Mannish Boys: The Stax & Volt Recordings 1969-74

by The Newcomers

Overview

"Mannish Boy" was the name of one of Muddy Waters' roughest songs, but the Newcomers never seemed to swagger. The second-line Stax/Volt act racked up a few R&B hits between 1969 and 1974, all characterized by their cheerful harmonies -- a down-home Southern variation on the exuberance of the Jackson 5. This separated the Newcomers from their Stax brethren and that also makes Mannish Boys, a 2013 collection from Ace that contains 24 cuts from the vocal group, including several demos and unreleased cuts, so much fun. Some of this has the limber, elastic funk of prime Stax, but it's all driven by the cheerful swagger of the vocal quartet, a group that was enthusiastically existing within its time, incorporating trends -- whether it was punchy horns, enveloping strings, or syncopated disco beats, and sometimes even the slow, late-night urban blues of the early '70s -- whenever it had the chance. If the Newcomers never quite had a song that turned heads, they often mined an appealing sound, particularly toward the end of their career when they started to look to Philadelphia instead of Detroit as their touchstone, and there winds up being a lot to like on this collection of their best and unheard tunes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/03/2013
Label:	Ace / Stax
UPC:	0029667056120
Rank:	101583

Tracks

1. Girl This Boy Loves You
2. Open Up Your Heart (Let Me In)
3. You Put the Sunshine Back in My World
4. Still a Boy in My Heart
5. Pin the Tail on the Donkey
6. Mannish Boy
7. The Martian Hop
8. Humpty Dumpty
9. Keep an Eye on Your Close Friends
10. Too Little in Common to Be Lovers (Too Much Going to Say Goodbye)
11. The Whole World Is a Picture Show
12. Betcha Can't Guess Who
13. See Saw Lovin¿¿¿
14. Reaching the Age
15. (Paint on Me) The Face of a Clown [Demo]
16. It's Me Who Loves You [Demo]
17. I Don't Want to Lose You [Demo]
18. She's Gone [Demo]
19. Since You Don't Care [Demo]
20. Spare Me the Hurt of Losing You [Demo]
21. What a Girl I've Got Lovin¿¿¿ Me [Demo]
22. Stop by Here [Demo]
23. The Exit [Demo]
24. Sweet Purity [Demo]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Newcomers   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Carl William Smith   Composer
Joan Robinson   Composer
Lance Finnie   Composer
Marshall Jones   Composer
Jaffa   Package Design
Allen Jones   Composer
Melvin Davis   Composer
Homer Banks   Composer
John Gary Williams   Composer
Michael Toles   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Gilles Petard   Photo Courtesy
Al Bell   Composer
Darryl Carter   Composer
William Brown   Composer
Marvell Thomas   Composer
Tommy Tate   Composer
Helen Robinson   Composer
Steve Rappaport   Composer
Sir Mack Rice   Composer
Bettye Crutcher   Composer
Bobby Manuel   Composer
Carl Hampton   Composer
Tony Rounce   Liner Notes
John Spirit   Composer
Robert Rappaport   Composer