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Released 1994

This 12-song CD is a genuine anomaly, a Sam & Dave record licensed from EMI -- it's made up of the six singles that they cut in 1962/63 for Roulette before they went to Stax and got known nationally by way of Atlantic Records. The sound is somewhat compressed and a little bit tinny on some of these single sides (Roulette was one of those indie labels of the era that left behind some very poor masters). The duo first hooked up in 1961, and it was after being booked locally as Sam & Dave in Miami, and cutting one locally released single that they came to the attention of Morris Levy in New York, who owned Roulette. The gospel influence (especially the organ) runs through much of what's here, and one can also pick out elements of Sam Cooke's stock vocal embellishments (check out "No More Pain"). The best numbers here are the achingly beautiful "It Was So Nice While It Lasted," one of the finest love songs in the duo's early output, "No More Pain," a towering performance by both singers, and "I Got a Thing Going On," which manages to sum up their formative sound, touching on all of their influences and pointing the way toward mid-1960s soul. As with their later material on Atlantic, the duo know how to get the listener's heart pumping and foot tapping, as on "Keep A Walkin'," "You Ain't No Big Thing Baby," and "I Found Out," the latter a powerful, exciting dance number. Some of it doesn't quite work -- "Listening for My Name" needed work as a song, although the singing on the break soars past the limitations in the piece and the arrangement. The stuff here is among the rarest of the duo's work, having only reappeared once on an extremely obscure Roulette album. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

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