Ten Top records from Ace, the best classic reissue label in the world
In 1975, at a stall in Golborne Road, west London, Ted Carroll, one-time bank teller, bus driver and manager of Thin Lizzy, founded a small record label. By the 80s it had become Ace Records, setting a standard for the reclamation, restoration and research of old records that has yet to be bettered.
Ace is now legendary for its reissues, its stable of sub-labels, and its roster of incredible artists. Overlooked vintage gems and beloved musicians alike, they’re all to be found in the Ace catalogue.
When it was founded, Ace was the only reissue label around, and mainly put out 50s Blues, R&B and Rock n’ Roll records. By the 80s, it added 60s music and Soul to its ever-growing genres, and Jazz, World Music and Folk came along soon after that.
The Ace Records website is a goldmine for music fans and ‘beat-diggers’
The Ace Records .co.uk website is a goldmine for music fans and ‘beat-diggers’ — the online catalogue bursts with records that show the label’s deep knowledge and love of the music they release. Although mostly associated with rock’n roll, Ace covers the full gamut of American post-war music up until the early 80s, as well as some classic British sounds.
Music lovers from all over the world go hunting for beloved and new records on the Ace website. There are more than 2,300 titles to be found, from the obscurist, long-lost sounds to some of the greatest hits of our time. Don’t know where to start? We asked recent Ace customers to pick their favourite recent finds for our AceRecords.co.uk Top Ten. Well, actually, it’s a Top 11 — one fan was so enthusiastic he managed to sneak another recommendation in the comments…
The AceRecords.co.uk Top Ten (+1)
1. Lester Williams’ ‘I Can’t Lose With The Stuff I Use’ (1952). All the infectious, freewheeling optimism of Jump Blues at its best with a relentlessly shuffling beat, wickedly catchy riff and Lester’s breezy vocals. It’s from ‘Speciality Legends of Jump Blues Vol 1’, my all-time favourite Ace CD, which I’ve played weekly since I bought it over 20 years ago! (Steve Pilkington)
2. Vernell Hill’s ‘Long-Haired Daddy’ (1964). A girlie group waltz that becomes a hand-clap gospel blowout. Never heard anything else like it! Honourable mention goes to Paul Kelly’s ‘Stealin In The Name of the Lord’ (1970) from ‘Hot Runnin Soul’. Just because! (Kenny Weir)
3. Kenny Carter’s ‘What’s So Wrong With You Loving Me?’ (1960s) My main education in soul has been provided by the massive Kent catalog! So many faves, but every time I hear this, it gets me in the gut. With great early Swamp Dogg production and guitar, beautiful horn lines, and Carter’s vocals tugging at the heartstrings, it never gets old! (Norm Drouillard)
4. Arthur Alexander’s ‘Soldier of Love’ (1962). Country-soul pioneer Arthur Alexander is largely overlooked these days, but he’s wonderful. His career encompassed both being a bus driver and being the only songwriter whose songs have been covered on studio albums by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. You’d have good reason to call his music the birth of soul. (Jason Hanson)
5. Terry Callier’s ‘I’m A Drifter’ (The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier, 1968). It always struck me as odd that Terry Callier fell into obscurity in the 80s and became a computer programmer — it’s so at odds with that spellbinding, mesmeric, beautiful music. I love the whole album, but this captures its hypnotic ebb and flow best. There’s also that crazy story that Callier didn’t even know that the album had been released until his brother saw it in a shop and told him — it’s just so different to the way things work today. Gorgeous stuff. (Eli Lee)
6. The Zombies’ ‘Time of the Season’ (‘Odyssey & Oracle’, 1968). A psych-pop masterpiece, ‘Odyssey & Oracle’ arrived in the heady heights of the late 60s. A beautiful, bold album, its stand-out track is arguably the US number one ‘Time of the Season’, a gorgeous tune imbued with melancholy and a stoner daze. It’s hard not to fall in love with it. Ace released this as a 4-CD boxset on the album’s 30th anniversary, in 1998. (Josie Patry)
7. Skip James’ ‘Devil Got My Woman’ (1931) One of the most devil-haunted of the Delta Bluesmen at his best. Skip’s high, eerie voice came out of another world, and here it ghosts perfectly around his unique, minor-tuned guitar. It’s deep, foreboding and utterly compelling music. The remastering job is fantastic, too. (Jack Harris)
8. Leo Kottke’s ‘The Driving of the Year Nail’ (1973) Kottke really set up his store with this, the first track from his seminal ‘6 and 12 String Guitar’ record. No one had heard guitar playing quite like it at the time, and Kottke’s virtuosic, highly personal rendering of American Folk and Blues guitar styles still drops jaws today. It’s not just a technical exercise, though; the music is thoughtful, full of texture, and indeed, driving. A great example of technique married with expression. (Robert Dow)
9. Hank Ballard & The Midnighters’ ‘Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go’ (1960) Somewhere between Hank Williams and Fats Domino, this is just exceptional rock’n roll, the kind that provokes immediate dancing in anyone at any time. Ballard’s charisma and swaggering delivery seep through this record. The Midnighters are on smoking form, and the chorus is one of the most rousing things I’ve ever heard. Turn it up. (Russell Sharpe)
10. Odetta’s ‘Sail Away, Ladies’ (from Livin’ With the Blues, released 2000) Straight out of Greil Marcus’ ‘old, weird America’, songs like this are strange and playful all at once. The lyrics apply just as well to a gospel camp meeting as they do to a kid’s skipping rope rhyme. Odetta’s huge, inimitable voice and gently syncopated guitar serve the whole thing up perfectly. Irresistible. (Sarah Holman).
This story is one of 30 celebrating the launch of .uk domain names in 1985. To read the others visit our 30 Years of .uk hub. To start your own .uk story check out www.agreatplacetobe.uk.
