The Archive Series, Vol. 3: Movin' [PA] [Digipak]

Performer: Ike & Tina Turner
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: One in a series of six CDs collecting rare and unreleased material by Ike & Tina Turner, Archive Series, Vol. 3: Movin' is a hodgepodge of live and studio material from the 1960s and '70s, with no clarification in the liner notes about what was cut where and when, and who might be backing up the Turners on any of these sessions (though we're told the great New Orleans R&B vocalist Johnny Adams contributed backing vocals on "Bolic"). So this disc is a bit of a mess -- but it's a pretty great mess, with lots of excellent soul and funk chestnuts on deck. Leading off with the sweet and swinging funk of "Sweet Rhode Island Red," this set rolls through extended live blues workouts ("My Man's Wedding Vows"), soulful country covers ("I'm Movin' On"), distinctive reworkings of classic R&B numbers ("Stagger Lee and Billy" and "Put on Your Tight Pants," the latter of which is a barely disguised version of "Hi-Heeled Sneakers"), Meters-style Southern funk ("Took a Trip"), swaggering and confident soul ("Gonna Find Me a Substitute"), souped-up girl group numbers ("Troubles on My Mind" by the Ikettes) and lots more. For the most part, the audio quality is just fine (some of the mixes sound just a bit curious, but not so much that they're unlistenable), and Ike and his various bands over the years are tight and enthusiastically grooving throughout, while Tina sounds like a force of nature whenever she chooses to let her vocal cords go to work. The packaging is unimaginative, the liner notes are dodgy (Martin Celmins' essay mentions that this two-disc set includes two versions of "River Deep, Mountain High" -- except the package only features one CD and "River Deep" doesn't appear at all) and the sequence jumps all over the pace, but this features 53 minutes of music from one of the greatest acts in R&B when they were near the top of their game. Not great as a historical document, but if you're looking for the good groove, you'll find it here. ~ Mark Deming

While Ike Turner helped lay the foundations of rock & roll and Tina Turner went on to become one of the most successful female singers in pop history, some would argue that the duo made their best music together. Ike & Tina began working together in the early 1960s when Ike discovered the young singer Anna Mae Bullock and transformed her into the smoldering, seemingly unstoppable musical force known as Tina Turner. Their artistic run--which produced soul/R&B/pop classics such as "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "River Deep Mountain High," and their near earth-moving version of "Proud Mary"--was eclipsed in intensity only by the tumultuous nature of their marriage. Both facets of their partnership came to an end in the mid 1970s.

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