Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles - The Complete Atlantic Sides Plus (2014)

Before Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash morphed into the futuristic soul trio known as Labelle and became one of the greatest girl groups of the '70s, all three women - along with Cindy Birdsong - were members of one of the greatest girl groups of the '60s, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Originally based in Philadelphia, the quartet enjoyed a modicum of chart recognition and sales during a two-year period (1962-64) with Newtown Records and then Parkway Records. After an appearance on a 1964 Atlantic LP, 'Saturday Night At The Uptown', the quartet signed with the label and recorded over thirty tracks for Atlantic over a four-year period. Among the sides were two albums: 'Over the Rainbow' (1965), a Top 20 R&B LP produced by Bert Berns, whose title track was also a Top 20 R&B hit single, and 'Dreamer' (1967), which contained the R&B-charting singles "I'm Still Waiting" (produced by Curtis Mayfield) and "Take Me for a Little While." In 1967, with the departure of Cindy Birdsong (who joined the Supremes), the remaining trio recorded a number of singles between 1967 and 1969, with production by Jerry Williams Jr., Memphis songwriters Chips Moman & Dan Penn, Bob Gallo, Don Davis and others; however, none achieved any chart success and in 1969, the group left Atlantic. This 2-CD US only anthology from Real Gone Music, produced and annotated by soul music historian David Nathan (SoulMusic Records) and remastered by Alan Wilson at Western Star Studio (and featuring some great photos), contains all 35 sides released by Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles on Atlantic along with four previously unissued tracks recorded in 1969. A treasure trove for any fan of '60s girl groups and soul!