VA - Looking for My Baby! Soul Treasures from the Vaults of Amy-Mala-Bell [2CD Set] (2003)

In the 1960s, Bell Records and its subsidiary labels put out a lot of soul of varying stripes, though sometimes these were via distribution deals with other companies. The scope of this two-CD compilation is impressive: 50 songs from all over the United States, many by obscure performers, others lesser-known tracks by artists of varying renown, including Gladys Knight & the Pips, Jimmy Jones, Larry Williams & Johnny Watson, Eddie Holman, Aaron Neville, Little Eva, the Emotions, Don & Juan, Gino Washington, and the Showmen. But perhaps because Bell and its sister imprints were issuing productions from all over instead of stressing self-generated product from one base, there isn't much of a consistent sound that carries over from cut to cut. It's just a collection of collectable soul, more often than not toward the poppier end, that happened to come out under the Bell bell. Only a few of them had chart success, and those tend to be the more memorable offerings, especially the pre-Motown, Van McCoy-produced Gladys Knight hits "Giving Up" and "Lovers Always Forgive." There are also some original versions of songs some listeners will associate more heavily with other performers, like Jimmy Radcliffe's "My Ship Is Comin' In" (covered by the Walker Brothers), Lou Johnson's "(There's) Always Something to Remind Me" (a British hit for Sandie Shaw), and, coolest of all, the Emperors' raw 1966 shouter "Karate," which was adapted by Santana into "Everybody's Everything." Much of the rest is just OK, though some tracks glow brighter, like Don & Juan's close-harmony goodie "Could This Be Love," Lou Johnson's uptown soul groover "Unsatisfied," Eddie Holman's orchestrated ballad "I'm Not Gonna Give Up," Tobi Legend's credibly late-'60s Motown-esque "Time Will Pass You By," and Aaron Neville's little-known 1969 single "She's on My Mind," which has vibrato singing the equal of those on his more famed waxings. For novelty seekers, there's "C'mon Cupid," a 1968 single by Roosevelt Grier, more known as a football star. Note, however, that the version of Jay Wiggins' well-remembered melancholy 1963 ballad "Sad Girl" is not the better-known one that shows up on hits compilations such as Rhino's Beg Scream & Shout! box, but a different, inferior one with a much sparser arrangement.