Sam Cooke

INCLUDES 4 BONUS TRACKS

Available again on vinyl, this quintessential collector’s edition includes Sam Cooke’s sensational album, Twistin’ the Night Away, originally issued by the RCA Victor label in 1962. It was Cooke’s second effort following his 1957 debut LP, and remains one of the singer’s most accessible records despite the fact that the material consists primarily of “Twist” numbers chosen by the producers to cash in on that craze. Cooke was shoehorned into doing numbers like “Camptown Twist”, “Twistin’ in the Kitchen With Dinah”, and “Twistin’ in the Old Town”, as well as his version of Hank Ballard's “The Twist”.

He is at his most soulful, exciting, and passionate, on the popular title track “Twistin’ the Night Away”; the bluesy “Somebody Have Mercy”; the romantic lament “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Me”; the ebullient “Sugar Dumpling”; the achingly beautiful “A Whole Lot of Woman”; the soaring “Soothe Me” (with Lou Rawls); and the slow dance number “Movin’ and Groovin’”. In 2001, music critic Bruce Eder declared, “Twisting the Night Away is not only one of the great dance albums of its period, but a brilliant soul album as well, which is why it holds up 40 years later.”

In addition to this masterpiece includes 2 bonus tracks from the same period.

PERSONNEL:

SAM COOKE, lead vocals, plus:
Cliff White, René Hall, Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Red Callender (bass),
Ernie Hayes or Edward T. Beal (piano), Hugo Peretti (organ),
Earl Palmer (drums), Lou Rawls (backing vocals on “Soothe Me”),
probably Plas Johnson (tenor and baritone saxophone),
John Kelsom (tenor saxophone), Jewell Grant or John Ewing (saxophone).
Orchestra conducted by René Hall.

Recorded by Al Schmitt at RCA Studio 1, Hollywood, California,
between December 18, 1961 and February 19, 1962.

Except “Having A Party”:
Cliff White, Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Ray Pohlman (bass), Ernie Freeman (piano),
Frank Capp (drums and percussion), William Green (saxophone).
Orchestra conducted by René Hall.
Recorded by Al Schmitt at RCA Studio 1, Hollywood, California, April 26, 1962.
Produced by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore.

SIDE 1
1. TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY
2. SUGAR DUMPLING
3. TWISTIN’ IN THE KITCHEN
3. (WITH DINAH)
4. SOMEBODY’S GONNA MISS ME
5. A WHOLE LOTTA WOMAN
6. THE TWIST
7. TALKIN’ TRASH

SIDE 2
1. TWISTIN’ IN THE OLD TOWN
2. TONIGHT
2. MOVIN’ AND A’GROOVIN’
3. CAMPTOWN TWIST
4. SOMEBODY HAVE MERCY
5. SOOTHE ME 2:10
6. THAT’S IT, I QUIT, I’M MOVIN’ ON
7. HAVING A PARTY