VA — Instant & The Minit Story (2005)

This 52-song collection doesn\’t entirely overlap EMI\’s Minit Records Story box set, which has a few rarities and obscure tracks, but it\’s a good overview of some of the best and most interesting of the label\’s output, and also the sheer diversity of the company\’s output, from the hard blues of Jessie Hill to the smooth, near-pop stylings of Allen & Allen. Joe Banashak, who founded Minit and Instant, was truly in love with the sounds he heard from the clubs in New Orleans, and he seldom seems to have heard any artists expressing confidence and inspiration who he didn\’t want to release. Thus, hard-rocking numbers like Lee Dorsey\’s \»Lottie Mo\» share space on this set with harmony numbers like \»The Owl Sees You\» by the Showmen (aka the Humdingers) and the sultry, seductive soul of Irma Thomas (\»It\’s Too Soon to Know,\» \»Ruler of My Heart,\» \»It\’s Raining\»). British Invasion fans will find a lot to keep them busy as well, given the originals by several Brit-rock favorites, including \»Fortune Teller,\» \»Something You Got,\» and \»I Like It Like That\» represented here. Throughout both of these discs, Allen Toussaint is represented as producer, arranger, and frequently songwriter as well; if anyone needed convincing that Banashak had a resident genius under contract, the first few tracks do the job. The second disc moves up through later, post-Toussaint Instant and Seven B label tracks that feature Eddie Lang, Skip Easterling, and Eddie Bo, as well as Bo\’s production work from the mid- and late \’60s. The sound is excellent as well, and one only wishes that a bit more material from Minit\’s early history was present, and that a few more details were available on some of the lesser-known artists.

CD 1/3 — Hits By The Minit

01. Jessie Hill — Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Parts 1 & 2 4:25

02. Allen & Allen — Beverly Baby 2:31

03. Lee Dorsey — Lottie Mo 2:36

04. The Showmen — The Owl Sees You 2:22

05. Aaron Neville — Over You 2:19

06. Ernie K-Doe — Mother In Law 2:34

07. Roy Montrell — Mudd 2:35

08. Diamond Joe — Moanin\’ And Screamin\’, Parts 1 & 2 6:22

09. Del Royals — Always Naggin\’ 2:40

10. Benny Spellman — Fortune Teller 2:11

11. Irma Thomas — It\’s Too Soon To Know 3:34

12. Chris Kenner — I Like It Like That, Part 1 1:57

13. Art Neville — All These Things 3:17

14. The Showmen — It Will Stand 2:13

15. Willie Harper — New Kind Of Love 2:15

16. Joe August — Everything Happens At Night 2:33

17. Raymond Lewis — I\’m Gonna Put Some Hurt On You 2:40

18. Benny Spellman — Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) 2:24

19. Chris Kenner — Something You Got 2:51

20. Chick Carbo — In The Night 2:19

21. Aaron Neville — Show Me The Way 2:30

22. Art Neville — House On The Hill (Rock N Roll Hootenanny) 2:34

23. Ernie K-Doe — Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta 2:39

24. Eskew Reeder — Green Door 2:46

25. Irma Thomas — Ruler Of My Heart 2:44

26. Jessie Hill — The Pot\’s On Strike 1:44

27. Ernie K-Doe — There\’s A Will, There\’s A Way 3:50

28. Lee Diamond — It Won\’t Be Me 1:57

29. Ernie K-Doe — I Cried My Last Tear 2:11

CD 2/3 — In An Instant

01. Chris Kenner — Land Of 1000 Dances 2:49

02. Ernie K-Doe — A Certain Girl 2:44

03. Eddie Bo — Fence Of Love 2:41

04. The Humdingers — For You My Darling 2:16

05. Eldridge Holmes — The Sooner You Realise 2:45

06. Irma Thomas — It\’s Raining 2:03

07. Eskew Reeder — The Flu 2:17

08. Benny Spellman — 10-4 (Calling All Cars) 2:53

09. Ernie K-Doe — T\’ain\’t It The Truth 3:21

10. Jessie Hill — Oogsey Moo 2:56

11. Aaron Neville — Reality (Even Though) 2:37

12. Chris Kenner — Anybody Here Seen My Baby 2:14

13. Art Neville — Hook, Line And Sinker 2:35

14. Eskew Reeder — I Waited Too Long 2:35

15. Eddie Bo — S.G.B. (Stone Graveyard Business) 2:34

16. Eddie Lang — I\’m Gonna Make You Eat Those Words 2:42

17. The Stokes — Whipped Cream 2:35

18. The Hueys — Coo Coo Over You 2:48

19. Little Buck — Whisper My Name 2:34

20. Barbara George — Something You Got 2:44

21. Allen Toussaint — Poor Boy Got To Move 2:58

22. Roger & The Gypsies — Pass The Hatchet 2:56

23. Oliver Morgan — The La La Man 2:34

24. Eddie Lang — The Sad One 2:48

25. Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham — Lover And A Friend 2:29

26. Edgar Blanchard — Somebody\’s Doin\’ Me Wrong 1:59

27. Ernie K-Doe — Popeye Joe 2:38

28. Chris Kenner — My Wife 2:28

29. Jessie Hill — Why Holler 2:25

30. Edgar Blanchard & The Prince Royals — Tight Like That 2:31

CD 3/3 — From The Vaults

01. Al Michael — Creole Baby 2:36

02. Chris Kenner — (Big Hunk O\’ Woman) Come Back And See 2:23

03. Al Michae — Jump And Shout 1:52

04. Edgar Blanchard & The Prince Royals — Keep My Pockets Clean 4:13

05. Larry Darnell — Stomp Down Soul 2:55

06. Eddie Lang — Souling 2:15

07. China Flair — Rockin\’ Way 3:48

08. Matthew Jacobs — Loaded Down 2:06

09. Polka Dot Slim — Ain\’t Hungry, Ain\’t Broke 3:03

10. Edgar Blanchard & The Prince Royals — I\’m Gone And That\’s All 3:40

11. Peter Pats — Nervous Condition 2:30

12. Matthew Jacobs — (If I Only Had) A Chance For Your Love 2:43

13. Allen Toussaint — The Fat Cat 2:06

14. Wille Harper — Grumblin\’, Fussin\’, Nag, Nag 2:24

15. Chris Kenner — Mini Skirts And Soul 4:36

16. Eddie Bo — I Just Keep Rollin\’ 2:21

17. Eskew Reeder — No Never Again 2:22

18. Irma Thomas — Your Love Is True 1:36

19. Eddie Bo — (Oo Wee Baby) What You Gonna Do 2:30

20. Doyle Templet — Betty Jane 1:50

21. Lee Diamond — Please Don\’t Leave Me 3:37

22. The Del Royals — Who Will Be The One 2:34

23. Chick Carbo — Run Henry 2:13

24. Sax Kari — Dream Girl 3:19

25. The Humdingers — Skinny Mny 1:52

26. The Showmen — True Fine Mama 2:32

27. The Showmen — Shape 2:56

28. Ruby And The Pearls — Boys 1:44

29. The Fabulettes — If It Wasn\’t For Girls 2:25

30. The Night Hawks — Rockin\’ With The Hawks 2:34

\»The definitive 3 CD history of Joe Banashak\’s group of labels from the golden age of New Orleans R&B\».