Monday, July 18, 2011

Frankie Miller...That's Who!



Another bargain awaits your pouncing in the U.K. warehouses of Amazon. The great Scot, Frankie Miller, a singer largely unsung throughout his career, save the accolades of his peers, has been anthologized in a most perfect way.

The singer, who Allen Toussaint once referred to as the "most soulful singer he's ever heard," recorded 7 records for the Chrysalis label between 1973- 1980, including a debut backed by Brinsley Schwarz, and an album produced by Allen Toussaint and featuring Toussaint originals. Those two records, "Once In A Blue Moon" and "High Life," respectively, are worth the price of admission alone. But that's not all!

If you act now, they'll throw in his third release, "The Rock," another of Miller's solid displays of rock and soul.

These three LPs, newly remastered, can be yours for the low price of $19.99.

But wait...


Though Miller's next 4 LPs were a bit uneven, there are enough gems to warrant some listening time, including collaborations with Paul Carrack, Steven Tyler, and Robin Trower, as well as a full blown country record recorded with some of Nashville's finest.

Basically, what EMI did with the brilliant Hollies package a few month ago has been revisited with Frankie Miller's 4 CD set. 7 records spread over 4 CDs for $20.

Still, the highlight of this box in my opinion, is something that I would have spent $25 on by itself. The 1974 Allen Toussaint-produced "High Life," was apparently remixed and released by Chrysalis without Miller's or Toussaint's consent. This set offers, for the very first time, both the released version and the original mix, which is an exemplary example of New Orleans swamp and soul.

Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thats-Who-Frankie-Miller/dp/B004TD5Z2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310990399&sr=8-1

You won't be sorry.




8 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for highlighting this, Sal! "Full House" is one of my favorite albums - you can close your eyes and think you're listening to Otis Redding.

soundsource said...

I'd have agree and I actually came over to comments to make the same comment. Full House is like a Scot channeling the voice of The Big O, but it's a great deal and Miller is a great singer.

jeff k said...

and cool, another great version of brickyard blues

Eric said...

thanks..and i thought Gregg allman was a blue-eyed soul crooner.

Jerry Lee said...

Thanks, Sal! I ordered it through Amazon US when I read it was remastered. Haven't listened to either in a while, but I recall that The Rock and Blue Moon had very muddy sound. Full House always kicked ass, like Otis fronting a rock band.

Anonymous said...

I came late to the party with Frankie Miller. Totally missed him in my youth. I picked up a copy of The Rock after reading another blog post. Just blew my mind how great a singer he is. Am I the only one who hears a little Delbert McClinton?

Anything Should Happen said...

Well played Sal.

I think he's been our little secret for too long.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for this to appear on the web for free, I've got all the vinyl, fantastic live singer too.

Great site by the way!