. In a comprehensive overview from 1927 to 1960, History of Soul Records’ 10CD anthology covers the genesis of soul music, tracing connections between R&B, jazz and blues, and gospel, the secular and the sacred. As popular black musical genres were adopted by white teenage audiences in the 1950s, black music reverted to more authentic, basic styles. By 1960, the sound of black popular music had turned away from a driving, largely uptempo rhythm and blues towards a more emotionally poignantstyle. The term ‘soul’ popped up here and there, but only became common parlance after the release of Ray Charles’s I Believe To My Soul at the end of 1959. This collection of breathtaking blues and spiritual music brings you some of the most impassioned, compelling vocal performances ever to be recorded. The accompanying illustrated 48-page booklets set out the historical background and explain some of the technical features that make these beautiful songs the precursors of soul music. 281 tracks lovingly remastered.
