Mercury Records was founded in 1945 and originally only signed black artists. By 1962, the year of our compilation, they had recruited a host of new artists of all hues which made Mercury the dominant force in jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll and pop in the US. These artists included Little Richard, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Jivin' Gene, Clyde McPhatter, Charles Aznavour, Quincy Jones, Patti Page, Ray Stevens and many more.

INTRODUCTION:

Mercury Records was founded in Chicago in 1945 by factory chief Irving Green, booking agent Berle Adams and advertising executive Arthur Talmadge. The label immediately went into direct competition with major recording companies Columbia, Decca, and RCA Victor thanks to setting up pressing plants in Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri.

Green's experience in the plastic manufacturing trade made rapid expansion possible and it wasn't long before production was in full swing, an automatic pressing system helping the label get off the ground quickly. Mercury also relied on its music being transmitted throughout the country via jukeboxes, a decision that not only proved cheaper than radio promotion but also gave the label an edge among young Americans.

Originally Mercury only signed black artists as it specialized in Chicago jazz and blues. In 1957, Mercury opened a Nashville-based country-music label as a joint venture with Starday Records, represented here by the very early George Jones and a very young teenager, Dolly Parton. Other major artists include Patti Page, Brook Benton, Clyde McPhatter, former lead singer of the Drifters, Dinah Washington and Little Richard. Johnny Preston was on the decline after Running Bear, while Ray Stevens' star was on the rise. Stevens went on to have 34 charted hits on the Country chart.

The Year of 1962 was a landmark one for Mercury as it was bought by Consolidated Electronics Industries Corp. the US arm of Dutch electronics company Philips. This led to a line of phonographs (record players) made by Philips being marketed under the Mercury name. In 1972 Philips merged with two other German companies to become PolyGram, but the proud Mercury 'winged messenger' logo survived through artists as diverse as Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi and Noah and the Whale. Nowadays, Mercury Records is a record label operated in the UK by Virgin EMI Records and is part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music corporation. Mercury is also Universal Music Group's oldest owned label in the company.

CONTENT:

This 3 CD set contains 75 songs, all original versions, with many rare gems. I have compiled a detailed song listing (including chart position, year and personal comments).

The audio is very well remastered, with great clean sound and no hiss.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I am very thankful to One Day Music, a new reissue label from UK, who has released over 100 sets on various labels. And I am glad that I have purchased them all, and very happy with the many rare gems. Patti Page is one of my favourite female singers, and the songs in this compilation were her last ones on Mercury before she moved to Columbia. To listen to the early George Jones and young Dolly Parton was a special treat. If you listen to A Taste of Honey and On The Street Where You Lived by also a young Quincy Jones, the very smooth jazzy sound already cemented him as a music giant in the future. I am also glad to learn the trivia of Janet Jackson's middle name came from their idol Damita Jo. In this set, the music is very enjoyable. The sound is also very well remastered, clean and vibrant, with great bass. This set is highly recommended.



Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Clyde McPhatter - Lover Please (2:00)
02. George Barnes - Spooky (2:25)
03. Johnny Preston - Kissin' Tree (1:49)
04. Jivin' Gene - Genie Bom Beanie (2:29)
05. Leroy Van Dyke - If a Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone) (2:21)
06. Dolly Parton - It's Sure Gonna Hurt (2:18)
07. Little Richard - He Got What He Wanted (But He Lost What He Had) (2:42)
08. Brook Benton - Walk on the Wild Side (2:35)
09. Charles Aznavour - You've Got to Learn (3:31)
10. George Jones - Achin', Breakin' Heart (2:49)
11. The Platters - More Than You Know (2:06)
12. Bobby Scott - I Gotta Run (2:23)
13. Patti Page - Go on Home (2:31)
14. James O'Gwynn - You're Getting All over Me (2:07)
15. Young Jessie - Be Bop Country Boy (2:31)
16. The Chanteers - She's Coming Home (2:17)
17. Merle Kilgore - Lover's Hell (2:00)
18. Ray Stevens - Ahab the Arab (3:35)
19. Clyde McPhatter - Stop (2:03)
20. Jimmie Skinner - I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still) (2:02)
21. Ike Clanton - Sugar Plum (2:07)
22. Billy Eckstine - Guilty (3:07)
23. Damita Jo - Tennessee Waltz (2:30)
24. Paul Peek - Young Hearts (2:01)
25. Quincy Jones - A Taste of Honey (2:37)

CD2:

01. Dolly Parton - The Love You Gave (2:11)
02. Johnny Preston - Let's Leave It That Way (2:20)
03. Clyde McPhatter - Little Bitty Pretty One (2:18)
04. Brook Benton - Still Waters Run Deep (2:36)
05. The Chanteers - I Waited (2:25)
06. George Jones & Marge Singleton - Waltz of the Angels (2:44)
07. The Platters - It's Magic (2:33)
08. Michael Allen - A Boy with a Dream (2:26)
09. Ike Clanton - The Champ (2:01)
10. Leroy Van Dyke - I Sat Back and Let It Happen (2:17)
11. The Tides - Midnight Limbo (2:29)
12. Patti Page - The Boys Night Out (1:54)
13. Merle Kilgore - Ain't Nothin' But a Man (1:48)
14. Darrell McCall - Dear One (2:13)
15. David Carroll & His Orchestra - Little Pixie (1:56)
16. Jimmie Skinner - One Dead Man Ago (1:53)
17. Wally Wiggins - Little Old Lady That Lived in a Shoe (1:57)
18. Clyde McPhatter - I Do Believe (1:56)
19. James O'Gwynn - My Name Is Mud (2:26)
20. Claude Gray - You Take the Table (And I'll Take the Chairs) (2:42)
21. Dinah Washington - Cold, Cold Heart (3:21)
22. Ray Stevens - Furthermore (2:14)
23. Merv Griffin - House of Horrors (2:08)
24. Brook Benton - Hit Record (2:38)
25. Tommy Jackson - Sally Goodin (2:15)

CD3:

01. George Jones - When My Heart Hurts No More (2:08)
02. The Platters - Heartbreak (2:03)
03. Patti Page - Let's Cry Together (2:25)
04. Clyde McPhatter - Maybe (2:37)
05. Dinah Washington - I Want to Be Loved (2:53)
06. Quincy Jones - On the Street Where You Live (2:32)
07. George McCannon - Shy Boy (2:12)
08. Jerry Modine - A Stranger to Me (1:46)
09. Ike Clanton - Makin' Up (2:02)
10. Charles Aznavour - You've Let Yourself Go (3:42)
11. Johnny Preston - Let the Big Boss Man (Pull You Through) (1:51)
12. Brook Benton - Lie to Me (2:10)
13. Leroy Van Dyke - Black Cloud (2:15)
14. Little Richard - Do You Care (2:51)
15. Merle Kilgore - A Girl Named Liz (2:19)
16. David Atkinson - I Love a Fool (3:08)
17. Patti Page - Every Time I Hear Your Name (2:17)
18. George Jones & Margie Singleton - I Want to Be Where You're Gonna Be (1:55)
19. The Chanteers - Just a Little Boy (2:38)
20. Shirley Horn - Do It Again (2:58)
21. Ray Stevens - Saturday Night at the Movies (2:37)
22. Clyde McPhatter - The Best Man Cried (2:49)
23. Art Farmer - Raincheck (3:42)
24. Billy Eckstine - Till There Was You (3:19)
25. Rusty Draper - Tongue Tied over You (2:16)