The five original volumes of “The Ace (MS) Story” were part of the backbone of our catalogue during our early days. They disappeared for a long while after our licensing agreement with Johnny Vincent expired, but we were delighted to restore three of the original five to catalogue in 2010 and 2011. Judging by their sales figures, we were not the only ones to be delighted.
This fourth volume more than matches the quality of the first three. Some of its inclusions are among the rarest singles on any of Vincent’s labels. The advent of eBay and GEMM might have made some of them a little more accessible than they used to be, but the tracks by Johnny Angel, Dicky Williams, Albert Scott and Jesse Allen still command high prices. Among the less rare (but no less good) sides are seldom reissued cuts by New Orleans mainstays Huey Smith, Alvin “Red” Tyler and Eddie Bo, as well as no less than three classic Joe Tex cuts in best-ever sound!
As with previous volumes in this series, the original 16 tracks of the vinyl edition have been augmented by eight other gems from Vincent’s vaults. These include Ace’s debut release (and the original of Little Richard’s ‘Slippin’ And Slidin’’), Al Collins’ ‘I Got The Blues For You’ and the label’s first-ever hit in Earl King’s ‘Those Lonely, Lonely Nights’. Collectors will also be thrilled to hear Huey Smith’s ‘Don’t You Know Yockomo’ at the same speed as the vinyl 45 for the first time on CD and the single master of Bobby Marchan’s ‘You Can’t Stop Her’ from a recently located tape source. In fact, all but three of these tracks are appearing here from transfers of the original tapes, some of which have only previously appeared from second or third-generation copy tapes. Great music in its greatest ever fidelity – what’s not to love?
The original vinyl series concluded with a fifth volume, the expanded version of which should be with you towards the end of this year. The good news is that the CD series will be extended to incorporate a sixth and final volume containing rarities and unissued material that was not available to the compilers of the original vinyl series. Betcha can’t wait for that!
By Tony Rounce
