Ain't That Good News [Red Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]

by Sam Cooke

Overview

The last of his studio albums released in his lifetime, Sam Cooke's Ain't That Good News offers a lot of superb material, pointing in several directions that, alas, were to go largely unexplored. The central number is, of course, the earth-shattering "A Change Is Gonna Come," with its soaring gospel sound and the most elaborate production of any song in Cooke's output. The rousing though less substantial title track also came out of a gospel tradition, as does Cooke's treatment of "Tennessee Waltz," which is one of his finest adaptations of contemporary pop material. "Falling in Love" was the work of Harold Battiste, an old friend of Cooke's who had recently re-entered his orbit and was partly responsible for encouraging the singer in exploring the New Orleans sound that was evident on "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day" and "Meet Me at Mary's Place." And then there's "Good Times," a bittersweet, introspective party number, and the pensive successor to "Twistin' the Night Away." There are a few moments where the spell is almost broken by the intrusion of what seems like pop material, but even Cooke's version of "The Riddle Song" is worth owning as a glimpse at how he could turn a folk song into a something so quietly soulful that its origins disappeared. With the exception of "Another Saturday Night," which had been released as a single early in the previous year, Ain't That Good News comprised the first material that Cooke had recorded in the six months following the drowning death of his 18-month-old son Vincent; it was also the first album that Cooke recorded and released under his new contract, which gave him greater freedom in choosing repertory and sidemen than he'd ever had, and so it offered a lot of pent-up emotional and musical expression, and, as it turned out, was tragically unique in the singer's output. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	01/26/2024
Label:	Abkco Records / Barnes & Noble
UPC:	0018771218210

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sam Cooke   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Robert Barene   Violin
Sidney Sharp   Violin
Barney Kessel   Guitar
Earl Palmer   Drums
Leroy Crume   Guitar
Howard Roberts   Guitar
Ernie Tack   Trombone
Plas Johnson   Saxophone
Darrel Terwilliger   Violin
Harry Hyams   Viola
Ralph Schaeffer   Violin
William Hinshaw   French Horn
Leonard Malarsky   Violin
J.J. Farley   Vocals (Background)
James Bryant   Vocals (Background)
Robert Tebow   Vocals (Background)
Joseph R. Gibbons   Banjo
Joe Hooven   Conductor
Louise Blackburn   Trombone
Linwood Mitchell   Percussion
Norman Bartold   Guitar
Buddy Clark   Bass
Jimmie Outler   Vocals (Background)
Clifford Hils   Bass
The Carole Lombard Quartet   Vocals (Background)
Jack Pepper   Violin
Tibor Zelig   Violin
Irving Lipschultz   Violin
Johnny Halliburton   Trombone
Emmet Sargeant   Cello
Alexander Neiman   Viola
Eddie Hall   Drums
Chuck Badie   Bass
John Anderson   Trumpet
Edgar Redmond   Saxophone
Carol Lee Lombard   Vocals (Background)
Eddie Tilman   Bass
Allan Reuss   Guitar
Paul Foster   Vocals (Background)
Jesse Ehrlich   Cello
Israel Baker   Violin
Jackie Ward   Vocals (Background)
John Pisano   Guitar
William Green   Saxophone
William Kurash   Violin
John Ewing   Trombone
Senior Roy Crain   Vocals (Background)
Richard Gibbs   Vocals (Background)
Lincoln Mayorga   Piano,Celeste
Dave Wells   Trombone
Clifton White   Guitar
Ray Pohlman   Bass
Raymond Johnson   Piano
Red Tyler   Saxophone
Milt Bernhart   Trombone
Rene Hall   Conductor
The Soul Stirrers   Vocals (Background)
John DeVoogdt   Violin
George Tipton   Vocals (Background)
Jewell L. Grant   Saxophone
Arnold Belnick   Violin
Gwen Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Melvin Lastie   Trumpet
Hal Blaine   Drums
John Boudreaux   Drums
Harry Betts   Trombone
Harold Battiste, Jr.   Piano
Emil Radocchia   Marimba,Timpani,Percussion

Technical Credits

Hugo & Luigi   Producer
Steve Rosenthal   Restoration,Archives Coordinator
Harry Clarkson   Composer
Victor Feldman   Composer
Luigi   Producer
Mick Gochanour   Digital Transfers
Joe Hooven   Arranger
Wally Seawell   Cover Photo
Iris Keitel   Art Direction
Hugo   Producer
Alisa Ritz   Art Direction
Jeff Clarkson   Composer
April Hobbs   Art Coordinator
Seth Adkins   Art Coordinator
Laura Walton   Audio Production
Harold Battiste   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Beverly Prudhomme   Composer
Betty Prudhomme   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Irving Berlin   Composer
Ben Bailes   Assistant Engineer
Doc Watson   Composer
Hugo Peretti   Producer
Sam Cooke   Composer
Pee Wee King   Composer
Peter Van Steeden   Composer
Teri Landi   Producer
Luigi Creatore   Producer
Jody H. Klein   Producer
Clifton White   Composer
Redd Stewart   Composer
Randy Newman   Composer
Rene Hall   Arranger
Gus Skinas   Engineer
Ann Hamilton   Composer
Harold Battiste, Jr.   Composer
Dan Hamilton   Composer
Herman Rarebell   Composer
David Hassinger   Engineer
Matt Boynton   Assistant Engineer