Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964

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Music reviews of Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964

Music Review: The best Sam Cooke disc currently in-print
Rating: 5 Stars

1. Touch the Hem of His Garment
2. Lovable
3. You Send Me
4. Only Sixteen
5. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
6. Just For You
7. Win Your Love For Me
8. Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha
9. I'll Come Running Back to You
10. You Were Made For Me
11. Sad Mood
12. Cupid
13. (What a) Wonderful World
14. Chain Gang
15. Summertime
16. Little Red Rooster
17. Bring it on Home to Me

18. Nothing Can Change This Love
19. Sugar Dumpling
20. (Ain't That) Good News
21. Meet Me at Mary's Place
22. Twistin' the Night Away
23. Shake
24. Tennesse Waltz
25. Another Saturday Night
26. Good Times
27. Having a Party
28. That's Where It's At
29. A Change is Gonna Come
30. Jesus Gave Me Water

Remember "Man and His Music"? This basically takes its place. The sound is excellent (this SACD hybrid will play on both SACD and CD players so don't worry about it), far better than "Man and His Music," and the track selection is better. A bit more thorough with a few more tracks, it drops a few of the lighter, lesser tracks for some stronger ones like "Jesus Gave Me Water," "Little Red Rooster," "Summertime," and "Sugar Dumpling," which also paint a more complete picture of Cooke; "Rooster" is a great late-night blues number, and I highly recommend "Night Beat," the great Cooke album from which it came. I wish they kept "Soothe Me"; Sam & Dave and Cooke's proteges, the Simm Twins, did better renditions, but Cooke wrote the song, and he still recorded a very fine version. The order is jumbled a bit, so if you take the time to put it in chronological order, you also get an idea of how Cooke's music evolved. From his classic Soul Stirrers tracks (some say his best work) like "Touch The Hem..." to his first forays into pop ("Lovable" and "You Send Me") to irresistably catchy party songs ("Having A Party," "Twistin' The Night Away," "Another Saturday Night," the epochal "Shake," all classics) to beautiful late night ballads ("Sad Mood") to some of the first and best soul music ever made ("Good Times," "Bring It On Home To Me," and "A Change Is Gonna Come"), this is an AMAZING collection. All beautifully sung by one of the greatest vocalists, composers, and visionaries in pop music history. That's not even mentioning his biggest hits, "Wonderful World" "Chain Gang," again classics. This music is simply essential.

It's not the only Cooke album I'd get. Besides "Night Beat," I'd also get "Live at Harlem Square" and "Keep Movin' On." If you've got the cash, the four-disc RCA set is also worth getting (and if you get that, you'll get "Night Beat" and "Live at Harlem Square" complete on one disc).

Your first stop for Cooke, the only stop if you're on a budget or simply want just one CD (and deny yourself the further pleasure of hearing the other albums I mentioned).

Description of Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964

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