Various Artists: At the Club

[CD cover]

British release. Sleeve notes by Paolo Hewitt & Ady Croasdell
Review © Peter Viney 1999.

The subtitle is "Where it’s AT" and the capitalised AT reveals that this is a collection of Atlantic, Atco and London American-Atlantic singles. It has a picture of the Marquee Club in Soho on the cover, and the slogan "The original club culture in 25 blistering soul essentials from the ultimate 60s label - ATLANTIC."

Track 21 is He Don’t Love You from Levon and The Hawks. These British "Northern Soul / Club" albums are serious compilations and meticulously researched. This gives thanks the Atlantic Tape Library staff. It adds surprise information: Supervised by Eddie Heller. then it gives the recording date as 24 Sept 1965. This seemed much later than I’d imagined, and was when they were already backing Dylan. I checked John Bauldie’s Oh, No, Not Another Bob Dylan Book! which lists every concert. 24 September 1965 saw them in Austin, Texas with Dylan. It was the first date where the full Hawks line-up backed him after Forest Hills and Hollywood Bowl with just Robbie and Levon. So the date seems highly unlikely. I can’t imagine a morning recording date before such a major new gig. I’d suspect that the British release date was the likely source of 24 September. The normal date confusion (2/7 is 2nd July everywhere else in the world, but in America it’s the 7th February) can’t be happening here as the date’s the 24th.

Nominally, He Don’t Love You was the B-side of Go, Go Liza Jane, then a short while later of The Stones I Throw. I checked my British copy of The Stones I Throw , and the sides aren’t marked A and B. The British single also doesn’t have the obligatory soul subtitle (in parentheses) as it does here (on the sleeve) … (And He’ll Break your Heart). Discographies add the subtitles (in parentheses) to both sides - The Stones I Throw (Will Free All Men). On my single the subtitle is missing,

He Don’t Love You is more exciting than the A side. Listening to the track thirty four years on reveals the Band’s trademarks - space between the instruments and vocal trading are already there. Richard Manuel is lead vocalist. In spite of being relegated to the B-side twice, it’s their best track from this era. It shows that they were a cracking soul band right at the very start of the soul boom. This is terrific and has the piano and swirling organ to complement the swampy bass and echoing drums. Only the composer’s guitar is strangely reticent. The first reaction is that they were not only one hell of a soul band, but they were also a year ahead of the Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding soul explosion. If it points to anything in the future, it points towards covers from the Band’s stage shows like Don’t Do It and Loving You (Is Sweeter Than Ever). Then again, The Band happily mythologized their past in later years - you can bet that their concert favourite Lovin’ You was hindsight - the Four Tops version wasn’t released until 1966.

The sleeve notes give an excellent picture of the British soul scene, pointing out that DJ’s ignored established track records and delighted in playing new artists. It was also a matter of pride in the era for good British DJ’s to play the Killer B’s. The result of this is that I often think records from the era were A-sides when they weren’t. I spent the autumn of 65 listening to Fontella Bass, Don Covay, Lee Dorsey and don’t recall hearing He Don’t Love You at my local, le Kilt in Bournemouth. But they played so much Lee Dorsey that it might have slipped in between them . As Levon has said, The Hawks played Lee Dorsey better than anyone except Lee Dorsey. This song is where they prove that.

Atlantic, especially for a white act, was a high-prestige label in 1965. Although Capitol had The Beach Boys and The Beatles, deep soul/R&B fans like The Hawks probably wouldn’t have viewed Atlantic as the lesser label. Many American releases were imported in the UK, so it’s interesting that Levon & The Hawks got their own British release. Someone somewhere must have seen the potential.

The track is available on The Band’s Across the Great Divide box set (at 6 seconds longer). On the box set the backing vocals sounded like The Hawks with a lot of echo. On At the Club it really sounds like female singers- this is the effect they were aiming at. Richard is singing the lead. I’d guess that the backing vocal is likely to include Robbie Robertson on the high parts. I’m pretty sure it’s the same version, but the remastering sounds different in balance. The bass is smoother on the box set CD, the vocals clearer on AT The Club. I was so puzzled at the difference that I even exposed my precious 45 to more wear by giving it a spin. The compression is obvious, squeezing in from both ends, but it has by far the best bass sound.

This album has a stunning track list and shows Levon & The Hawks in deservedly stellar company. It’s a well-thought out compilation, assembled with love and care. The stuff you haven’t heard of is up there with the stuff you have heard of.
-- Peter Viney

Tracks

1. Help Me (Get The feeling Pt 1)
   Ray Sharpe with the Curtis Orchestra
2. It Ain’t What You Got
   Jimmy Hughes
3. Some Other Guy
   Richie Barrett
4. Looking For A Fox
   Clarence Carter
5. Some Kind of Wonderful
   Soul Brothers Six
6. Something Good (Is going to happen to you)
   Carla Thomas
7. I’m Gonna Run Away From You
   Tami Lynn
8. At The Club
   The Drifters
9. Que Sera Sera
   The High Keys
10. Poison Ivy
    The Coasters
11. Chain of Fools
    The Goodtimers
12. Able Mable
    Mable John
13. Holding On With Both Hands
    Eddie Floyd
14. Last Night
    The Mar Keys
15. The Memphis Train
    Rufus Thomas
16. Three Time Loser
    Wilson Pickett
17. Keep Looking
    Solomon Burke
18. 40 Days-40 Nights
    Don Covay & The Goodtimers
19. Green Onions
    King Curtis
20. Comin’ Home Baby
    Mel Torme
21. He Don’t Love You (140K)
    Levon & The Hawks
22. Slim Jenkins’ Place
    Booker T and the MGs
23. Just One Look
    Doris Troy
24. Walkin Up A One Way Street
    Willie Tee
25. Young Boy Blues
    Ben E.King