Superbly executed comprehensive collection
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 07/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Not infrequently, siblings or offspring of superstars gain recognition beyond what their talents - or more accurately, lack of - merit. Conversely, a few who share lineage with high profile celebrities are destined to struggle, despite true talent, in the shadow of the chosen one. The latter came to be the story of Jerry Butler's younger brother, Billy. Despite his talent and skills, and the support of powerhouse icons in the industry like Curtis Mayfield, Billy's three-year stint at OKeh Records during the mid-60's yielded only modest chart success with one top-10, a few top-40 r'n'b charters and a single, anemic incursion into the pop top-100 with "I Can't Work No Longer".
Forty years' neglect of Butler's contributions finally ends now that Kent Records of the U.K., part of the Ace Records family, brings to market an outstanding - and the first legitimate - collection of Butler's OKeh recordings. This massive, 29-track collection contains all his a- and b-single sides, as well as alternate versions and eight additional, previously unreleased tracks done while at OKeh. All, save one, have been taken from the original tapes with several appearing in stereo for the first time. Ace consultant and collector, Tony Rounce contributes a session-by-session musical history of Butler's OKeh years to the 16-page liner notes booklet that also contains pics, illustrations and track details.
Though relegated to also-ran status in his day, Billy Butler's musical contributions get the premier treatment here. Going way beyond the run-of-the-mill best-of's or greatest hits pieces usually afforded even more successful artists of the era, this new Kent effort deserves shelfspace in the collector's musical library."