Various Gotta Get A Good Thing Goin' - Music Of Black Britain In The Sixties (4-CD Box)

While many of the most successful British bands of the decade (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and others) were originally inspired and influenced by black American soul and R&B, it could be argued that black artists recording in the UK at the time were not getting the attention they deserved.

The first two discs of Gotta Get A Good Thing Goin' document the explosion of homegrown soul and rhythm and blues, reflecting the growing success of labels like Motown and Stax/Atlantic that were driving the abundance of black music coming out of the United States. Artists such as Carl Douglas and Jimmy James were popular live acts that later found chart success in the 1970s. Jackie Edwards, Owen Gray and Jimmy Cliff came to the UK from Jamaica after signing with Chris Blackwell's Island Records, while Geno Washington was an American GI who stayed and performs here to this day. Clyde McPhatter was the legendary singer of The Drifters, and The Chants eventually became The Real Thing.

Soul and R&B are not the only genres served here, however. While Disc 3 is devoted to homegrown ska, rocksteady and reggae by artists often born in the Caribbean (most notably Laurel Aitken, the "Godfather of Ska"), Disc 4 reflects a broader range of styles, including selections by many stars of their time (Cleo Laine, a highly regarded jazz singer; Shirley Bassey, a globally successful phenomenon; Screamin' Jay Hawkins, a charismatic maverick; Winifred Atwell, a popular boogie-woogie pianist; Geoff Love, a well-known orchestra leader). The United Kingdom also played host to many American blues and folk men and women (such as champion Jack Dupree, Otis Spann, and Mabel Hillery).

Gotta Get A Good Thing Goin' includes numerous titles newly released on CD, and many 45s that now fetch triple-digit sums on the collector's market. With detailed synopses and artist biographies, a wealth of rare images and photos, and remastered sound, this is a fitting tribute to a golden era of black British music.