2008 reissue of this solo album from the female half of Sonny & Cher, originally released in 1969 on Atco Records. Astute Pop/Rock music fans might note the familiarity of 3614 Jackson Highway as the former home of the... more » legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. As the Atlantic Records production team: Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin had done six months earlier on Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis album, they chose to juxtapose their Pop diva with a band affectionately known as the Swampers. Throughout 3614 Jackson Highway they are able to create a similar seminal R&B vibe for these sessions. This album reveals that not only did Cher have soul, but the Swampers are the quintessential foil for her decidedly unique style. Like Soul Music serpent charmers, they summon from Cher the most authentic, if not interesting work she had been responsible for. 11 tracks. Rhino UK.« less
2008 reissue of this solo album from the female half of Sonny & Cher, originally released in 1969 on Atco Records. Astute Pop/Rock music fans might note the familiarity of 3614 Jackson Highway as the former home of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. As the Atlantic Records production team: Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin had done six months earlier on Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis album, they chose to juxtapose their Pop diva with a band affectionately known as the Swampers. Throughout 3614 Jackson Highway they are able to create a similar seminal R&B vibe for these sessions. This album reveals that not only did Cher have soul, but the Swampers are the quintessential foil for her decidedly unique style. Like Soul Music serpent charmers, they summon from Cher the most authentic, if not interesting work she had been responsible for. 11 tracks. Rhino UK.
"A MUSIC FAN from Shefield Alabama was totally on the mark with his (or her) review. I would just like to add how powerful Cher's vocals are in this recording. This is one of the few albums where Cher's voice is ABOVE the music and as a result is an instrument in and of itself. (As it is in her album with Gregg Allman: "Allman And Woman" and the UK release of "It's A Man's World".) The fact that this bomb of a release is so majestic still today is 'living proof' of Cher's true talent: an incredibly gifted, soulful and expressive singer. Her cover of "Superstar" is what Leon Russell was writing - not the sappy cover Karen Carpenter turned in a few years later (beautiful - but not the real expression of a groupie which is what the song is about). The extra unreleased tracks are so dynamite you have to wonder what is not released from Cher's incredibly long and varied vocal career. 3614 via Rhino is better today then it was in '69. If you have any interest in this woman's singing this is a must."
Outstanding re-release shows grittier vocals by Cher
Darryl Geddes | Syracuse, NY | 01/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Before pop creators had their way with Cher and transformed her into the pop diva she is today, she was a hard-singing vocalist with an emotional edge to her voice that was genuine. This re-release showcases Cher's earlier less refined talent and does so in fine fashion. Her selections on this album provide the listener with an array of eclectic material, some hits and some misses. Cher's "Mama Look Sharp," a revolutionary war anthem from the musical "1776" is first-rate. Even her take on Superstar, which was a hit for the Carpenters, takes on a new glow. The CD boasts 22 tracks and superb liner notes that offer insight into this unique recording. Nearly half of the tracks on this CD were never released."
An unknown classic
Lawrence H. Stern | West Hollywood, CA United States | 04/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just bought this collection after hearing very little about it before. Having been a real Cher fan for years, I was quite intrigued by this album - which basically came and went in 1969. As many people (and the liner notes) have mentioned, this was the label's attempt to give Cher a "Dusty in Memphis" classic set. But just as that album was underappreciated for years, so too has 3614 Jackson Highway.
Let me say that some of the recordings sound a bit raw compared to the polished Cher singing we are all used to today. But how refreshing these young and passionate performances are! There are many covers (For What it's Worth, Lay Baby Lay, Yours Until Tomorrow, etc.) but most of the tracks - especially I Threw it all Away, Please Don't Tell Me, You've Made me so very Happy - show a fire and simplicity missing from some of her later work.
If you love this era and Cher's voice, you must pick up a copy (you can find this as a used CD for a bit less than the high sticker price). While none of these recordings became hit singles, they definitely hold up well today and help show another facet to a truly amazing superstar."
An undeservedly neglected gem... but know what you're gettin
bert1761 | Washington, DC United States | 08/29/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Let me first state that the disc is NOT the Rhino Handmade version with the 23 tracks listed above, but is, instead, the Rhino Encore European re-release of just the original 11-track album. While the absence of the 12 bonus tracks from the Handmade version is a tremendous loss, what remains is still an outstanding album.
"3614 Jackson Highway" is perhaps the album that most clearly shows the extent of Cher's true talent as a pop singer with an R&B tinge to her voice and interpretations. Comparisons with Dusty Springfield are spot-on. Each of the songs is sung in a straight-forward, appropriately instrumented and produced manner. It is interesting to imagine how Cher's career would have turned out if she had stayed on the trajectory established by this album, rather than going into the kitschy story songs, the campy sketch comedy of the her (and her and Sonny's) tv variety shows, the disco phase and her ultimate near-beatification as a gay icon. Instead, she would likely have been a highly respected singer, though not a tremendously popular one.
In any event, 3614 Jackson Highway is a necessity for any fan of Cher's or of soulful 60's pop/rock.
(Now if we could only get Rhino to release her other (albeit entirely different) neglected masterpiece, "Stars.")"