Label: Chess Records.
Release Date: June 8, 1993.
Recording Time: 135 minutes.
Recording Date: January, 1960 - 1975.
Releases: 1993 (MCA Records), 1993 (Geffen).
Styles: Early R&B, Soul Blues.
The Essential Etta James comprises 44 tracks summarizing the long and brilliant Chess tenure of "Miss Peaches," Etta James, opening with her 1960 smash "All I Could Do Was Cry," and encompassing her torchy, fully orchestrated ballads "At Last," "My Dearest Darling," and "Trust in Me," and continuing on through her 1962 gospel-rocker "Something's Got a Hold on Me," the Chicago soul standouts "I Prefer You" and "842-3089," and her 1967 Muscle Shoals-cut smash "Tell Mama." A few of the '70s sides that conclude the two-disc set seem like filler when compared to what preceded them, but most of the essentials are aboard. - Review by Bill Dahl.
Billboard Singles:
1973, All The Way Down (R&B Singles #29)
1969, Almost Persuaded (R&B Singles #32)
1969, Almost Persuaded (The Billboard Hot 100 #79)
1966, In The Basement - Part 1 (The Billboard Hot 100 #97)
1964, Loving You More Every Day (R&B Singles #65)
1964, Loving You More Every Day (The Billboard Hot 100 #65)
1963, Pay Back (The Billboard Hot 100 #78)
1963, Two Sides (To Every Story), (Adult Contemporary #16)
1963, Two Sides (To Every Story), (R&B Singles #63)
1963, Two Sides (To Every Story), (The Billboard Hot 100 #63)
1963, Would It Make Any Difference To You (The Billboard Hot 100 #64)
1962, Next Door To The Blues (R&B Singles #13)
1962, Next Door To The Blues (The Billboard Hot 100 #71)
Credits: Milton Ager - composer; Harold Arlen - composer; Burt Bacharach - composer; Carl Banks - organ; Gene Barge - sax (tenor); Ralph Bass - producer; Barry Beckett - organ; ; Barbara Belle - composer; Chuck Bernard - composer; Saul Bernie - composer; Milton Bland - piano; Eddie Bocage - composer; Leon David Bonds - composer; Reggie Boyd - bass; Ben Branch - sax (tenor), trombone; Oscar Brashear - trumpet; Freeman Brown - drums; Ronald Carson - composer; Clarence Carter - composer; Charles Chalmers - saxophone; Tony Clarke - composer; Gary Coleman - percussion; Russ Columbo - composer; Gavrell Cooper - sax (tenor); Vonzell Cooper - programming; Don Covay - composer; Steve Cropper - composer; Marcus Daniel - composer; Billy Davis - composer, producer; George Davis - piano; Roger Dawkins - drums; Shena DeMell - composer; Sugar Pie DeSanto - guest artist, performer, vocals; Maurice Dollison - composer; Al Duncan - drums; Esmond Edwards - producer; Morris Ellis - trombone; Bob Forshee - composer; Bill Foster - composer; Billy Joe Foster - composer; Gwen Fuqua - composer; Harvey Fuqua - composer, guest artist, performer, vocals; Burgess Gardner - trumpet; Clarence Gaskill - composer; Paul Gayten - composer; Lowell George - guest artist, guitar; Mack Gordon - composer; Berry Gordy, Jr. - composer; Rick Hall - producer; Lawrence Hamilton - drums; Riley Hampton - arranger, conductor; Dorothy Hawkins - composer; David Henderson - bass; Willie Henderson - trombone; Monk Higgins - arranger, composer, producer; Delbert Hill - sax (baritone); Bob Hilliard - composer; David Hood - bass (electric); Floyd Hunt - composer; Bill Inglot - engineer; Etta James - composer, primary artist, vocals; Tom Jans - composer; Freddy Johnson - composer; James P. Johnson - composer; Jimmy Johnson - guitar; Ellington Jordan - composer; King Errisson - congas; Leroy Kirkland - composer; Danny Kortchmar - guitar; Trevor Lawrence - composer; Anita Leonard - composer; Harry Link - composer; Albert Lowe - guitar; Abbey Mallory - composer; Ken Marco - guitar; Bobby Martin - producer; Holt Marvell - composer; Cash McCall - guitar; Terry McFaddin - composer; Andy McKaie - compilation producer, producer; Gabriel Mekler - composer, keyboards, producer; Johnny Mercer - composer; Gene Miller - trumpet; Raynard Miner - composer; James Mitchell - composer; Jean Mitchell - composer; Larry Mizell - arp synthesizer; Chips Moman - composer; The Moonglows - guest artist, vocals (background); Matt "Guitar" Murphy - guest artist, guitar; Larry Nash - keyboards; Floyd Newman - saxophone; Randy Newman - composer; Dewey Oldham - organ, piano; Raymond Orr - trumpet; Peylia Parham - composer; Dan Penn - composer; Sidney Pinchback - guitar; Louis Prima - composer; Chuck Rainey - bass; Otis Redding - composer; Jimmy Reed - composer; Stan Rhodes - composer; Kenny Rice - drums; David Ritz - liner notes; Leo Robin - composer; Jean Schwartz - composer; Billy Sherrill - composer; Carl Williams Smith - composer; William D. "Smitty" Smith - keyboards; Louis Spears - bass (upright); Charles Stepney - vibraphone; Jack Strachey - composer; John Strother - engineer; Glenn Sutton - composer; Wilbur Terrell - composer; Marvell Thomas - piano; Phil Thomas - percussion; Sonny Thompson - composer; Stella Unger - composer; Aaron Varnell - saxophone; Vartan - art direction; David T. Walker - guitar; Harry Warren - composer; Richard Waters - drums; Murray Watson - trumpet; Wah-Wah Watson - guitar; Margaret Wessen - composer; Ned Wever - composer; Catherine C. Williamson - composer; Pearl Woods - composer; Sonny Woods - composer; Marion Wright - bass; John Young - piano.
Tracks, Disc 1: 1) All I Could Do Was Cry; 2) My Dearest Darling; 3) If I Can't Have You; 4) A Sunday Kind of Love; 5) Anything to Say You're Mine; 6) At Last; 7) Seven Day Fool; 8) Trust in Me; 9) Don't Cry Baby; 10) Fool That I Am; 11) One for My Baby (And One More for the Road); 12) Waiting for Charlie (To Come Home); 13) Something's Got a Hold on Me; 14) Next Door to the Blues; 15) These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You); 16) Stop the Wedding; 17) Prisoner of Love; 18) Pushover; 19) Would It Make Any Difference to You; 20) Pay Back; 21) Two Sides to Every Story; 22) Baby, What You Want Me to Do.
Tracks, Disc 2: 1) In the Basement, Pt. 1; 2) Loving You More Every Day; 3) Do I Make Myself Clear?; 4) I Prefer You; 5) It Must Be Your Love; 6) 842-3089 (Call My Name); 7) I'd Rather Go Blind; 8) Tell Mama; 9) Do Right Woman, Do Right Man; 10) Security; 11) Almost Persuaded; 12) You Got It; 13) Miss Pitiful; 14) Losers Weepers, Pt. 1; 15) W-O-M-A-N; 16) I Never Meant to Love Him; 17) You Can Leave Your Hat On; 18) God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind); 19) All the Way Down; 20) Lovin' Arms; 21) Feeling Uneasy; 22) Let's Burn Down the Cornfield.