Search - Jackie Wilson :: Jackie Wilson Story

Mr. Excitement

09/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jackie Wilson did all right by Decca's Brunswick subsidiary, putting 54 selections into the Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100, all of which also made the R&B Top 100, and adding another six R&B hits, all between 1957 and 1975. He also sold EP/LPs in the millions, earning him a spot in the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987.



In this volume, which pulls together 24 tracks from two earlier vinyl LPs, you get the following [showing R&B/pop positions]: 1] Reet Petite - # 11/# 62 in late 1957 and his first solo hit; 2] To Be Loved - # 7/# 21 in early 1958; 3] Lonely Teardrops - # 1/# 7 in late 1958; 4] That's Why (I Love You So) - # 2/# 20 in April 1959; 5] I'll Be Satisfied - # 6/# 20 June 1959; 6] Talk That Talk - # 3/# 34 late 1959; 7] Baby Workout - # 1/# 5 March 1963; 8] Please Tell Me Why - # 11/# 20 April 1961; 9] Doggin' Around - # 1/# 15 April 1960; 10] Passin' Through - from the LP Jacjie Sings The Blues; 11] A Woman, A Lover, A Friend - # 1/# 15 July 1960; 12] You Don't Know What It Means - # 19/# 79 August 1961; 13] Night - the flip of track 9 and # 3/# 4 April 1960; 14] The Tear Of The Year - # 10/# 44 February 1961; 15] You Better Know It - # 1/# 37 September 1959; 16] I Just Can't Help It - # 17/# 70 August 1962; 17] I'm Comin' On Back To You - # 9/# 19 July 1961; 18] Danny Boy - # 25/# 94 March 1965; 19] Am I The Man? - # 10/# 32 November 1960; 20] Whispers (Gettin' Louder) - # 5/# 11 October 1966; 21] Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher And Higher) - # 1/# 6 August 1967; 22] No Pity (In The Naked City) - # 25/# 59 July 1965; 23] She's All Right - from the LP Soul Time; 24] You Got Me Walking - # 22/# 93 February 1972 and his final pop hit.



In the fold-out insert you get three more pictures of Jackie and four pages of background notes written by Joe McEwen and Gregg Geller, as well as a complete discography of the contents. The sound quality is excellent.



Jackie's final hit - Don't Burn No Bridges [# 91 R&B] - a collaboration with The Chi-Lites, had just been released when he suffered a stroke on stage at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on September 25, 1975. He remained pretty much comatose after that until his death on January 21, 1984.



This was - and remains still - one of the best compilations for the man called Mr. Excitement, who once was an amateur boxer, and who began his professional career as Clyde McPhatter's replacement with Billy Ward & His Dominoes where, among other hits, he gave the best performance ever of St. Therese Of The Roses in 1956.



Hopefully, this CD will be re-released soon."