This article contains comprehensive discography information related to Joe Tex.
Albums Primarily from Rolling Stone Joe Tex Discography; www.rollingstone.com, [ AllMusic Joe Tex Discography]; www.allmusic.com, Yahoo Music Joe Tex Discography; www.new.music.yahoo.com and James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com.
1965 Hold What You've Got (Dial Records, distributed by Atlantic Records)This was Tex's first album release, despite having released over thirty singles during the previous decade. - US Pop #124, US R&B #2 1965 Hold On! It's Joe Tex (Checker)Early recordings, released to capitalize on the success of Hold On to What You've Got. Includes "Baby, You're Right", written by Joe Tex and a hit for James Brown in 1962. Also includes "You Keep Her", written by Joe Tex in relation to wife leaving Tex for James Brown. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1965 The Best of Joe Tex (King)Also early recordings, released to capitalize on the success of Hold On to What You've Got. Also in 1965, a record containing no more than four Joe Tex songs and filled with other recordings represented to be Tex was released by Pickwick Records as Joe Tex. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com; commentary by Greg Burgess. 1965 The Best of Joe Tex (Parrot)More early recordings. Includes "Meet Me in Church", later recorded by Solomon Burke. 1965 Joe Tex (Pickwick)Another release of early Joe Tex material, most songs being previously unreleased, intended to capitalize on Tex's newfound national success. 1965 The New Boss (Dial/Atlantic) - US #142, US R&B #3 1966 The Love You Save (Dial/Atlantic) - US #108 1966 I've Got to Do a Little Better (Dial/Atlantic) 1967 The Best of Joe Tex (Dial/Atlantic)"No filler, no fat. Can't argue with this one, as it has all of his hits up to then. No B-sides, no album cuts. However, Atlantic should have put together a "Vol. 2", because his biggest hit of the sixties was right around the corner." James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1968 Live and Lively (Dial/Atlantic) - US #84 1968 Soul Country (Dial/Atlantic) - US #154 1969 Happy Soul (Dial/Atlantic) 1969 Buying a Book (Dial/Atlantic) - US #190 1969 You Better Get It (Dial/Atlantic)Re-release of his first album Hold What You've Got. 1970 With Strings and Things (Dial/Atlantic) 1972 From the Roots Came the Rapper (Dial/Atlantic)Containing previously unreleased material of varying quality, released after Tex had left the label. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003, commentary by Waymon Timbsdayle; www.roctober.com. 1972 I Gotcha (Dial) - US #17 1972 The History of...Joe Tex (Pride)Containing early, pre-"Hold On" material, without disclaimer, though the collection is considered to be quite worthwhile. According to John Battles, "These tracks were largely recorded during Joe's "Little Richard" phase, which wielded some wild, unruly rockers, of which some of the best are included here. ...All that screamin' and beamin' and steamin' makes me wanna wreck a room, just like Richard's most frantic sides (i.e. "Keep A Knockin'" or "Bama Lama Bama Loo", which hadn't been recorded yet). ...make no mistake, Tex wasn't just copying pre-established artists, he was getting his own thing together, and learning from the best. That said, Tex was already a highly respected performer without a hit when he was doing opening spots for Brown and Richard in the late Fifties. Little Richard himself went so far as to say that James Brown got much of his stage act from watching Joe Tex on stage. All in all, this is a cool compilation, but there's enough material from this period for a nice CD (Or maybe even a double CD) retrospective." Joe Tex Album Guide , commentary by John Battles; www.roctober.com. 1972 Spill the Beans (Dial) 1973 The Best of Joe Tex (Citation)Being a direct re-release of the 1965 release of The Best of Joe Tex on Parrot Records. 1977 Bumps & Bruises (Epic) - US #108 1977 Another Woman's Man (Power Pak)Rerelease of pre-1965 King Records material, previously released in 1965 as The Best of Joe Tex. 1978 Rub Down (Epic) 1979 He Who Is Without Funk Cast the First Stone (Dial) 1979 Super Soul (Parrot/London)Criticised as being another re-release of Tex's pre-Dial material, but again excluding the "lost 45, 'Looking for My Pig'". Released as part of the London Records Collectors' Series, which also included releases of London material by Thin Lizzy, Genesis and David Bowie. See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1982 J.T.'s Funk (Accord)Another release of pre-1965 material. 1984 Ain't I a Mess (Chess)Being primarily a re-release of Hold On! It's Joe Tex (1965), though with detailed liner notes by legendary DJ Bill "Hoss" Allen. 1985 The Best of Joe Tex (Atlantic)Printed for release in 1984, but actually released in 1985. The album is similar to the original Atlantic 1967 release of The Best of Joe Tex, except that Tex's No. 1 R & B chart hit in 1965, "I Want to Do Everything for You", is inexplicably replaced with the non-single, "Build Your Love On A Solid Foundation". Also criticised for not including other Joe Tex hits, such as "Skinny Legs and All". See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1988 I Believe I'm Gonna Make It: The Best of Joe Tex 1964-1972 (Rhino)Both the Rhino and Charly releases are considered to be definitive "best of" releases of Joe Tex material, superior to reissues by his long-time label, Atlantic: "Now this is more like it. All the hits from all the labels, plus comprehensive liner notes that tell you what's what. At the time, Rhino (US) and Charly (UK) were setting the standard for reissue labels, and they gave Joe's legacy the royal treatment it deserved." James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1988 The Best of Joe Tex (Charly) 1989 Different Strokes (Charly)Rare and previously unissued Joe Tex material, including "I Can See Everybody's Baby But Mine". 1989 Stone Soul Country (Charly)Reissue of Soul Country (1968), with bonus tracks. 1991 Greatest Hits (Curb)The release of Greatest Hits on Curb Records marked the beginning of a series of reissues of Joe Tex material on various discount record labels. This led to speculation that Buddy Killen, who had formed Dial Records explicitly to record Joe Tex and then licensed the recordings to Atlantic Records, must have regained the rights to his Dial Records masters of Joe Tex recordings. See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide , 2003; www.roctober.com. 1996 The Very Best of Joe Tex (Rhino) 1999 His Greatest Hits (Charly)A major collection, containing 44 tracks. Track listing is [ here]. 2000 25 All Time Greatest Hits (Varèse)According to reviewer Richie Unterberger, "If you're set on having the best available Joe Tex CD anthology...this definitely supersedes others as the greatest-hits collection of choice. ...There's no telling if this will remain the definitive Tex compilation if his catalog continues to get passed around, but there's a good chance that it won't be surpassed." [ Review of Joe Tex, 25 All Time Greatest Hits]; www.allmusic.com. 2000 Golden Legends (Direct Source) 2000 Greatest Hits!!! (7-N/Buddha) 2001 Show Me the Hits (Malaco) 2001 Oh Boy Classics Presents Joe Tex (Oh Boy)An independent record label started by singer John Prine.As described by reviewer Dave Marsh, "Fourteen fundamental hits, mainly from the Atlantic soul period, starting with 'Hold What You've Got' and with a brief diversion to the disco-funk of 'I Gotcha.' This is Tex as pared down to his essence as you'll find. Notes are by the great Memphis producer/songwriter Chips Moman, but, unfortunately, they're just one paragraph long." [ Review of Oh Boy Classics Presents Joe Tex]; www.allmusic.com. 2001 Hold On to What You've Got/The New Boss (Connoisseur Collection)As described by reviewer Mark Deming, "Stylistically, both albums were just a bit off the beaten path from the bulk of Tex's mid-1960s work; his sense of humor (always bubbling beneath the surface) came into the forefront on Hold On to What You've Got, while The New Boss focused new emphasis on Tex's obvious fondness for country music." [ Review of Hold On to What You've Got/The New Boss]; www.allmusic.com. 2001 The Love You Save/I've Got to Do a Little Bit Better (Connoisseur Collection)As described by reviewer Mark Deming, "Two of Joe Tex's finest albums from his tenure as the in-house 'advice columnist' of Southern soul are paired up on this superior CD reissue. ...Buddy Killen's production is the ideal match for Tex's often witty, always heartfelt stories about finding and holding on to love." [ Review of The Love You Save/I've Got to Do a Little Bit Better]; www.allmusic.com. 2002 Buying a Book (includes bonus tracks) 2002 The Masters (Eagle Rock Entertainment) 2002 12 Hits: Five Star Collection (Varese) 2002 Ain't Gonna Bump No More (Southbound) 2002 David Allan Coe Presents Joe Tex (Coe Pop)Being the only soul record in the "David Allan Coe Presents" series. As noted by reviewer Wade Kergan, "Tex was among the grittier songwriters of '60s Southern soul, so the fact that the irascible redneck Coe would pick him as the lone soul artist in his mostly traditional country David Allan Coe Presents series isn't a surprise." [ Review of David Allan Coe Presents Joe Tex]; www.allmusic.com. 2002 The Complete Dial Recordings, Volume 3: Live and Lively/Soul Country (RPM) 2002 The Complete Dial Recordings, Volume 4: Happy Soul/Buying a Book (RPM) 2002 Testifyin': The Essential Joe Tex (Castle Select) 2003 Classic Masters (Capitol)Criticised by reviewer Tim Sendra as excluding too much "classic" Joe Tex, such as "'One Monkey Don't Stop No Show' and the timeless disco classic 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman'." [ Review of Classic Masters]; www.allmusic.com. 2004 This Is Gold (Disky) 2006 The Very Best of, Volume 1 (Sony) 2006 The Very Best of, Volume 2 (Sony) 2006 Yum Yum Yum (HHO Licensing) 2006 The Best of Joe Tex (Platinum Disc) 2006 Golden Soul Hits (CBujEnt.) 2006 Nothing But a Joe Tex Party (Legacy) 2007 The One That You Love (KRB Music) 2007 Greatest Hits (Collectables) 2007 Greatest Hits (Neon)Being a collection of Dial Records material from the 1960s. As noted by reviewer Steve Leggett, "Whatever else Joe Tex has been in his long career, and that includes being a charismatic showman, singer, and performer, he has always been a fine songwriter, and this generous 20-track set of his key 1960s Dial Records sides has plenty to prove the point." Steve Leggett, [ Review of Greatest Hits (Neon)]; www.allmusic.com. 2008 The Best of Joe Tex (Gusto)Being the complete recordings Tex completed for King Records (owned by Syd Nathan) during 1955-1957, involving no album release at the time. According to reviewer Steve Leggett, the material is considered to be "derivative...sounding a bit like Tex trying to emulate Sam Cooke. It's pleasant enough, but it wasn't until the next decade that he would find his own voice." Steve Leggett, [ Review of The Best of Joe Tex (Gusto)]; www.allmusic.com. 2008 The Love You Save (Roots and Rhythm)