What makes an album great? Consistency of quality certainly helps, and to take it a step further, some sort of coherence or unity from start to finish, or a unifying concept. Satisfy those conditions and you\u2019re on your way to a great LP. In selecting the best Chess albums to own on vinyl, the aim was to find cohesive music but steer clear \u2013 where possible \u2013 from compilation LPs. Not because they\u2019re not great. On the contrary, if you get one, you\u2019ll probably enjoy every track. But hearing a non-\u201cbest of\u201d album with a consistently pleasing, unified selection of songs is pretty special \u2013 and that\u2019s the aim here.<\/p>\n
One caveat, however: a great many Chess vinyl albums are exceedingly rare and probably missing from this list due to the simple fact that they have been out of circulation for decades. A few of them are included below in the honorable mentions section, so take this less as a definitive list of the best Chess albums ever, and more of a starting point on your journey. And for those unable to find these albums on their original format, we\u2019ve included digital alternatives where we can.\n<\/p>\n
And, of course, if you can think of any additions to this list of the best Chess albums to own on vinyl, let us know in the comments section.\n<\/p>\n
The 25 Best Chess Albums To Own On Vinyl<\/h2>\nGene Ammons: Soulful Saxophone<\/em><\/h3>\nReleased in 1958 (and reissued with an alternate title, Makes It Happen<\/em>, in 1967), this set collects the sides from Jug\u2019s 1950 session that produced the first Chess single, the wistful \u201cMy Foolish Heart,\u201d and his other single releases from that date. All 10 tracks, largely standards and all ballads, share the same dreamy nocturnal feeling with Ammons\u2019 thick tenor sound bathed in reverb, uncommon at the time and transporting the listener to a satisfying, soulful spot.<\/p>\nChuck Berry: St. Louis To Liverpool<\/em><\/h3>\nThe four hits on his 1964 comeback LP are significant and exceptional. The comedy \u201cNo Particular Place To Go,\u201d the wise \u201cYou Never Can Tell,\u201d the epic \u201cPromised Land,\u201d and the yearning \u201cLittle Marie.\u201d But it\u2019s the other tracks that provide this LP\u2019s consistency, and at least four allude to Chuck Berry<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s crime and punishment under the Mann Act. \u201cOur Little Rendezvous,\u201d \u201cGo Bobby Soxer,\u201d the cover of Guitar Slim\u2019s \u201cThe Things I Used To Do\u201d and \u201cLittle Marie,\u201d the tale of love left behind. Perhaps that\u2019s why, 15 years later, rock critic Dave Marsh called St. Louis To Liverpool<\/em> \u201cone of the greatest rock\u2019n\u2019roll records ever made,\u201d cementing its place as one of the best Chess albums in history.\n<\/p>\nChuck Berry: The Great Twenty-Eight<\/em><\/h3>\nYes, it\u2019s a hits package, but it\u2019s also history: the sound of rock\u2019n\u2019roll shedding its training wheels. The best compilation of Chuck Berry\u2019s pioneering 28 big and small hits available, issued originally as a double-LP at the dawn of the CD age, The Great Twenty-Eight<\/strong><\/em><\/a> was digital ever after, until 2017, when it was pressed onto polyvinylchloride once again. Everything here is from the first nine years of Berry\u2019s Chess output, so there\u2019s no \u201cMy Ding-A-ling.\u201d Chances are, you won\u2019t feel its absence.\n<\/p>\nThe Dells: There Is<\/em><\/h3>\nThe quintet DJs called \u201cthe pride and joy of Harvey, Illinois\u201d delivers 12 killer tracks on their 1968 debut Cadet LP that alternate between stompers and ballads. Fourteen years after forming as The El-Rays, The Dells blended doo-wop harmonies with 60s soul thanks to producer Bobby Miller and arranger Charles Stepney<\/a><\/strong>. Intertwined lead vocals by raspy baritone Marvin Junior and falsetto tenor Johnny Carter shine brightly on tracks such as \u201cWhen I\u2019m In Your Arms,\u201d \u201cClose Your Eyes,\u201d \u201cPlease Don\u2019t Change Me Now\u201d and \u201cStay In My Corner,\u201d the elongated hit single follow-up to the Motown-esque title track.<\/p>\nBo Diddley: Bo Diddley\u2019s Beach Party<\/em><\/h3>\nFor those seeking the roots of early punk rock in Bo Diddley<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s music and attitude, this could be Exhibit A. One of the best Chess albums to start your collection with, it remains a live document of Bo\u2019s passion, raw simplicity, and power in front of 2,000 fans in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 1963. \u201cRoad Runner\u201d stands out, but everything crackles with rocking rhythm. Culled from two nights of recording, the second was cut short, according to label historian Nadine Cohodas, when Bo\u2019s sideman Jerome Green jumped offstage playing the maracas, and white girls gathered around him to dance. Enforcing local segregation laws, the police pulled the plug on the show.\n<\/p>\nThe Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet: Meet the Jazztet<\/em><\/h3>\nIf only because it includes three top Golson compositions \u2013 \u201cI Remember Clifford,\u201d \u201cBlues March\u201d and \u201cKiller Joe\u201d \u2013 this 1960 LP is worth having. Add to that a few well-chosen standards and buoyant performances by the front line of trumpeter Farmer, tenor saxman Golson, and trombonist Curtis Fuller, plus a rhythm section that includes a 20-year-old McCoy Tyner on piano, Farmer\u2019s brother Addison on bass, and underappreciated Lex Humphries on drums, and you have an essential hard bop album. The longer LP version of \u201cKiller Joe\u201d includes Fuller\u2019s solo, edited out of the Argo 45; for those struggling to find the original, the recordings were later issued as part of The Complete Argo Mercury Sessions<\/em>.\n<\/p>\nAretha Franklin: Songs Of Faith<\/em><\/h3>\nThe Queen Of Soul was 14 when these songs were recorded live at her father\u2019s church in Detroit, accompanying herself on piano, already possessing confident mastery of this material while the congregation spurs her even higher. Released on a small label in 1956, Chess reissued the recordings for the first time in 1965, still a couple of years shy of Aretha\u2019s breakthrough; it would later re-emerge under various titles, among them The Gospel Soul Of Aretha Franklin<\/em> and Aretha Gospel<\/em>. But there is no mistaking the voice on this LP \u2013 it\u2019s the same fully formed, musically intelligent voice that would stun the world in 1967.<\/p>\nAhmad Jamal: Chamber Music Of The New Jazz<\/em><\/h3>\n1958\u2019s \u2026 At The Pershing<\/em> LP is often cited as a major jazz LP, but its 1956 predecessor can fairly claim to be one of the best Chess albums on offer. Chamber Music<\/em>\u2026 helped launch Chess\u2019 Argo imprint as a jazz label, and this version of Jamal\u2019s trio featured a piano, guitar and bass line-up. Beyond their sophisticated, quietly pleasing sound, Jamal\u2019s minimalist use of space became highly influential on Miles Davis<\/strong><\/a> and arranger Gil Evans. Two years later, the Argo<\/em> LP was groundbreaking in a few ways, not the least of which was sales, as it stayed on the charts for over two years. An unusual live lounge recording, its popularity stemmed not just from \u201cPoinciana,\u201d but also the more conventional band line-up and the exquisitely spare touch exhibited throughout.\n<\/p>\nEtta James: Tell Mama<\/em><\/h3>\nNoting the success Atlantic Records had by sending Wilson Pickett<\/strong><\/a> and Aretha Franklin to Muscle Shoals, Leonard Chess correctly figured it would work for Etta James<\/strong><\/a> as well \u2013 and he was right. Not only did she get hit singles, she put down a dozen emotive tracks that made it seem like the house band was created just for her, resulting in one of the best Chess albums from the label\u2019s soul period. The title song and a cover of Otis Redding<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s \u201cSecurity\u201d were hits off Tell Mama<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, and tracks like \u201cI\u2019m Gonna Take What He\u2019s Got\u201d stand with the best soul music of the era. And, of course, there\u2019s \u201cI\u2019d Rather Go Blind.\u201d\n<\/p>\nEtta James: Etta James<\/em><\/h3>\nGrammy-nominated when released on Chess in 1973, this largely dark, angry set might have been targeted to rock fans, but its rage remains universal, and it was fuelled by Etta\u2019s own struggles with addiction and the law. \u201cGod\u2019s Song,\u201d one of three excellent Randy Newman<\/strong><\/a> covers, is a mind-blower, but each bitter track strikes a nerve, notably the \u201cSuperfly\u201d-ish opener, \u201cAll The Way Down,\u201d and \u201cOnly A Fool\u201d (which incorporates the chorus of Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland\u2019s \u201cI Pity The Fool\u201d) and the deceptive desperation of \u201cLay Back Daddy.\u201d The only respite \u2013 sort of \u2013 is the pleading finale, Otis Redding\u2019s \u201cJust One More Day.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Ramsey Lewis Trio: The In Crowd<\/em><\/h3>\nThe commercial and popular apex of the trio \u2013 Lewis on piano, Eldee Young on bass and cello and Red Holt on drums \u2013 was captured live for this 1965 Chess LP before a responsive audience at Washington, DC\u2019s Bohemian Club. Side One kicks off with an unedited version of the title song, their biggest single, a jazz cover of Doby Gray\u2019s pop hit. Lewis finds the blues in most songs but Holt\u2019s light touch and Young\u2019s strong foundation (plus his cello work on \u201cTennessee Waltz\u201d), and his vocally urging the proceedings along, also stand out on this Grammy-winning and No.1 R&B chart LP.\n<\/p>\n
Laura Lee: Love More Than Pride<\/em><\/h3>\nStarting out as a member of Detroit gospel\u2019s famed Meditation Singers (which recorded for Chess\u2019 Checker imprint), Laura\u2019s secular output for Chess deserved more attention. Her only Chess LP, this 1972 compilation was culled from sides recorded in Chicago and Muscle Shoals, and released after she began making hits for Hot Wax. The two Curtis Mayfield<\/strong><\/a> covers (which were on the same single) and Kenny Rogers\u2019 \u201cBut You Know I Love You\u201d work well. The terrific \u201cDirty Man,\u201d Lee\u2019s biggest Chess single, and the strong title song, her final Chess release, show off her earthy, bold Southern soul vocals and enhanced sympathetic production. Besides recognition, all that\u2019s missing is the equally good follow-up to \u201cDirty Man,\u201d \u201cUptight Good Man,\u201d though you\u2019ll find that \u2013 and Love More Than Pride <\/em>itself \u2013 on the 2006 collection Very Best Of Laura Lee<\/em>.\n<\/p>\nLittle Milton: Grits Ain\u2019t Groceries<\/em><\/h3>\nAll four of Little Milton\u2019s strong soul-blues Checker LPs could make this list, and this final one, released in 1969, may top the list of his best Chess albums. His voice is in top form, with a convincing versatility on tender ballads such as \u201cI\u2019ll Always Love You,\u201d rave-ups like the Titus Turner classic title song, and stone blues like \u201cDid You Ever Love A Woman.\u201d Milton\u2019s guitar cuts to the bone (listen to \u201cI Can\u2019t Quit You\u201d) and the horn section perfectly punctuates each track thanks to Gene Barge\u2019s arrangements. Albums like this helped Chess remain a force among blues fans into the 70s.<\/p>\n
Little Walter: The Best Of Little Walter<\/em><\/h3>\nHe was the man who reinvented the wheel, which you\u2019re not supposed to do. But Little Walter<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s virtuosity gave the harmonica a new dimension and he forever changed its sound and role in the blues. A case can be made that the sound he produced separated Chicago blues from all others. We\u2019re talking about the original 1957 LP, though most subsequent collections will include the hits: \u201cMy Babe,\u201d \u201cBlues With A Feeling,\u201d \u201cJuke,\u201d \u201cMean Old World\u201d and more \u2013 giving a generation (or three) lessons they\u2019re still digesting.\n<\/p>\nMJT+3: Daddy-O Presents MJT+3<\/em><\/h3>\nA remarkable and intelligent hard bop 1957 debut on Argo from a young Chicago quintet noteworthy less for its virtuoso soloing than its sympathetic and harmonic interaction, but there\u2019s no mistaking the virtuosity of the players here: Paul Serrano on trumpet, Nicki Hill on sax, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Walter Perkins on drums and Richard Abrams on piano. Abrams\u2019 work is especially adventurous and he wrote the five originals on this disc.\n<\/p>\n
James Moody: Cookin\u2019 The Blues<\/em><\/h3>\nThis live San Francisco date from 1961 (reissued in 1998 at At The Jazz Workshop<\/em>) showcases Moody on alto, tenor, and flute, and his septet, plus vocal pioneer Eddie Jefferson, excelling on two selections. Moody\u2019s ability to make his small groups sound like big bands is on display here, but he takes most of the solos and each one shines with inventiveness and surety on one of the best Chess albums from the label\u2019s jazz stable.<\/p>\nThe Moonglows: Look, It\u2019s The Moonglows<\/em><\/h3>\nOne of many benefits of vinyl: the two sides of this LP have different intentions. Ballad-heavy Side One seems intended as a soundtrack to uninterrupted romance. The attempt to update the genre with strings doesn\u2019t terribly detract from the harmonies, and probably worked as well as any Frank Sinatra<\/strong> <\/a>album. The minimal instrumentation on Side Two, starting with the \u201958 hit \u201c10 Commandments Of Love,\u201d reveals the group\u2019s \u201cblow-harmonies\u201d at their best. The sun was setting on the doo-wop era when this 1959 album came out, but this collection of recordings starting in \u201957 remains a tribute to the human voice as a musical instrument, and one of the best Chess albums from its first decade.\n<\/p>\nBilly Stewart: Unbelievable<\/em><\/h3>\nYou won\u2019t find a happier marriage of soul music and The Great American songbook<\/strong><\/a>. The longer version of Stewart\u2019s brilliant hit single reworking of \u201cSummertime\u201d on this 1966 Chess album has an extended vocal vamp in the middle. While the other 11 standards here aren\u2019t as radically re-imagined (though \u201cThat Old Black Magic\u201d also gets special treatment), they are all still wonderfully transformed by Stewart\u2019s unique soulful scat, and the swinging arrangements by Phil Wright provide a perfect setting, at times pushing Stewart to show his jazz chops.\n<\/p>\nThe Violinaires: Groovin\u2019 With Jesus<\/em><\/h3>\nThis gospel group\u2019s eight earlier Checker LPs contained their fine singles and other tracks performed in the tradition of the great quartets of the mid-20th Century. And if you can find any of them, grab them. By 1971, things had changed \u2013 and so did the group. Led by dynamic vocalist Robert Blair, The Violinaires adopted funkier arrangements for this record and looked to the pop charts, embracing lyrics with social concerns and stretching the lengths of the tracks. Their five-minute take on Buddy Miles\u2019 \u201cWe Got To Live Together,\u201d for example, owes much to Sly & The Family Stone. They also cover George Harrison<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s \u201cMy Sweet Lord,\u201d Hair\u2019s \u201cLet The Sunshine In\u201d and Ocean\u2019s \u201cPut Your Hand In The Hand.\u201d While the six- minute-plus \u201cTake Me\u201d hearkens back to more traditional fare, this adventurous gospel-funk project neatly balances the secular and the spiritual.<\/p>\nMuddy Waters: At Newport 1960<\/em><\/h3>\nDocumenting Muddy Waters<\/strong><\/a>\u2018 triumphant debut in front of a largely white audience, you can easily pick up the growing enthusiasm of the crowd, band, and Muddy himself as the set barrels forward. Film of the performance shows Muddy dancing with harp ace James Cotton during the reprise of \u201cI\u2019ve Got My Mojo Working,\u201d and the audience screams come through on the record, too. Otis Spann\u2019s piano also stands out, but it was Muddy who took center-stage and never surrendered it.\n<\/p>\nMuddy Waters: The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album<\/em><\/h3>\nMuddy\u2019s overlooked final Chess LP, from 1975, also tops the list of the best Chess albums recorded during the one of the label\u2019s late 60s all-star jam sessions. Initiated by The Band<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s drummer, Levon Helm (who also plays some bass), this included fellow Band-mate Garth Hudson, Paul Butterfield (who shines on harp), Muddy\u2019s pianist Pinetop Perkins, guitarists Bob Margolin and Fred Carter, and Howard Johnson on sax. The session, captured in upstate New York, finds Muddy relaxed and happy, as the studio chatter between songs reveals. The mix of classics such as \u201cKansas City\u201d and \u201cCaldonia,\u201d plus originals (including a couple from Muddy) display everyone\u2019s versatility within this cohesive, rootsy set.\n<\/p>\nSonny Boy Williamson: Down And Out Blues<\/em><\/h3>\nAnother great feature of vinyl is liner notes. In addition to 12 landmark tracks that collected his first seminal singles, this 1959 Chess LP features an essay by renowned Chicago writer Studs Terkel, who perfectly summarizes the essence of Sonny Boy\u2019s art, writing, \u201cWith a background, rock\u2019n\u2019roll in nature, we hear a dozen short stories. In a number of instances, the year, the place, the hour \u2013 all down as a piece of court reportage.\u201d Amid literary references, Turkel compares Sonny Boy<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s mastery on Side One to the ease with which Hall Of Fame pitcher Rube Wadell might strike out sandlot kids. \u201cThen,\u201d he continues, \u201con the second side, he pours it on.\u201d<\/p>\nHowlin\u2019 Wolf: Moanin\u2019 At Midnight\/Howlin\u2019 Wolf<\/em><\/h3>\nFans have debated forever which of Howlin\u2019 Wolf<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s first two Chess LPs is superior, Moanin\u2019 At Midnight<\/strong><\/em><\/a> (from \u201949) or \u201cThe Rockin\u2019 Chair Album\u201d (so dubbed because of the cover image). Both will rank among the best Chess albums in any serious collection. Proponents of the second record point to the tracks that became blues standards: \u201cWang Dang Doodle,\u201d \u2018Spoonful<\/strong><\/a>\u2018, \u201cLittle Red Rooster\u201d and \u201cBack Door Man.\u201d Adherents to the debut might counter that Wolf never sounded more engaged and menacing than on that record. Best thing is to get them both.\n<\/p>\nHonorable Mentions<\/h2>\n
Some of the best Chess albums are today nigh-on impossible to find in their original vinyl pressings. Here are just a few that committed collectors will do well to hunt down.\n<\/p>\n
Etta James: Rocks The House<\/em><\/h3>\nHer 1964 live LP, on which she\u2019s backed by a small group as opposed to her highly produced studio efforts, deserves to be on any best Chess albums list.<\/p>\n
Jimmy McCracklin: Jimmy McCracklin Sings<\/em><\/h3>\nThe terrific and prolific West Coast blues singer cut one LP for Chess which was released in 1962. Jimmy McCracklin Sings included his \u201958 hit, \u201cThe Walk,\u201d and 11 other great R&B tracks.\n<\/p>\n
The Dells: Musical Menu\/Love Is Blue<\/em><\/h3>\nBoth of these Cadet LPs are rarities that each have a full complement of hits and strong album cuts that merge doo-wop with 60s\/70s-era soul.\n<\/p>\n
Rotary Connection Cadet Concept LPs<\/h3>\n
Minnie Riperton<\/strong><\/a>, who made her debut as a Chess artist singing with The Gems, later joined Rotary Connection as lead singer in this experimental psychedelic soul\/rock group noted for radical reworkings of well-known songs. They recorded six LPs for Cadet Concept (Rotary Connection<\/em>, Aladdin<\/em>, Peace<\/em>, Songs<\/em>, Dinner Music,<\/em> and Hey<\/em>, Love<\/em>), and still enjoy a cult following.<\/p>\nChecker\/Chess Gospel LPs<\/h3>\n
Largely recorded in the 60s, Chess and Checker gospel LPs are very hard to find, but worth the search if you can afford them. Some highlights: Reverend CL Franklin, Aretha\u2019s father, who was a religious and political leader out of Detroit, released an astounding 57 sermons on Chess that are hugely popular with the gospel set. The post-Sam Cooke<\/strong><\/a> Soul Stirrers also had a few Checker and Chess LPs, including one of secular songs, and a tribute to Cooke with the marvelous track \u201cSlow Train.\u201d\n<\/p>\nChess Comedy LPs<\/h3>\n
Chess released LPs by two legendary comedians: Moms Mabley had at least 14 Chess albums and Pigmeat Markham released at least 15. Grab \u2019em if you can find \u2019em.\n<\/p>\n
Released in 1958 (and reissued with an alternate title, Makes It Happen<\/em>, in 1967), this set collects the sides from Jug\u2019s 1950 session that produced the first Chess single, the wistful \u201cMy Foolish Heart,\u201d and his other single releases from that date. All 10 tracks, largely standards and all ballads, share the same dreamy nocturnal feeling with Ammons\u2019 thick tenor sound bathed in reverb, uncommon at the time and transporting the listener to a satisfying, soulful spot.<\/p>\n The four hits on his 1964 comeback LP are significant and exceptional. The comedy \u201cNo Particular Place To Go,\u201d the wise \u201cYou Never Can Tell,\u201d the epic \u201cPromised Land,\u201d and the yearning \u201cLittle Marie.\u201d But it\u2019s the other tracks that provide this LP\u2019s consistency, and at least four allude to Chuck Berry<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s crime and punishment under the Mann Act. \u201cOur Little Rendezvous,\u201d \u201cGo Bobby Soxer,\u201d the cover of Guitar Slim\u2019s \u201cThe Things I Used To Do\u201d and \u201cLittle Marie,\u201d the tale of love left behind. Perhaps that\u2019s why, 15 years later, rock critic Dave Marsh called St. Louis To Liverpool<\/em> \u201cone of the greatest rock\u2019n\u2019roll records ever made,\u201d cementing its place as one of the best Chess albums in history.\n<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s a hits package, but it\u2019s also history: the sound of rock\u2019n\u2019roll shedding its training wheels. The best compilation of Chuck Berry\u2019s pioneering 28 big and small hits available, issued originally as a double-LP at the dawn of the CD age, The Great Twenty-Eight<\/strong><\/em><\/a> was digital ever after, until 2017, when it was pressed onto polyvinylchloride once again. Everything here is from the first nine years of Berry\u2019s Chess output, so there\u2019s no \u201cMy Ding-A-ling.\u201d Chances are, you won\u2019t feel its absence.\n<\/p>\n The quintet DJs called \u201cthe pride and joy of Harvey, Illinois\u201d delivers 12 killer tracks on their 1968 debut Cadet LP that alternate between stompers and ballads. Fourteen years after forming as The El-Rays, The Dells blended doo-wop harmonies with 60s soul thanks to producer Bobby Miller and arranger Charles Stepney<\/a><\/strong>. Intertwined lead vocals by raspy baritone Marvin Junior and falsetto tenor Johnny Carter shine brightly on tracks such as \u201cWhen I\u2019m In Your Arms,\u201d \u201cClose Your Eyes,\u201d \u201cPlease Don\u2019t Change Me Now\u201d and \u201cStay In My Corner,\u201d the elongated hit single follow-up to the Motown-esque title track.<\/p>\n For those seeking the roots of early punk rock in Bo Diddley<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s music and attitude, this could be Exhibit A. One of the best Chess albums to start your collection with, it remains a live document of Bo\u2019s passion, raw simplicity, and power in front of 2,000 fans in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 1963. \u201cRoad Runner\u201d stands out, but everything crackles with rocking rhythm. Culled from two nights of recording, the second was cut short, according to label historian Nadine Cohodas, when Bo\u2019s sideman Jerome Green jumped offstage playing the maracas, and white girls gathered around him to dance. Enforcing local segregation laws, the police pulled the plug on the show.\n<\/p>\n If only because it includes three top Golson compositions \u2013 \u201cI Remember Clifford,\u201d \u201cBlues March\u201d and \u201cKiller Joe\u201d \u2013 this 1960 LP is worth having. Add to that a few well-chosen standards and buoyant performances by the front line of trumpeter Farmer, tenor saxman Golson, and trombonist Curtis Fuller, plus a rhythm section that includes a 20-year-old McCoy Tyner on piano, Farmer\u2019s brother Addison on bass, and underappreciated Lex Humphries on drums, and you have an essential hard bop album. The longer LP version of \u201cKiller Joe\u201d includes Fuller\u2019s solo, edited out of the Argo 45; for those struggling to find the original, the recordings were later issued as part of The Complete Argo Mercury Sessions<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n The Queen Of Soul was 14 when these songs were recorded live at her father\u2019s church in Detroit, accompanying herself on piano, already possessing confident mastery of this material while the congregation spurs her even higher. Released on a small label in 1956, Chess reissued the recordings for the first time in 1965, still a couple of years shy of Aretha\u2019s breakthrough; it would later re-emerge under various titles, among them The Gospel Soul Of Aretha Franklin<\/em> and Aretha Gospel<\/em>. But there is no mistaking the voice on this LP \u2013 it\u2019s the same fully formed, musically intelligent voice that would stun the world in 1967.<\/p>\n 1958\u2019s \u2026 At The Pershing<\/em> LP is often cited as a major jazz LP, but its 1956 predecessor can fairly claim to be one of the best Chess albums on offer. Chamber Music<\/em>\u2026 helped launch Chess\u2019 Argo imprint as a jazz label, and this version of Jamal\u2019s trio featured a piano, guitar and bass line-up. Beyond their sophisticated, quietly pleasing sound, Jamal\u2019s minimalist use of space became highly influential on Miles Davis<\/strong><\/a> and arranger Gil Evans. Two years later, the Argo<\/em> LP was groundbreaking in a few ways, not the least of which was sales, as it stayed on the charts for over two years. An unusual live lounge recording, its popularity stemmed not just from \u201cPoinciana,\u201d but also the more conventional band line-up and the exquisitely spare touch exhibited throughout.\n<\/p>\n Noting the success Atlantic Records had by sending Wilson Pickett<\/strong><\/a> and Aretha Franklin to Muscle Shoals, Leonard Chess correctly figured it would work for Etta James<\/strong><\/a> as well \u2013 and he was right. Not only did she get hit singles, she put down a dozen emotive tracks that made it seem like the house band was created just for her, resulting in one of the best Chess albums from the label\u2019s soul period. The title song and a cover of Otis Redding<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s \u201cSecurity\u201d were hits off Tell Mama<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, and tracks like \u201cI\u2019m Gonna Take What He\u2019s Got\u201d stand with the best soul music of the era. And, of course, there\u2019s \u201cI\u2019d Rather Go Blind.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Grammy-nominated when released on Chess in 1973, this largely dark, angry set might have been targeted to rock fans, but its rage remains universal, and it was fuelled by Etta\u2019s own struggles with addiction and the law. \u201cGod\u2019s Song,\u201d one of three excellent Randy Newman<\/strong><\/a> covers, is a mind-blower, but each bitter track strikes a nerve, notably the \u201cSuperfly\u201d-ish opener, \u201cAll The Way Down,\u201d and \u201cOnly A Fool\u201d (which incorporates the chorus of Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland\u2019s \u201cI Pity The Fool\u201d) and the deceptive desperation of \u201cLay Back Daddy.\u201d The only respite \u2013 sort of \u2013 is the pleading finale, Otis Redding\u2019s \u201cJust One More Day.\u201d<\/p>\n The commercial and popular apex of the trio \u2013 Lewis on piano, Eldee Young on bass and cello and Red Holt on drums \u2013 was captured live for this 1965 Chess LP before a responsive audience at Washington, DC\u2019s Bohemian Club. Side One kicks off with an unedited version of the title song, their biggest single, a jazz cover of Doby Gray\u2019s pop hit. Lewis finds the blues in most songs but Holt\u2019s light touch and Young\u2019s strong foundation (plus his cello work on \u201cTennessee Waltz\u201d), and his vocally urging the proceedings along, also stand out on this Grammy-winning and No.1 R&B chart LP.\n<\/p>\n Starting out as a member of Detroit gospel\u2019s famed Meditation Singers (which recorded for Chess\u2019 Checker imprint), Laura\u2019s secular output for Chess deserved more attention. Her only Chess LP, this 1972 compilation was culled from sides recorded in Chicago and Muscle Shoals, and released after she began making hits for Hot Wax. The two Curtis Mayfield<\/strong><\/a> covers (which were on the same single) and Kenny Rogers\u2019 \u201cBut You Know I Love You\u201d work well. The terrific \u201cDirty Man,\u201d Lee\u2019s biggest Chess single, and the strong title song, her final Chess release, show off her earthy, bold Southern soul vocals and enhanced sympathetic production. Besides recognition, all that\u2019s missing is the equally good follow-up to \u201cDirty Man,\u201d \u201cUptight Good Man,\u201d though you\u2019ll find that \u2013 and Love More Than Pride <\/em>itself \u2013 on the 2006 collection Very Best Of Laura Lee<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n All four of Little Milton\u2019s strong soul-blues Checker LPs could make this list, and this final one, released in 1969, may top the list of his best Chess albums. His voice is in top form, with a convincing versatility on tender ballads such as \u201cI\u2019ll Always Love You,\u201d rave-ups like the Titus Turner classic title song, and stone blues like \u201cDid You Ever Love A Woman.\u201d Milton\u2019s guitar cuts to the bone (listen to \u201cI Can\u2019t Quit You\u201d) and the horn section perfectly punctuates each track thanks to Gene Barge\u2019s arrangements. Albums like this helped Chess remain a force among blues fans into the 70s.<\/p>\n He was the man who reinvented the wheel, which you\u2019re not supposed to do. But Little Walter<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s virtuosity gave the harmonica a new dimension and he forever changed its sound and role in the blues. A case can be made that the sound he produced separated Chicago blues from all others. We\u2019re talking about the original 1957 LP, though most subsequent collections will include the hits: \u201cMy Babe,\u201d \u201cBlues With A Feeling,\u201d \u201cJuke,\u201d \u201cMean Old World\u201d and more \u2013 giving a generation (or three) lessons they\u2019re still digesting.\n<\/p>\n A remarkable and intelligent hard bop 1957 debut on Argo from a young Chicago quintet noteworthy less for its virtuoso soloing than its sympathetic and harmonic interaction, but there\u2019s no mistaking the virtuosity of the players here: Paul Serrano on trumpet, Nicki Hill on sax, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Walter Perkins on drums and Richard Abrams on piano. Abrams\u2019 work is especially adventurous and he wrote the five originals on this disc.\n<\/p>\n This live San Francisco date from 1961 (reissued in 1998 at At The Jazz Workshop<\/em>) showcases Moody on alto, tenor, and flute, and his septet, plus vocal pioneer Eddie Jefferson, excelling on two selections. Moody\u2019s ability to make his small groups sound like big bands is on display here, but he takes most of the solos and each one shines with inventiveness and surety on one of the best Chess albums from the label\u2019s jazz stable.<\/p>\n One of many benefits of vinyl: the two sides of this LP have different intentions. Ballad-heavy Side One seems intended as a soundtrack to uninterrupted romance. The attempt to update the genre with strings doesn\u2019t terribly detract from the harmonies, and probably worked as well as any Frank Sinatra<\/strong> <\/a>album. The minimal instrumentation on Side Two, starting with the \u201958 hit \u201c10 Commandments Of Love,\u201d reveals the group\u2019s \u201cblow-harmonies\u201d at their best. The sun was setting on the doo-wop era when this 1959 album came out, but this collection of recordings starting in \u201957 remains a tribute to the human voice as a musical instrument, and one of the best Chess albums from its first decade.\n<\/p>\n You won\u2019t find a happier marriage of soul music and The Great American songbook<\/strong><\/a>. The longer version of Stewart\u2019s brilliant hit single reworking of \u201cSummertime\u201d on this 1966 Chess album has an extended vocal vamp in the middle. While the other 11 standards here aren\u2019t as radically re-imagined (though \u201cThat Old Black Magic\u201d also gets special treatment), they are all still wonderfully transformed by Stewart\u2019s unique soulful scat, and the swinging arrangements by Phil Wright provide a perfect setting, at times pushing Stewart to show his jazz chops.\n<\/p>\n This gospel group\u2019s eight earlier Checker LPs contained their fine singles and other tracks performed in the tradition of the great quartets of the mid-20th Century. And if you can find any of them, grab them. By 1971, things had changed \u2013 and so did the group. Led by dynamic vocalist Robert Blair, The Violinaires adopted funkier arrangements for this record and looked to the pop charts, embracing lyrics with social concerns and stretching the lengths of the tracks. Their five-minute take on Buddy Miles\u2019 \u201cWe Got To Live Together,\u201d for example, owes much to Sly & The Family Stone. They also cover George Harrison<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s \u201cMy Sweet Lord,\u201d Hair\u2019s \u201cLet The Sunshine In\u201d and Ocean\u2019s \u201cPut Your Hand In The Hand.\u201d While the six- minute-plus \u201cTake Me\u201d hearkens back to more traditional fare, this adventurous gospel-funk project neatly balances the secular and the spiritual.<\/p>\n Documenting Muddy Waters<\/strong><\/a>\u2018 triumphant debut in front of a largely white audience, you can easily pick up the growing enthusiasm of the crowd, band, and Muddy himself as the set barrels forward. Film of the performance shows Muddy dancing with harp ace James Cotton during the reprise of \u201cI\u2019ve Got My Mojo Working,\u201d and the audience screams come through on the record, too. Otis Spann\u2019s piano also stands out, but it was Muddy who took center-stage and never surrendered it.\n<\/p>\n Muddy\u2019s overlooked final Chess LP, from 1975, also tops the list of the best Chess albums recorded during the one of the label\u2019s late 60s all-star jam sessions. Initiated by The Band<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s drummer, Levon Helm (who also plays some bass), this included fellow Band-mate Garth Hudson, Paul Butterfield (who shines on harp), Muddy\u2019s pianist Pinetop Perkins, guitarists Bob Margolin and Fred Carter, and Howard Johnson on sax. The session, captured in upstate New York, finds Muddy relaxed and happy, as the studio chatter between songs reveals. The mix of classics such as \u201cKansas City\u201d and \u201cCaldonia,\u201d plus originals (including a couple from Muddy) display everyone\u2019s versatility within this cohesive, rootsy set.\n<\/p>\n Another great feature of vinyl is liner notes. In addition to 12 landmark tracks that collected his first seminal singles, this 1959 Chess LP features an essay by renowned Chicago writer Studs Terkel, who perfectly summarizes the essence of Sonny Boy\u2019s art, writing, \u201cWith a background, rock\u2019n\u2019roll in nature, we hear a dozen short stories. In a number of instances, the year, the place, the hour \u2013 all down as a piece of court reportage.\u201d Amid literary references, Turkel compares Sonny Boy<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s mastery on Side One to the ease with which Hall Of Fame pitcher Rube Wadell might strike out sandlot kids. \u201cThen,\u201d he continues, \u201con the second side, he pours it on.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans have debated forever which of Howlin\u2019 Wolf<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s first two Chess LPs is superior, Moanin\u2019 At Midnight<\/strong><\/em><\/a> (from \u201949) or \u201cThe Rockin\u2019 Chair Album\u201d (so dubbed because of the cover image). Both will rank among the best Chess albums in any serious collection. Proponents of the second record point to the tracks that became blues standards: \u201cWang Dang Doodle,\u201d \u2018Spoonful<\/strong><\/a>\u2018, \u201cLittle Red Rooster\u201d and \u201cBack Door Man.\u201d Adherents to the debut might counter that Wolf never sounded more engaged and menacing than on that record. Best thing is to get them both.\n<\/p>\n Some of the best Chess albums are today nigh-on impossible to find in their original vinyl pressings. Here are just a few that committed collectors will do well to hunt down.\n<\/p>\n Her 1964 live LP, on which she\u2019s backed by a small group as opposed to her highly produced studio efforts, deserves to be on any best Chess albums list.<\/p>\n The terrific and prolific West Coast blues singer cut one LP for Chess which was released in 1962. Jimmy McCracklin Sings included his \u201958 hit, \u201cThe Walk,\u201d and 11 other great R&B tracks.\n<\/p>\n Both of these Cadet LPs are rarities that each have a full complement of hits and strong album cuts that merge doo-wop with 60s\/70s-era soul.\n<\/p>\n Minnie Riperton<\/strong><\/a>, who made her debut as a Chess artist singing with The Gems, later joined Rotary Connection as lead singer in this experimental psychedelic soul\/rock group noted for radical reworkings of well-known songs. They recorded six LPs for Cadet Concept (Rotary Connection<\/em>, Aladdin<\/em>, Peace<\/em>, Songs<\/em>, Dinner Music,<\/em> and Hey<\/em>, Love<\/em>), and still enjoy a cult following.<\/p>\n Largely recorded in the 60s, Chess and Checker gospel LPs are very hard to find, but worth the search if you can afford them. Some highlights: Reverend CL Franklin, Aretha\u2019s father, who was a religious and political leader out of Detroit, released an astounding 57 sermons on Chess that are hugely popular with the gospel set. The post-Sam Cooke<\/strong><\/a> Soul Stirrers also had a few Checker and Chess LPs, including one of secular songs, and a tribute to Cooke with the marvelous track \u201cSlow Train.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Chess released LPs by two legendary comedians: Moms Mabley had at least 14 Chess albums and Pigmeat Markham released at least 15. Grab \u2019em if you can find \u2019em.\n<\/p>\nChuck Berry: St. Louis To Liverpool<\/em><\/h3>\n
Chuck Berry: The Great Twenty-Eight<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Dells: There Is<\/em><\/h3>\n
Bo Diddley: Bo Diddley\u2019s Beach Party<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet: Meet the Jazztet<\/em><\/h3>\n
Aretha Franklin: Songs Of Faith<\/em><\/h3>\n
Ahmad Jamal: Chamber Music Of The New Jazz<\/em><\/h3>\n
Etta James: Tell Mama<\/em><\/h3>\n
Etta James: Etta James<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Ramsey Lewis Trio: The In Crowd<\/em><\/h3>\n
Laura Lee: Love More Than Pride<\/em><\/h3>\n
Little Milton: Grits Ain\u2019t Groceries<\/em><\/h3>\n
Little Walter: The Best Of Little Walter<\/em><\/h3>\n
MJT+3: Daddy-O Presents MJT+3<\/em><\/h3>\n
James Moody: Cookin\u2019 The Blues<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Moonglows: Look, It\u2019s The Moonglows<\/em><\/h3>\n
Billy Stewart: Unbelievable<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Violinaires: Groovin\u2019 With Jesus<\/em><\/h3>\n
Muddy Waters: At Newport 1960<\/em><\/h3>\n
Muddy Waters: The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album<\/em><\/h3>\n
Sonny Boy Williamson: Down And Out Blues<\/em><\/h3>\n
Howlin\u2019 Wolf: Moanin\u2019 At Midnight\/Howlin\u2019 Wolf<\/em><\/h3>\n
Honorable Mentions<\/h2>\n
Etta James: Rocks The House<\/em><\/h3>\n
Jimmy McCracklin: Jimmy McCracklin Sings<\/em><\/h3>\n
The Dells: Musical Menu\/Love Is Blue<\/em><\/h3>\n
Rotary Connection Cadet Concept LPs<\/h3>\n
Checker\/Chess Gospel LPs<\/h3>\n
Chess Comedy LPs<\/h3>\n