Felix Hernandez Presents: The Rhythm Revue
Various Artists
TVT Records - Promo Sampler, 1997
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/30/1998
When I was a young child, my father listened constantly to the
oldies stations -- in the late '70s, Dick Bartley was one of the
best-known Chicago DJs to spin the oldies. (He's since gone on to
nationwide acclaim -- deservedly so.) Being exposed to the music of
my father's generation as often as I was, I not only developed a
liking for it, but also got to know a lot of the songs and artists
quite well -- so well, in fact, that I could often name them more
accurately than my dad. (He still hates that I can do this.)
Another noted disc jockey, Felix Hernandez, has made a career of
keeping rhythm & blues in the public eye. Mixing such
well-known artists like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett in with
others who otherwise would have been forgotten by time, Hernandez
has developed a very strong following. Now, Hernandez brings the
music of his radio show into your home with
The Rhythm Revue, a three-disc box set featuring 53 songs
that will, if you're like my dad or myself, bring back a flood of
memories.
For once, however, I am at a disadvantage, in that I have not
had the privilege to hear the entire box set, though through the
courtesy of a twelve-song sampler, I have a really good idea about
the quality of the rest of the box set. And the condensed version's
vote: it's really tasty.
Among the big names featured on this set are Aretha Franklin
("Respect", "Think"), Archie Bell & The Drells ("Tighten Up" -
both parts, no less!), James Brown ("Lost Someone") and Pickett
("In The Midnight Hour"). And while it's always good to hear these
hits, one has to admire Hernandez for not always taking the easy
route - he could have just as easily picked a Brown song that
everyone knew like "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag".
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