The Wrens: Secaucus (Grass/Craft Recordings)Īs it has become apparent that The Wrens are never ever getting back together, us fans of the power pop group have to resign ourselves to what little joys we can still receive from the New York group.

It’s a tremendous package that should be atop your “To Buy” list for this RSD Black Friday. show, a glossy promo photo of the Soul Stirrers, and the correspondence between Art Rupe at Specialty Records, Cooke and his former group working out the details of his secular shift. The last disc finds Cooke exploring his options as a pop vocalist with demos of early singles like “I’ll Come Running Back To You” and “Loveable.” Matching the greatness of the music is the work David Gorman did to research and recreate ephemera from the era, including news clippings announcing the L.A. The second features three performances from the group’s shudderingly great 1955 performance at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium. The first collects a dozen of the Soul Stirrers’ best-rapturous music that hits the sweet spot where the spiritual purity of gospel and the bodily concerns of R&B consort. Each record represents a different step of that journey. This lovingly crafted triple 10” collection spotlights the creatively rich but personally fraught period of Sam Cooke’s career as a member of the Soul Stirrers, the gospel vocal group he was a part of from 1950-1956, and as he prepared to leave the group to pursue a secular pop career.

Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers: The First Mile of the Way (Specialty/Craft Recordings)

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