House of Soul / Blues very rare collectors' set of LPs

	£		199
	$		264

This really is a unique collector’s item.  Only 30 of these sets were ever produced in the 1960s to promote the catalogue of Conrad Music – part of the ARC Music Corporation in New York. These 30 sets were never intended for sale, so you will not find another one of them anywhere.  They were produced just to be given to the top record companies in UK with a view to sell the songs for British artists to record themselves as part of the blues and soul mania of the 60s.  There had been some startling successes like the Stones’ Little Red Rooster from the ARC stable and the scope for more British interpretations must have seemed immense.

The package includes 4 vinyl LPs with a total of 101 songs along with the music scores for all those songs (and 4 more) in a comb-bound book.  The tracks are quite tightly grooved on the discs – something you never got on a commercial disc. I think it does affect the playing quality a bit – but the There’s about 30 minutes on each side and the recordings are Mono. A complete track list of these recordings by the original artists and songwriters is provided below.  It is a true glimpse into the 60s music scene and a slice of Blues/Soul history.

The Songbook was an integral part of the marketing of the songs and provides the words and music in the way the original recorded the songs.  There are 105 titles in the songbook. They are written for keyboard, but also include the melody line and chords. It includes 28 songs by Jimmy Reed including an old favourite of mine, Bright Lights Big City.; 21 songs from John Lee Hooker including Blues Before Sunrise, Dimples, Boom Boom: 10 from Jerry Butler: 5 from Calvin Carter; 7 from Dee Clark and 30 others under Miscellaneous, but which include such classics as It Hurts Me Too(used by Clapton), I Ain’t Got You & I Wish You Would (Yardbirds), You Can Make It If You Try (Rolling Stones) and Blues Get Off My Shoulder (various). Plus, Otis Rush’s All Your Love (John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) and Double Trouble, the inspiration for Peter Green.

How did we come by this set?  My friend, Glyn Jones, worked as a sound engineer for Regent Sound Studios in the 1960s and had recorded tracks with the Rolling Stones, Tremeloes, Hot Chocolate, Ray Davies and Van Morrison.  Glyn was friends with Bert Corri, the head of the music publishing company, Francis Day & Hunter and through him got to know Harry Goodman, the business-orientated brother of band-leader Benny Goodman.  Harry owned the publication rights of some of the top soul & blues artists in USA and it was him who presented Glynn with this unique set as a gift.

These discs have never been played until now (when we tested the discs out).  They are in very good condition and play great.  There are a few surface marks and a few of the tracks have audible clicks on part. 

The cover is very simple – just the titles “The House of Soul” and “The House of Blues”.  The four sleeves fan out book-like which I’ve never seen before.  The cover spine is quite worn but still holds them all together.  The dust covers are original though a bit crinkled.  The book’s plastic comb-binding is damaged at the ends, but still functions.  The cover cardboard has aged but has not been mistreated.  The only damage inside is a tear to the side of one of the pages.

Playlist

Song

Title

Artist

Book

Side 1

1

Found Love

Jimmy Reed

17

2

I’m A Soldier Boy

Curtis Mayfield

256

3

Blues Get off My Shoulder

Bobby Parker

253

4

Sleepy – instrumental version on LP

Brown/Bryant

250

5

Rainbow

Curtis Mayfield

258

6

(Crazy Little Mama) At My Front Door

Moore/Abner

208

7

Caress Me Baby

Jimmy Reed

26

8

Big Boss Man

Jimmy Reed

39

9

Good Night, Well It’s Time To Go

Bracken/Hudson

261

10

Nobody But You

Dee Clark

164

11

High & Lonesome

Jimmy Reed

47

12

You Can Make It If You Try

Ted Jarret

206

13

Bright Lights, Big City

Jimmy Reed

41

Side 2

14

Duke of Earl

Dixon

204

15

Here is Why I Love You

Hudson/Cochrane

226

16

I Wish You Would

Billy Boy Arnold

213

17

Baby What’s Wrong

Jimmy Reed

36

18

Here I Stand

Wade Flemons

202

19

Hands off

McShann/Bowman

211

20

Hush-Hush

Jimmy Reed

51

21

New Leaf

Jimmy Reed

61

22

Help Yourself

Jimmy Reed

12

23

You are Like the Wind

Dee Clark

151

24

Double Trouble

Otis Rush

195

25

Tell Me That You Love Me

Jimmy Reed

4

26

Stay in My Corner

Wade Flemons

198

Side 3

27

You’re Looking Good

Calvin Carter

143

28

That Time of the Year

Wade Flemons

183

29

You Can’t Sit Down

Dee Clark

166

30

Where There’s a Will

L Williams

180

31

Baby, That’s Love

Gene Chandler

177

32

Up On the Mountain

Montague/Abner

243

33

Babe in the Woods

Alma Androzzo

193

34

I’ll Be Forever Loving You

Daniels/Arnold

229

35

Nite Owl

Bernice Williams

237

36

In Your Heart

Pendleton/Seal/Dand

231

37

Crying For My Baby

Harold Burrage

216

38

You Gave Me Peace of Mind

James Bracken

248

39

Oh, What a Night

Junior/Funches

240

Side 4

40

Pain in My Heart

Junior/Funches

190

41

Love Me

Arthur Brooks

235

42

Why Do You Have to Go

Allison/Abner

172

43

A Fallen Tear

Moore/Abner

169

44

Raindrops

Dee Clark

158

45

Baby, What You Want Me to Do

Jimmy Reed

32

46

Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth

Jimmy Reed

30

47

It Hurts Me, Too

Meldon London

174

48

Good Lover

Jimmy Reed

6

49

I’m Leaving

John Lee Hooker

64

50

Send Me Your Pillow

John Lee Hooker

103

51

Trouble Blues

John Lee Hooker

78

52

She’s Mine

John Lee Hooker

69

Side 5

53

Frisco Blues

John Lee Hooker

73

54

I Ain’t Got You

Calvin Carter

145

55

He Will Break Your Heart

Jerry Butler

130

56

For Your Precious Love

Jerry Butler

112

57

I’m Telling You

Jerry Butler

120

58

A Lonely Soldier

Calvin Carter

140

59

Find Yourself Another Girl

Jerry Butler

132

60

Aware of Love

Jerry Butler

135

61

Process

John Lee Hooker

101

62

Let’s Make It

John Lee Hooker

95

63

When Trouble Calls

Jerry Butler

124

64

Close Together

Jimmy Reed

2

65

Blues Before Sunrise

John Lee Hooker

71

Side 6

66

The Gift of Love

Jerry Butler

118

67

Thanks to You

Jerry Butler

122

68

Sweet was the Wine

Jerry Butler

115

69

I Found a Love

Jerry Butler

127

70

Honest I Do

Jimmy Reed

49

71

Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby

Jimmy Reed

29

72

You Got Me Dizzy

Jimmy Reed

59

73

Can’t Stand to See You Go

Jimmy Reed

15

74

You Don’t Have to Go

Jimmy Reed

55

75

Dimples

John Lee Hooker

83

76

Little Wheel

John Lee Hooker

97

77

Tupelo

John Lee Hooker

105

78

Drug Store Woman

John Lee Hooker

92

Side 7

79

Boom Boom

John Lee Hooker

85

80

Dusty Road

John Lee Hooker

90

81

Your Friends

Dee Clark

160

82

Going to New York

Jimmy Reed

45

83

I Wanna be Loved

Jimmy Reed

19

84

Shame, Shame, Shame

Jimmy Reed

53

85

Ain’t No Big Deal

Jimmy Reed

10

86

There’ll be a Day

Jimmy Reed

24

87

Cold & Lonesome

Jimmy Reed

43

88

I’m Gonna Help You

Jimmy Reed

21

89

I’m Trying to Please You

Jimmy Reed

7

90

Goin’ Up Side Your Head

Johnnie Mae Dunson

222

91

You’ve Got Me Waiting

Johnnie Mae Dunson

186

Side 8

92

I’m Mad Again

John Lee Hooker

87

93

Want Ad Blues

John Lee Hooker

107

94

Five Long Years

John Lee Hooker

93

95

Wednesday Evening Blues

John Lee Hooker

110

96

My First Wife Left me

John Lee Hooker

99

97

I’m Telling You

??

-

98

You’re Looking Good Tonight

by John Lee Hooker

80

99

Cling A’Ling

Calvin Carter

137

100

Let’s Make up

Calvin Carter

148

101

Gloria

Dee Clark

156

Only in Songbook

102

Baby What’s on Your Mind

Jimmy Reed

34

103

Because I Love You

Dee Clark

153

104

All Your Love (I Miss Loving)

Otis Rush

188

105

Every Woman I Know

William Emerson

219

106

Maudie

John Lee Hooker

75

NYPL

The New York Public Library holds one copy of this original songbook, described as follows:-

The house of soul : The house of the blues /

New York : Conrad Music ; [s. l.] : distributed by Big 3, [19--]

Call #:    Mu 784.81 H

Subjects Soul music. Blues (Music)

Responsibility: Jimmy Reed...[et al.]

Language: English

Description: 1 score (256 p.) ; 31 cm.

Related Title   House of the blues 

Notes: Songs with piano acc., in part with added chord symbols

Cover title.

Publisher's no.: B3-4238

Additional Authors: Reed, Jimmy, 1925-1976.

Dynix #: 52517

NNBR#: 851307720

Music #: B3-4238

Holdings: Reference Only: 1

In 1989, Conrad Publishing did a deal with Hal Leonard to distribute a new publication using 61 out of the 105 original songs on the songbook.

A Chance to Own Music History

If you just want the music, then you’ll probably find most of these recordings on CD.  But, if you want to cherish a piece of music history which captures the 1960s’ blues/soul revival, bid away.  This set deserves a good home, so we are placing a reserve on it.

Please email me if you have any queries.  I may have to consult with Glynn to provide the answers, so please bear with us. 

Happy bidding.