Rock 'n Soul is a 1964 studio album by Grammy Award winning musician Solomon Burke. The album contained seven top 100 hits. Originally released on LP on Atlantic Records, #5009, in November 1964, it was subsequently reissued in March, 1997, on the Sequel Records imprint, #RSACD 861. The album was also reissued in 1998 on the Collectables Records label in conjunction with a June, 1963, Burke album as If You Need Me/Rock 'n' Soul.The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
From purely a listening standpoint this album is a real joy. Burke's voice is clear, articulate, and soulful. If you're a fan of R&B or soul this album is probably already at the top of your list. Adding in the historical context, that Burke was one of the founding fathers of soul, makes this album even more impressive as you realize that he was forging a new sound.
“Rock ‘n Soul” by Solomon Burke (1964) This guy has a great voice. Excellent control and timbre across his considerable range. Better rock than Elvis; better soul than James Brown. As an album, however, it lacks variety and has a rather monotonous arrangement of backing vocals and instrumentals. A good album, for its historical value if nothing else. 3/5
Wow what a voice, smooth and silky one minute, rough and ready the next. I loved the punchy mono sound (would love to listen to this on vinyl). The songs are simple and the backing is fairly sparse yet full sounding; the typical 'dry' Atlantic sound, which I love. Back in their copycat days the Rolling Stones covered two tracks from this album (Cry to Me and If You Need Me) so you can see how influential it was. It's a bit old fashioned sounding, but who gives a damn when it sounds this good. Not much to fault, so it's easily a 5 star for me.
Hooray! Some soul! I didn't think I knew this guy but once it started I recognized Cry to Me from that one scene in Dirty Dancing. You know the one. I also know He'll Have to Go but I'm thinking that maybe I really just know the first line, "Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone," from a TV ad for one of those compilation records in the 70s. (And maybe not this version. Maybe Elvis?) I really like this! Sexy, bluesy, lots of yearning. So glad to be introduced to it.
I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Solomon Burke because of his cover of Van Morrison’s “Fast Train” that was used in the season 3 finale of The Wire. It’s a wonderful song and, dare I say, better than the original. The rest of his catalog, I’m not super familiar with. Rock ‘N Soul was enjoyable, but as I’ve said in other reviews, early 1960’s music doesn’t really connect with me. It’s often like taking a trip to a forgotten era, one that’s kind of familiar, but also completely foreign. Having been released in 1964, this record is closer to the familiar than to completely foreign, but, it feels…old. Like if you could listen to music in black and white. …and there’s some to charm to that. One of my favorite movies of all time is Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, but there aren’t many other black and white films I truly love. So when it comes to music, it’s not something I can go back to over and over. This is reflection on me, not the music. Solomon Burke is a great singer, the songs are well written and performed. There’s no good reason for me not to like this. …there’s just something in my brain that isn’t receptive to the late 50’s/early 60’s sound. I can’t explain it otherwise.
Who knew? Solid songwriting for the era. Hidden gem lost in the shadow of other Atlantic Stax superstars. He should have been bigger.
I can forget that this style made it deeply into the 60s, and heavily influenced what followed in pop. Always down for this kind of thing.
I'm really digging a lot of the stuff on this list from the 50's. I could play this stuff all day in the house. Soothing, classic sounds can permeate these walls anytime.
great sound although upon first listening you may not guess it is a 60's album but a 50's. alt least that was my impression.
This is basically an Elvis album. I can see how this is a bridge into R&B but I'm just bored
Es gibt hier so einen Sender, Bayern 1, da werden den ganzen Tag alte Lieder gespielt. Da kann ich mir das gut vorstellen als ein Album was sich perfekt in den langweiligen Hintergrund einfügt.
das ist schlager für amis
Solomon Burke is a perfectly fine soul singer, but on Rock 'n Soul, he's sabotaged by one of the sickening cliches of early 60s arranging, the "Ray Conniff Singers" style vocal arrangements. Another problem, which affects roughly a third of the songs, is the then fashionable tendency to fuse soul and country music. Ray Charles has a lot to answer for in this regard. In general, I'm no purist, but fusing soul and country isn't like peanut butter and chocolate, it's more like mustard and chocolate. Poor Solomon does his best, but he never had a chance.
So soulful. Great gem.
Great Rock n' Soul Album!
13 januari
Baller
You're Good For Me -- Excellent song!
Great finding!
Canela en rama
Genial
Buen álbum, artista que no conocía
Perfect vibes
Was a great listen for a monday
Just a lil something for your soul
Weak for soul
Light rock for some songs, soul vibes for others. Late night listen for sure.
Great album!
Great vintage soul.
una joyita
Ik geeft het toe, ik ben een liefhebber van soul (en dan vooral de Motown sound) maar had nog nooit van Solomon Burke gehoord. Hij is dus van hetzelfde label als bekende artiesten als The Drifters, Percy Sledge en Aretha Franklin. Voor mij springt dit album er niet echt uit. Er zijn geen nummers die me echt heel erg raken. De composities swingen gewoon niet genoeg of zo? Je hoort soms wel nog wat invloeden uit de jaren '50 wat het wel weer bijzonder maakt. Neemt niet weg dat het gewoon een steengoed album is verder. Solomon is een artiest waar je wel zeker meer van moet luisteren, zoals het album dat samen met de band De Dijk is gemaakt (bedankt Roel voor de tip). Van het album "Rock 'n Soul" is het nummer "Hard, Ain't It Hard" een van de lekkerste nummers, maar "If You Need Me" gaat er na een tijdje ook wel bovenuit steken. Voor mij zijn er echter betere nummers op andere albums, zoals "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)" #kippenvel en "What A Woman" dat dus gewoon een verbeterde versie van het Nederlandstalige nummer is.
What a fantastic album. Loved it
mmmm very rock and soul passed by quick, there wasnt any one song i felt i wanted to skip. it was all very stimulating to my ears 5/5 maybe??
Loved it!! Beautiful R&B album. Never listened to this geezer before, so I'll definitely check out more of his craft.
that album was amazing 10/10 I like Fats Domino more but this album is still great
If you want that album that stokes that fire of romantic angst, the kind that endears you to the lady who chose you but took her sweet time doing so, then this album is for you. If you want that album that provokes that romantic angst whilst in pursuit of the lady you love, but things haven't developed as you hoped they would, and you don't know why but are insistent they should, then this album is for you, but you might also want to think about moving on. If you want that album that reminds you of how decisive and successful you were in landing the woman of your dreams, then this is the album for you. If you are at a 50s and 60s diner and there's a jukebox, then this album is for you. If you want to relive the late night informercials of those classic love songs of the 60s, then this album is for you. Solomon Burke has the incredible voice of a crooner, with gospel fervor. The album is aptly titled 'Rock 'n Soul' as the vocals and lyrics are very much what we would expect from soul, but the music while not quite less 'soul' seemed more inclusive of 'rock'. This listener knows a lot of little things from this era of music, mostly from movies and pop culture, and the experience with 'Rock 'N Soul' is an educational one. Solomon Burke is just too good at this music, and after further research, it becomes clear why. He's part of, if not the baseline for this genre. We could with valid criticism call everyone else imitators, and lament that Solomon Burke wasn't more popular as some of his contemporaries. "Rock 'N Soul" by Solomon Burke gets a 5/5 for this very reason. We can listen to Elvis, The Righteous Brothers, even James Brown, but this album is a ground zero for those talents. Where this album might lack in experimentalism and variety that appeals to the 21st century listener, this album does something even more valuable --- it defines where our music can go from here.
Everything you want from a rock and roll album.
What an absolute gem. His voice has the power of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. The songs are irrisistable.
Pleasantly surprised. Dusty Gr00ves
Me ha encantado. No conocía ninguna canción. Una voz muy bonita. Y emociona su interpretación.
Good variety! I liked this one a lot
Very smooth sounding. Enjoyed listening.
Loved
Sehr nice!
Great Album, Kamalt Ktebt El Hadra 4 M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. I Feel Better
I really really liked this album. Some of my favorites: If You Need Me Won't You Give Him (One More Chance) Hard, Ain't It Hard I liked the production a lot. I don't listen to basically anything pre mid-60s, and I like how the guitar was panned all the way to one channel with other instruments sometimes solitary in a channel and sometimes mixed stereo. It felt like the guitar was next to me and not "around me" like I'm used to. I listened through it twice and want to listen again. 5/5
Yeah, this is fucking great.
wow, genieten
Wow what a voice! And a great vibe!
Great, love the voices!
Damn how did I miss this one!
Where has this guy been my whole life! Great record.
Stunning
Loved it!
New to me. Classic soul 1.0
A really great soul album. BARELY above a 9/10. Nothing else to say. 5 stars.
Solomon Burke is timeless. His voice is addictive.
Nice
Loved it - knew the first song as a classic and the rest were just as good. Had a grin on my face the whole time I was on the bus and i could just imagine it as background music or singing & dancing to it
Good music and lyrics.
powerhouse album
The early 60’s was an interesting time in rock music. It was the ending of music driven by the Silent Generation throughout the ’50s and the beginning of music driven by the Baby Boomers. The release of the album is the capstone of the previous era just as the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, and others were forging the sounds of the next generation. As the capstone, this represents the best of the soul sounds from the’50s. While soul would continue on. It would also be forged by new artists. I’m deviating from my scale. This isn’t an absolute favorite, but due to the quality and significance, it earns a 5. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to it but wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.
excelente gracias 1001 por ofrecerme esta joyita
More of this please
amazing. beginning to end amazing. favorite: cry to me
So great. So influential. Love stuff like this.
Bluesy and smooth
Fantastic
Amazing voice. The music is so alive. I haven't listened to Burke before but he's going on the list with Aretha and Sam and Otis. I look forward to digging deeper into his catalog.
This was my introduction to Solomon Burke, and holy crap, I wish it'd come much sooner. This was fantastic.
Superb collection of music.
This rocks. Love the constraints imposed by the physical length of a single album platter. So much soul jammed into 2 and a half minutes many times over.
A true classic. I enjoyed this one.
Boy this is the real thing. Such a voice. He used to be one of my mum's favourites and I can see why. Love it.
They don't make them like they used to.
Me ha encantado. No conocía ninguna canción. Una voz muy bonita. Y emociona su interpretación.
Sjukt bra!! Dette overgår Sam Cooke. Elsker sounden og melodiene. En herlig albumopplevelse som blir med meg videre. Paolo Nutini må være kraftig inspirert avvente her, både mht arrangementer og stemmebruk. Formidling og rop er helt like.
Fantastic album.
Saw Solomon Burke once in Newcastle just before he passed away later that year on a flight to Amsterdam. This album is from 1964. I did not know it but recognized half of the songs. The other tracks were generally great as well.
Amazing. Sounds like Otis Redding with the intensity turned down 15%.
Never heard of this chap; but this sort of soul music is right back in trend!
k
Lækkert gammel rock og soul album. Flere fede sange Bla. Everybody needs somebody to love
good
very cool album
Much better than the previous album. Definitely dig the sound on this one😎
довольно неплохо
I LOVED this album
Really good music. I don't have a lot to add here. Great voice, good tunes.
Really enjoyed this.
He's new to me. Ache in his voice that contrasts well with the tight instrumentation and pristine backing vocals.
Veldig pent, fine blues låter, bra synging og spilling. Veldig sjarmerende. Jeg ville vanligvis ikke vært så interessert i sånn musikk, men dette traff så bra at jeg drar opp scoren.
Really dug this! Blended in places, but clearly was a bedrock for more R&B moving forward.
Tres bon album avec beaucoup de soul et de rock comme son nom l’indique. 4.25 car un peu repetitif, mais c’est l’epoque.
Maybe even preferred it to yesterday. Cool.
Once again, not something I am got used to, but I honour this kind of "real" music.
This was one more great album that I absolutely didn't know. It's incredible how this project has been a great introduction for some important musicians for me.
Music is good, but not my style
Nice Rock and Nice Soul, maybe 3.7 but enjoyable
Absolutely wonderful. A very ownable album that people would enjoy as background music. Feels like a rainy Sunday with coffee type of album.