The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings Set

The late, great, Louisiana-born Tony Joe White first gained fame mainly through his songwriting; 1969’s “Polk Salad Annie” was his only Top Ten hit, but artists such as Dusty Springfield (“Willie and Laura Mae Jones”), Brook Benton (“Rainy Night in Georgia”) and Elvis Presley (“For Ol’ Times Sake”; “I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby”) took his songs to the charts. But White was always been a singular performer in his own right; the honeyed burr of his baritone, his alternately tough and tender vocal delivery and liberal use of his “whomper stomper” wah-wah pedal lend him a completely distinctive sound, Simply put, nobody, but nobody, sounds like Tony Joe White, and on this 2-CD collection, we’ve rounded up all three of the classic albums he recorded for Warner Bros. in the early ‘70s—all of which are out of print and costing a mint online—plus non-LP singles to create The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings. Recorded in Memphis (partly at Ardent Studios of Big Star fame), 1971’s Tony Joe White paired him with producer Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt) and shifted the focus slightly from the fuzz-drenched swamp rock of White’s Monument recordings to a more introspective style, though “They Caught the Devil and Put Him in Jail in Eudora, Arkansas” and “My Kind of Woman” could blow the doors off any roadhouse south of the Mason-Dixon line. White’s next album, 1972’s The Train I’m On, continued this gentler, more vulnerable style to great effect; produced by the legendary team of Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd, with the mighty Muscle Shoals sessioneers in support, Train’s set of songs tackled complex themes of dislocation, alienation and loss with a blend of blues, soul and folk highlighted by some beautiful acoustic guitar work by White and Tippy Armstrong. It’s a masterpiece. And 1973’s Homemade Ice Cream might be even better; White’s original version of “For Ol’ Times Sake” is just devastating, and “I Want Love (‘Tween You and Me),” “Taking the Midnight Train” and the title track are every bit as good. Co-producer Tom Dowd and a crack band of guitarist Reggie Young, bassist Norbert Putnam, drummer Kenny Malone and keyboardist David Briggs (of Neil Young fame) catch every nuance of these deceptively simple songs. Real Gone’s presentation of this essential material features liner notes by Ben Edmonds with quotes from Tony Joe White himself. Not to be missed. CD One Tony Joe White 1. They Caught the Devil and Put Him in Jail in Eudora, Arkansas 2. The Change 3. My Kind of Woman 4. The Daddy 5. Black Panther Swamps 6. Five Summers for Jimmy 7. A Night in the Life of a Swamp Fox 8. Traveling Bone 9. I Just Walked Away 10. Copper Kettle 11. Voodoo Village Singles 12. Lustful Earl and the Married Woman 13. Delta Love 14. That on the Road Look The Train I’m On 15. I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby 16. The Family 17. If I Ever Saw a Good Thing 18. Beouf River Road 19. The Train I’m On 20. Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll CD Two The Train I’m On (cont.) 1. As the Crow Flies 2. Take Time to Love 3. 300 Pounds of Hongry 4. The Migrant 5. Sidewalk Hobo 6. The Gospel Singer Homemade Ice Cream 7. Saturday Night in Oak Grove Louisiana 8. For Ol’ Times Sake 9. I Want Love (‘Tween You and Me) 10. Homemade Ice Cream 11. Ol’ Mother Earth 12. Lazy 13. California on My Mind 14. Backwoods Preacher Man 15. Takin’ the Midnight Train 16. No News Is Good News 17. Did Somebody Make a Fool Out of You Singles 18. Sign of the Lion 19. Don’t Let the Door (Hit You in the Butt) 20. Wishful Thinking