20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection

by Etta James

Overview

Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around -- well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasn't too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it's hard to feel that way when it's used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it's impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they're nevertheless solid samplers that don't feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take Etta James' 20th Century volume -- it's an irresistible 11-song summary of her Chess years. There may be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but many of her best-known songs for the label are here, including "At Last," "Something's Got a Hold on Me," "All I Could Do Was Cry," "Stop the Wedding," "Pushover," "Don't Cry Baby," "Trust in Me," "Tell Mama," "Almost Persuaded," and "I'd Rather Go Blind." Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn't erase the ridiculousness of the series title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/06/1999
Label:	Mca / Universal Distribution
UPC:	0008811195328
Rank:	4881

Tracks

1. At Last
2. Something's Got a Hold on Me
3. All I Could Do Was Cry
4. Stop the Wedding
5. Pushover
6. Don't Cry Baby
7. Trust in Me
8. My Dearest Darling
9. Tell Mama
10. Almost Persuaded
11. I'd Rather Go Blind

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Etta James   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Andy McKaie   Compilation Producer,Producer
Pearl Woods   Composer
Berry Gordy, Jr.   Composer
Bessie Smith   Composer
Bill Foster   Composer
Billy Sherrill   Composer
Billy Davis   Composer
James P. Johnson   Composer
Clarence Carter   Composer
Ellington Jordan   Composer
Fred Johnson   Composer
Erick Labson   Remastering,Digital Remastering
Joseph F. Laredo   Liner Notes
Ned Wever   Composer
Milton Ager   Composer
Gwen Fuqua   Composer
Glenn Sutton   Composer
Marcus Daniel   Composer
Paul Gayten   Composer
Eddie Bocage   Composer
Mack Gordon   Composer
Etta James   Composer
Leroy Kirkland   Composer
Wilbur Terrell   Composer
Saul Bernie   Composer
Vartan   Art Direction
Harry Warren   Composer
Meire Murakami   Design
Tony Clarke   Composer,Composer
Jean Schwartz   Composer
Freddy Johnson   Composer
Billy Foster   Composer
Gwen Gordy Fuqua   Composer
Donto Foster   Composer
Stella Unger   Composer