VA - American Soul Connexion (1954-1962) Chapter 1+5 [2019] (5 x CDs)

SOUL

VA - American Soul Connexion (1954-1962) Chapter 1+5 [2019] (5 x CDs)

Released in September 2019, American Soul Connexion (1954–1962) is one of those box sets that feels like a time machine. 148 Tracks spread across five CDs, it dives deep into the early years of soul, before the genre had even settled on a name, and traces its roots through gospel, R&B, doo-wop, and the first flickers of what would become Motown and Southern soul.

It’s not just the big names, though they’re here in full force: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Etta James, Jackie Wilson. You hear them in their formative stages, experimenting, evolving, and laying the groundwork for everything that came after. But what makes this set really shine is how it goes beyond the obvious. It pulls in regional hits, forgotten B-sides, and tracks that might’ve lit up a jukebox in Memphis or a dance floor in Philly but never made it into the mainstream spotlight.

Listening to it feels like flipping through a sonic scrapbook of postwar Black America, full of joy, heartbreak, swagger, and grit. You can hear gospel’s influence in the vocal phrasing, the blues in the emotional weight, and the pop sensibility that would soon explode in the ’60s. The sequencing is smart, too. It lets you hear the genre’s evolution, step by step.

If you’re curious about how soul music came to be not just the polished hits, but the raw, early moments, American Soul Connexion is a fantastic place to start. It’s rich, vibrant, and full of stories waiting to be heard. (B)

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Track lists

Chapter 1

01 Ray Charles - I've Got A Woman 2:58

02 Johnny Ace - Pledging My Love 2:34

03 Ray Charles - A Fool for You 3:05

04 Titus Turner - Get on The Right Track Baby 2:22

05 Chuck Willis - It's Too Late 2:40

06 Little Willie John - My Nerves 2:36

07 Sam Cooke - You Send Me 2:49

08 Gene Allison - You Can Make it If You Try 2:12

09 Thurston Harris - Little Bitty Pretty One 2:25

10 Ruth Brown - Mama He Treats Your Doaughter Mean 3:05

11 Ruth Brown - Book of Lies 2:36

12 Ivory Joe Hunter - Shooty Booty 2:06

13 Fats Domino - Sick and Tired 2:38

14 Earl Grant - (At) The End (Of A Rainbow) 2:24

15 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Try Me (I Need You) 2:37

16 Bobby Day - The Bluebird, The Buzzard & The Oriole 2:27

17 Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - Teardrops on Your Letter 2:54

18 Coasters - Three Cool Cats 2:15

19 Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City 2:30

20 Jackie Wilson - That's Why (I Love You So) 2:09

21 Bobby Day - Gotta New Girl 2:23

22 Barrett Strong & The Contours - Money (That's What I Want) 2:43

23 Ray Charles - What'd I Say 5:10

24 Coasters - I'm A Hog for You 2:02

25 Dee Clark - Hey Little Girl 2:22

26 LaVern Baker - Tiny Tim 2:24

27 Ray Charles - I Believe to My Soul 3:05

28 Larry Williams - Teardrops 2:25

29 Rosco Gordon - Just A Little Bit 2:11

30 James Brown & The Famous Flames - I'll Go Crazy 2:11

Chapter 2

01 Don & Dewey - Little Sally Walker 2:24

02 Jessie Hill - Ooh Poo Pah Doo 2:25

03 Ruth Brown - I Burned Your Letter 2:50

04 Etta James - All I Could Do Was Cry 2:58

05 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Think 2:53

06 Eddie Bo - Every Dog Got His Day 2:19

07 Sam Cooke - Wonderful World 2:10

08 Ray Charles - Sticks and Stones 2:19

09 Sugar Pie DeSanto - I Want to Know 3:06

10 Falcons - The Teacher 2:53

11 Ike & Tina Turner - A Fool in Love 2:59

12 Aaron Neville - Over You 2:23

13 Sam Cooke - Chain Gang 2:39

14 Four Tops - Ain't That Love 1:50

15 Rufus & Carla Thomas - Cause I Love You 2:49

16 Drifters - Save The Last Dance for Me 2:33

17 Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind 3:38

18 Etta Jones - Don't Go to Strangers 3:56

19 Jerry Butler - Thanks to You 2:43

20 Soul Stirrers - I'm A Pilgrim 3:01

21 Aretha Franklin - Today I Sing The Blues 2:51

22 Joe Jones & His Orchestra - You Talk Too Much 2:39

23 Miracles - Shop Around 2:53

24 Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) 2:25

25 Aretha Franklin - Won't Be Long 3:13

26 Etta James - At Last 3:08

27 O'Jays - Miracles 2:29

28 Ottis Reading - Gettin' Hip 2:13

29 Coasters - Willow Weep for Me 2:47

Chapter 3

01 Jimmy Ruffin - Don't Feel Sorry for Me 2:27

02 Ernie K-Doe - Mother-In-Law 2:37

03 Jerry Butler - Find Another Girl 2:55

04 Eddie Holland - Why Do You Want to Let Me Go 2:39

05 Chris Kenner - I Like it Like That 2:01

06 Top Notes - Hearts of Stone 2:03

07 Ben E. King - Stand By Me 3:04

08 Mar-Keys - Last Night 2:40

09 Gene & Wendell With The Sweethearts - The Roach 2:36

10 Ruth Brown - Anyone But You 2:22

11 Sims Twins - Soothe Me 2:20

12 Freddie King - San-Ho-Zay 2:41

13 Don Covay and The Goodtimers - See About Me 3:06

14 Temptations - Oh, Mother of Mine 2:23

15 The Drifters - Sweets for My Sweet 2:33

16 Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack 2:02

17 Impressions - Gypsy Woman 2:24

18 Nina Somine - Gin House Blues 3:09

19 Ray Charles - The Danger Zone 2:27

20 Mar-Keys - Morning After 2:18

21 Betty O'Brien - She'll Be Gone 2:05

22 Jerry Butler - Aware of Love 2:18

23 Patience Valentine - If You Don't Come (You Better Call) 2:05

24 Bobby Bland - Turn on Your Love Light 2:36

25 Gladys Knight - Letter Full of Tears 2:54

26 Temptations - Your Wonderful Love 2:54

27 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Lost Someone 3:05

28 Ray Charles - Unchain My Heart 2:55

29 Arthur Alexander - A Shot of Rhythm and Blues 2:01

30 Arthur Alexander - You Better Move On 2:51

31 Isley Brothers - Time After Time 2:40

Chapter 4

01 Etta James - Something's Got A Hold on Me 2:51

02 Solomon Burke - Cry to Me 2:35

03 Gene Chandler - Duke of Earl 2:22

04 Nancy Wilson - Save Your Love for Me 2:47

05 Mary Wells - The One Who Really Loves You 2:32

06 Dee Dee Sharp - Mashed Potato Time 2:36

07 Yvonne Fair & James Brown Band - I Found You 2:33

08 Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller 2:14

09 Wilson Pickett - Let Me Be Your Boy 2:51

10 Ben E. King - Don't Play That Song (You Lied) 2:53

11 Booker T. & The MG's - Green Onions 2:57

12 Supremes - Your Heart Belongs to Me 2:42

13 Sam Cooke - Bring it Home to Me 2:39

14 Solomon Burke - I'm Hanging Up My Heart for You 3:11

15 Little Eva - The Loco-Motion 2:29

16 Lamont Dozier - Fortune Teller (Tell Me) 2:10

17 Mary Wells - You Beat Me to The Punch 2:50

18 Marvin Gaye - Stubborn Kind of Yellow 2:49

19 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Mashed Potatoes U.s.a 2:57

20 William Bell - Any Other Way 2:34

21 Aretha Franklin - Just for A Thrill 2:37

22 Labrenda Ben & The Beljeans - Camel Walk 2:47

23 Rufus Thomas - It's Aw'rite 3:12

24 Ike & Tina Turner - Mind in A Whirl 2:14

25 Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine 2:37

26 Joe Tex - The Peck 2:35

27 Impressions - I'm The One Who Loves You 2:33

28 Marvin Gaye - Hitch Hike 2:33

29 Solomon Burke - I Said I Was Sorry 2:33

30 Eddie Holland - True Love Will Go A Mighty Long Way 2:11

Chapter 5

01 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Night Train 3:35

02 Betty O'Brien - Why M 2:32

03 Isley Brothers - Twist and Shout 2:31

04 Ernie K-Doe - Hey, Hey, Hey 2:47

05 Billy Stewart - Fat Boy 2:51

06 Eddie Holland - What About Me 2:40

07 Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose A Good Thing 2:41

08 Don Gardner With Dee Dee Ford - I Need Your Loving 4:48

09 Valentinos - Lookin' for A Love 2:35

10 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Shout and Shimmy 2:55

11 Judy Clay - Do You Think That's Right 2:05

12 Impressions - Little Young Lover 2:19

13 Ernie K-Doe - I Got to Find Somebody 2:38

14 Bobby Bland - Yield Not to Temptation 2:41

15 Aretha Franklin - Try A Little Tenderness 3:20

16 Arthur Alexander - Anna (Go to Him) 2:55

17 Chubby Checker - Popeye The Hitchhiker 2:30

18 Ray Hamilton - Earthquake 2:38

19 LaBrenda Ben & The Beljeans - The Chaperone 2:52

20 Ted Taylor - You Must Have Been Meant for Me 2:44

21 Chris Kenner - Land of 1000 Dances 2:33

22 Roy Lee Johnson - Too Many Tears 2:21

23 Gene Chandler - You Threw A Lucky Punch 2:37

24 James Brown & The Famous Flames - Three Hearts in A Tangle 2:58

25 Irma Thomas - Somebody Told You 2:38

26 Rufus Thomas - Somebody Told You 2:39

27 Wilson Pickett - Baby Call on Me 2:29

28 Solomon Burke - Go on Back to Him 2:57

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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