In January of 1964, Rivers opened the historic Whisky A Go-Go to a packed crowd of Hollywood stars and music fans, kicking off what would come to be known as the Go Go Generation. For the next year, a crowd of fans and celebrities flocked to the club to listen and dance to Rivers’ high energy live performances. Even the Beatles and Bob Dylan graced the club to see Rivers’ show.
Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology, begins with his first hit single, Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” from his debut album Johnny Rivers Live At The Whisky A Go- Go. The single was a smash hit, climbing its way to the top of the charts. Like his first album, Rivers recorded his second, Here We A Go-Go Again!, live at the club. This album also spawned a major national hit with another Chuck Berry song “Maybelline.” Rivers continued to have great success with gems such as “Mountain Of Love,” “Seventh Son,” and one of his best known songs, “Secret Agent Man,” originally the opening theme for the hit TV series Secret Agent starring Patrick McGoohan.
After six “live” albums, Rivers changed direction; he began using more of his own compositions and expanding his arrangements in the recording studio. The centerpiece of his aptly titled Changes album was “Poor Side Of Town,” a lush, soulful ballad, which topped the singles charts in 1966. Rivers was the first artist outside the Motown camp to have hits with the Motown classics “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’” and “The Tracks Of My Tears.” In 1967 Rivers produced his best selling album to date, Realization, which featured his classic hit “Summer Rain.”
In the 1970’s Rivers came back with several classics including “Help Me Rhonda” with Brian Wilson singing harmony (the success of which inspired Brian to go back in the studio with the Beach Boys) and the New Orleans-style piano classic, “Rockin’ Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu.” In 1977 Rivers scored again with the beautiful Jack Tempchin penned ballad “Slow Dancin’.” Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology: 1964-2006 features the above mentioned tracks as well as songs recorded later, including Elvis Presley’s “That’s Alright Mama,” and the Carl Perkins songs “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox,” recorded in 1991 at Sun Studios and latter two featuring Perkins on guitar. A beautiful version of the Beatles “I’ll Be Back” (from the 2004 Reinvention Highway Soul City release) and crowd-favorite “China” from the 2001 live album Back At The Whisky are also featured on the package.
Shout Factory, June 27, 2006
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Memphis (Chuck Berry) - 2:30
2. Maybelline (Chuck Berry) - 2:15
3. Mountain of Love (Harold Dorman) - 2:39
4. Midnight Special (Traditional) - 2:28
5. Seventh Son (Willie Dixon) - 2:45
6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone (Pete Seeger) - 3:15
7. Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan, Steve Barri) - 3:05
8. (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water (Joe Babcock) - 2:58
9. Poor Side of Town (Johnny Rivers, Lou Adler) - 3:28
10.Baby, I Need Your Lovin' (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3:07
11.The Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin) - 2:56
12.Summer Rain (James Hendricks) - 3:36
13.Positively 4th Street (Bob Dylan) - 5:02
14.Muddy River (James Hendricks) - 3:27
15.Into the Mystic (Van Morrison) - 4:41
16.Sea Cruise (Huey Smith, John Vincent) - 2:50
17.Rockin' Pneumonia / Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey Smith, John Vincent) - 3:12
18.Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins) - 2:47
1. Help Me Rhonda (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) - 2:54
2. Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin') (Jack Tempchin) - 4:00
3. Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um) (Curtis Mayfield) - 3:03
4. That's Alright Mama (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) - 2:51
5. Honey Don't (Carl Perkins) - 3:21
6. Big River (Johnny Cash) - 3:04
7. Matchbox (Carl Perkins) - 2:12
8. Down at the House of Blues (Johnny Rivers) - 4:40
9. Closer to You (Johnny Rivers, Jack Tempchin) - 4:55
10.Blue Suede Shoes [Tribute to Carl Perkins] (Carl Perkins) - 3:48
11.Last Train to Memphis (Johnny Rivers, Jack Tempchin) - 3:41
12.China (Live) (Michael Georgiades, Jeffrey Monday) - 5:49
13.Midnight Special (2004 Version) (Traditional) - 4:41
14.I'll Be Back (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:27
15.Going Back to Big Sur (Johnny Rivers) - 3:32
16.Feel a Whole Lot Better (Gene Clark) - 2:50
17.Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters) - 3:04
18.Let It Rock (Chuck Berry) - 2:31
*Johnny Rivers - Vocals, Guitar
Hi, Marios! Thank you many times for this compilation. I've seen some 2 in 1 discs in BGO records from Rivers. Can you upload any of them, if you got it? (For instance, the Rewind/Realization one)
ReplyDeleteAlso Need Johnny Rivers Secrets unveiled, Please RE-up Secret Agent Man
ReplyDeleteNever paid much attention to Rivers output during his heyday, but must admit that 'Secret Agent Man' and 'Poor Side of Town' were both guilty pleasures. With your generosity, perhaps the time has come to further investigate his oeuvre. Thanks Marios!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marios. This is a nice addition to the 3 vinyl albums from Johnny Rivers I already have in my collection.
ReplyDelete