Rough Edges

AMG Review of Rough Edges

Andrew Hamilton
All Music Guide

Count your blessings if you find a copy of this rare bird. This Ben E. King LP on Larry Maxwell's Maxwell label interrupted a string of Atco releases. Limited sales made it a one-off and King began another string of albums for the Atco family on Atlantic Records. The Bob Crewe production finds the ex-Drifters lead singing with fervor on songs the likes of which he never sniffed at while recording for Atco. Actually a hodgepodge, lighter efforts like "Little Green Apples," the much-recorded "She Lets Her Hair Down," and the emoting "Lay Lady Lay" buffer King's straight-up renditions of the Beatles' "Come Together" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour." But there's no attempt to re-create his popular solo or Drifters recordings; that coupled with a weak promotional effort made Rough Edges an early entry in the cutout bins. Scarcity, however, has made the price of a copy in mint condition worth significantly more.