Today, we're looking at another trio of recent releases from the team at Ace Records!  If you missed Part One of our Ace Round-Up, click here!

While The Beatles are no doubt Liverpool's most famous musical export, Merseyside - spanning 249 square miles (or 645 square kilometers) bordering Lancashire to the northeast, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south and southeast, and The Irish Sea to the west - yielded an abundance of groups like The Cryin' Shames, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and The Searchers. But a surprising number of first-class female vocalists also came from the region. She Came from Liverpool! Merseyside Girl-Pop 1962-1968 collects 25 of the finest examples from names both familiar and unfamiliar.

Opening the set, appropriately enough, is Cilla Black with her Lennon/McCartney-penned, George Martin-produced debut single, "Love of the Loved." Cilla, who's also featured on this set with an even earlier test recording of "A Shot of Rhythm of Blues," followed up her incredible run of hit singles by becoming arguably Britain's most beloved television personality. "Love of the Loved," however, was reportedly first offered to another Liverpool girl, Beryl Marsden. Beryl's gutsy vocals turn up here a couple of times, too, with "Everybody Loves a Lover" and "What's She Got (That I Ain't Got)." These Merseyside gals could more than hold their own; The Liverbirds ("Long Tall Shorty," "Why Do You Hang Around Me") supported Chuck Berry, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones.

The Breakaways, represented here with Tony Hatch's perky and typically catchy "That Boy of Mine," were Britain's most in-demand session vocalists for producers including Hatch, Andrew Loog Oldham, Shel Talmy, George Martin, Joe Meek, Ivor Raymonde, and the visiting Burt Bacharach and Bert Berns. The Breakaways were formerly part of The Vernons Girls, a singing group sponsored by Liverpool's Vernons Football Pools company. The lineup initially numbered 70 - all drawn from the women who worked at Vernons to check the consumers' betting coupons.  The formation of the singing group had a negative effect for Vernons, however; it seems that young women were applying to work for the company simply in the hopes of breaking into showbiz. A terrific essay by Ian Chapman in the booklet traces the family tree of the Vernons Girls and the many acts on She Came from Liverpool! with Vernons roots, among them The De Laine Sisters, The Sharades, Lyn Cornell, and Samantha Jones. The latter's dramatic "I Don't Want to Be the One" is a previously unreleased Teddy Randazzo production (he also recorded it with The Royalettes) and one of the standouts here.

Jones also recorded (and released) Jackie DeShannon's youthfully devoted "Just for Him" in 1965; Jackie's richly eclectic songbook was a popular target of British singers of the era. The single-named Tiffany (real name: Irene Green) is heard here with a brassy rendition of another DeShannon composition, "Am I Dreaming," from the same year. Tiffany also cut "Baby Don't Look Down" from Jackie's occasional collaborator in the Metric Music songwriters' stable, Randy Newman.

This treasure trove of delightful mid-'60s girl-pop includes a 28-page booklet with essays by Ian Chapman and compilation producer Mick Patrick. Nick Robbins has done his typically fine job remastering all 25 tracks, most of which are presented in punchy mono.

Rock journalist Jon Savage has continued his series of year-by-year anthologies which began with 1965 on Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45, a 2-CD, 43-track compendium subtitled "Revolution and Its Aftermath." Naturally, the focus is much broader here than on a typical Ace compilation as Savage attempts (and certainly succeeds to a large degree) to distill three years of rock - and all of the changes those years brought - into roughly two-and-a-half hours. Savage's introductory essay explains how the radical stylistic shifts of the day were causing music papers to cover either rock or soul (including Tamla Motown and reggae), while the mainstream weekly publications were losing touch with the rock audience as they were still based on the pop-heavy charts. So, new, "underground" papers sprung up to cover the new rock music, with its heavier sound and minus the "and roll" of the past. Rock Dreams on 45 has its share of U.S. and U.K. hits (Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," the original Fleetwood Mac's "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown)," Jethro Tull's "The Witch's Promise," The Guess Who's "American Woman") but mostly draws on lesser-known singles to illustrate the many divergent sounds of the period.

The Byrds are heard on "Bad Night at the Whiskey," one of the most rocking tracks from a period in which the band was still pioneering country-rock. Progressive rock was flourishing on songs like "Sudden Life" from Welsh band Man or "The Devil Came from Kansas" from Procol Harum, whiles blues-rock was still going strong via bands like Steamhammer ("Junior's Waiting"). Psychedelia took many shapes, from Jeff Lynne's melodic brand with pre-Move/ELO group The Idle Race ("Days of the Broken Arrows"), to the harder variety with Shy Limbs' "Reputation." The Stooges were busy inventing punk ("1969") as Delaney and Bonnie and Friends were embracing rootsy Americana ("Comin' Home"). Lou Reed, who incorporated influences like doo-wop and jazz into his murky masterworks for The Velvet Underground, is present via the VU's "Sweet Jane" and Mitch Ryder's fiery cover of "Rock 'n Roll" from his post-Detroit Wheels outfit simply called Detroit. There are connections and contrasts throughout the set, too, including a pair of very different tracks featuring future superstar Rod Stewart: The Jeff Beck Group's "Plynth (Water Down the Drain)" and Faces' "Flying."

A 28-page booklet has Savage's introductory essay and illuminating track-by-track liner notes. Nick Robbins has again remastered, this time with most of the tracks in stereo. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45 is a fine chronicle of a period of tremendous musical invention against a backdrop of radical societal change.

Jon Savage has also provided the introduction to a new, fifth volume of Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures from Ace's Kent imprint. Godin (1936-2004) did much in his lifetime to further awareness and appreciation of soul music, from founding the U.K.'s Tamla Motown Appreciation Society to running his own Soul City record shop and label. In the decade and a half since Godin's death and Volume 4 of this series, Ace has certainly kept his beloved soul music alive, but now, the label has returned to his wish lists of tracks to compile a new, 25-track collection very much the spirit of the volumes he personally oversaw.

Godin, in an interview with Savage reprinted in the 32-page booklet, defines "deep soul" as "very stylized and mannered, very gospel-rooted but totally secular; the words are very important. In a sense, it isn't just a musical experience; it's also a poem." Yet he also acknowledged the significance of the melodies: "I think the tunefulness [spoke to teenagers]. We should never forget that. It's difficult to talk about melody and catchiness."

All of these qualities are on display in Volume Five's selections. While Godin's affection for Motown was strong, much of the label's pop-oriented output wouldn't qualify as "deep soul." There is one track here, however, from a pre-Motown Gladys Knight & The Pips. "Lovers Always Forgive" was written by Van McCoy, himself the subject of a pair of Ace anthologies. Knight's recognizable timbre and commanding presence are very much in place on this 1964 single originally released on the small Maxx label. Much like the artists of Motown, Scepter's Dionne Warwick specialized in elegant pop-soul. Her sister Dee Dee, however, practically defined "deep soul." Dee Dee's 1968 single "Foolish Fool," written and produced by Ed Townsend, offers one of her most forcefully edgy vocals. Perhaps no singer was grittier than Esther Phillips, whose funky yet dramatic rendition of Gil Scott-Heron's "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" for Creed Taylor's Kudu label is a sublime slice of R&B crossed with jazz. Phillips turned the burden of her difficult life experiences into art, and this track is no exception.

Naturally, there's plenty of southern soul here - a subgenre known for its grit, authenticity, and "deep soul" - from A-list names like George Jackson ("My Desires Are Getting the Best of Me") and James Carr ("These Ain't Raindrops"). New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint could successfully blend pop, jazz, funk, and blues influences into his singular compositions and productions, two of which have been chosen here: Zilla Mayes' insistent "All I Want Is You" (1968) and Betty Harris' torrid, gospel-tinged "Can't Last Much Longer" (1967). To the north, in Chicago, The Emotions - a.k.a. Sheila, Wanda, and Jeanette Hutchinson - were recording for small labels like Brainstorm, Tollie, and Twin Stacks. The trio cut "Somebody New" for the latter in 1968 with the participation of respected arranger Riley Hampton. It's much less smooth than the girls' subsequent recordings, but no less enthralling.

Deep Soul Treasures Volume 5 includes a thick 32-page booklet with track-by-track liner notes from a variety of soul music aficionados who knew and loved Dave Godin. Duncan Cowell has handled the splendid mastering. This posthumous addition to Godin's library is a worthy addition to the series he began.

All three titles are available now at the links below.

Various Artists, She Came from Liverpool! Merseyside Girl-Pop 1962-1968 (Ace CDTOP1561, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Love of the Loved - Cilla Black (Parlophone R 5065, 1963) (*)
2. Long Tall Shorty - The Liverbirds (Star-Club LP 15802 STY, 1966) (*)
3. Everybody Loves a Lover - Beryl Marsden (Decca LP LK 4597, 1964)
4. I Want You - Jeannie and The Big Guys (Piccadilly 7N 35164, 1964)
5. Baby Don't Look Down - Tiffany and The Thoughts (Parlophone R 5439, 1966)
6. Someone to Love - The Three Bells (Columbia DB 7570, 1965)
7. What's She Got (That I Ain't Got) - Beryl Marsden (Columbia DB 7888, 1966) (*)
8. Only You Can Do It - The Vernons Girls (Decca F.11887, 1964)
9. That Boy of Mine - The Breakaways (Pye 7N 15585, 1963)
10. Something I've Got to Tell You - Glenda Collins (Pye 7N 17044, 1966)
11. I Don't Understand - Nola York (HMV POP 1326, 1964)
12. Just for Him - Samantha Jones (United Artists UP 1105, 1965)
13. Am I Dreaming? - Tiffany (Parlophone R 5311, 1965)
14. Till He Tells Me - Jacki Martin (Fontana TF 487, 1964)
15. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues - Cilla Black (Zonophone CD box 7243 8 57053 2 8, 1997) (*)
16. Sticks and Stones - Jeannie and The Big Guys (Piccadilly 7N 35164, 1964)
17. Why Do You Hang Around Me? - The Liverbirds (Star-Club 148 528 STF, 1965)
18. I Don't Want to Be the One - Samantha Jones (previously unreleased)
19. Sally Go Round the Roses - Lyn Cornell (Decca F.11750, 1963)
20. Puppet on a String - The DeLaine Sisters (Piccadilly 7N 35070, 1962)
21. Dumb Head - The Sharades (Decca F.11811, 1964)
22. Lover Please - The Vernons Girls (Decca F 11460, 1962)
23. Just Being Your Baby (Turns Me On) - Cindy Cole (Columbia DB 7973, 1966)
24. Baby You're So Right for Me - The Satin Bells (Pye 7N 17531, 1968)
25. Come See Me - Sandy Edmonds (Zodiac Z45/1261, 1966)

All tracks mono except (*) stereo

Various Artists, Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45 (Ace CDTOP2 1559, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. WAITIN' FOR THE WIND - SPOOKY TOOTH (1969) (*)
2. BAD NIGHT AT THE WHISKEY - THE BYRDS (1969)
3. CREEPING JEAN - DAVE DAVIES (1969) (*)
4. SUDDEN LIFE - MAN (1969) (*)
5. DARKNESS, DARKNESS - THE YOUNGBLOODS (1969)
6. BROAD DAYLIGHT - FREE (1969) (*)
7. KING KONG - THE KINKS (1969) 3.21 (*)
8. PEACE LOVING MAN - BLOSSOM TOES (1969)
9. THE WAR MACHINE - LEVIATHAN (1969)
10. JUNIOR'S WAILING - STEAMHAMMER (1969) (*)
11. WALK ON GILDED SPLINTERS - MARSHA HUNT (1969)
12. DAYS OF THE BROKEN ARROWS - THE IDLE RACE (1969)
13. REPUTATION - SHY LIMBS (1969)
14. NOBODY KNOWS - BRUTE FORCE (1969)
15. PLYNTH {WATER DOWN THE DRAIN) - JEFF BECK GROUP (1969)
16. LIE TO ME - KALEIDOSCOPE (1969)
17. 1969 - THE STOOGES (1969)
18. MAGIC POTION - THE OPEN MIND (1969)
19. FUNK #48 - THE JAMES GANG (1969)
20. ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN - MOTT THE HOOPLE (1969)
21. THE DEVIL CAME FROM KANSAS - PROCOL HARUM (1969)

CD 2

1. COMIN' HOME - DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS (1969)
2. SPIRIT IN THE SKY - NORMAN GREENBAUM (1969)
3. THE WITCH'S PROMISE - JETHRO TULL (1970)
4. BAD SIDE OF THE MOON - TOE FAT (1970)
5. FLYING - FACES (1970)
6. CAT FOOD - KING CRIMSON (1970)
7. AMERICAN WOMAN - THE GUESS WHO (1970)
8. THE AMERICAN RUSE - MC5 (1970)
9. THE GREEN MANALISHI -FLEETWOOD MAC (1970)
10. SHADY GROVE - QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE (1970)
11. ARCHANGEL'S THUNDERBIRD - AMON DUUL II (1970)
12. THE WITCH - THE RATTLES (1970)
13. GERDUNDULA - STATUS QUO (1970) (*)
14. NATURAL MAGIC - JACK NITZSCHE (1970)
15. ULTIMA THULE, TEIL 1 - TANGERINE DREAM (1971)
16. CAUGHT IN A DREAM - ALICE COOPER (1971)
17. SWEET JANE - THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (1970)
18. HE'S GONNA STEP ON YOU AGAIN - JOHN KONGOS (1971)
19. TRAVELIN' IN THE DARK (FOR E.M.P) - MOUNTAIN (1971)
20. BEGGARS DAY - CRAZY HORSE (1971)
21. ROCK 'N ROLL - DETROIT featuring MITCH RYDER (1971)
22. YESTERDAY'S NUMBERS - THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES (1971)

All tracks stereo except (*) mono

Various Artists, Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 5 (Kent CDKEND485, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. WHO KNOWS - THE SOUL CITY Goodtime 801 (1966)
2. WITHOUT LOVE - RONNIE TAYLOR Nassau 101 (1967)
3. DON'T PASS ME BY - BIG MAYBELLE Rojac 1969 (1966)
4. WHERE IS THE PARTY- HELENA FERGUSON Compass 7009 (1967)
5. DEAD! - CAROLYN SULLIVAN Philips 40507 (1966)
6. HOME IS WHERE THE HATRED IS - ESTHER PHILLIPS Kudu 904 (1972) (*)
7. I AIN'T GOTTO LOVE NOBODY ELSE- THE MASQUERADERS Bell 733 (1968) (*)
8. l'LL BE RIGHT THERE (TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU) - MARK IV Mercury 73353 (1973)
9. l'M NOT THE ONE-KENNY CARTER Previously unissued 1966 recording (2019) (*)
10. SOMEBODY NEW- THE EMOTIONS Twin Stacks 126 (1968)
11. (UNTIL THEN) I'LL SUFFER- BARBARA LYNN Atlantic LP SD 8171 (1968)
12. FOOLISH FOOL- DEE DEE WARWICK Mercury 72880 (1968)
13. MY DESIRES ARE GETTING THE BEST OF ME- GEORGE JACKSON Fame 1457 (1969)
14. THESE AIN'T RAINDROPS- JAMES CARR Goldwax 340 (1969)
15. STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS - EDDIE & ERNIE Buddah 250 (1971)
16. CAN'T LAST MUCH LONGER- BETTY HARRIS Sansu 471 (1967)
17. LOVERSALWAYS FORGIVE- GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS Maxx 329 (1964)
18. EVERY NIGHT (I PRAY)- THE CHANTELS End 1015 (1958)
19. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED- JUDY WHITE Buddah BOA 79 (1969)
20. RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU BELONG- JERRY WASHINGTON Excello 2327 (1972) (*)
21. I WILL - LATTIMORE BROWN Renegade 1201 (1970)
22. IT'S TOO LATE (FOR TEARS) - RENE BAILEY Carnival 539 (1968)
23. ALL I WANT IS YOU-ZILLA MAYES Tou-Sea 132 (1968)
24. WHAT CAN I DO (WITHOUT YOU) - LINDA JONES Loma 2099 (1968)
25. NOTHING CAN CHANGE THE LOVE I HAVE FOR YOU- Z.Z.HILL Kent 481 (1967)

All tracks mono except (*) stereo