Funk my Soul

Mr.Moo continues to offer us great albums like the classic balladry of the Dynamics, a must in any soul/sweet soul music collection of depth.

A bit sweet soul, a bit funky and a real indie soul classic from the early 70s! The album’s the second from The Dynamics, a group from Detroit, but one who work here with a style that’s much more in the east coast mode of the All Platinum/Stang generation! The production is nice and mellow on the best cuts - fragile, but never sloppy - and the vocals really dominate nicely on the ballads, sliding forward with a really mellow late nite sound! The album does have one stand out funk track, titled “Funkey Key”, but most of the set is relatively mellow and other tracks include “Count Your Chips”, “What A Shame”, and “You’ll Never Find A Man Like Me”.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (supplied by Mr.Moo) of the original Black Gold LP including covers

Tracks
A1 What A Shame 3:15
A2 She’s For Real (Bless You) 2:30
A3 Let Me Be Your Friend 4:00
A4 You’ll Never Find A Man Like Me 3:10
A5 Woe Is Me 3:00
B1 Voyage Thru The Mind 3:02
B2 You’re The Only One 3:25
B3 Funky Key 3:20
B4 Count Your Chips 3:45
B5 Shucks I Love You 3:00

Bio

Isaac “Zeke” Harris, George White, Fred Baker, and Samuel Stevenson were the Dynamics. (Zerben R. Hicks also sang with them but left shortly after their first album release.) All Detroit natives, the group was managed by Ted White, who was married to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.Their first Cotillion release, the metaphoric “Ice Cream Song,” did quite well on R&B charts. Following the lead of Atlantic recording Aretha in the South, White took the Dynamics to Memphis to record, which is why “Ice Cream Song” sounds like something the Mad Lads would have recorded at Stax. The Dynamics, however, were more versatile than the Mad Lads, and the material was better too. They had three lead voices, one being an outstanding falsetto. Chips Morman and Tommy Cogbill produced their early sides; the rhythm section consisted of Memphis stalwarts Reggie Young (guitar), Bobby Emmons (organ), Bobby Wood (piano), Mick Leach (bass), and Gene Chrisman (drums). They recorded two albums: “First Landing” on Cotillion and “What a Shame” on Black Gold.

Review

Managed by Ted White, Aretha Franklin’s husband (at the time), the Dynamics released a slew of singles and two albums but never achieved any sustained chart action; they’re visually unknown to most, even to those who know their recordings. “What a Shame“, the title track, is arguably their best single, a sweet falsetto sings the woeful tale in a mournful voice usually associated with wakes and funerals. Like everything else on the album, it was written and produced by the now-deceased Ronnie Shannon, an eccentric songwriter from Detroit who gained fame writing hits like “Baby, I Love You” for Aretha. “Woe Is Me” paves the same mournful path, as does “You’ll Never Find a Man Like Me“. Shannon speeds it up on “Shucks I Love You“, a happy-in-love tune carried by an airy falsetto lead. Brass is prominent on “Funky Key“, a groove daddy that probably worked better live; the lead is rough, countering the melodic and smooth backing vocals. The Dynamics had at least three lead singers and used them all. “Count Your Chips” is a slow beauty, typical of sounds emanating from Philly, yet it failed to sell despite a sugary lead vocal. Other notables include “Voyage Thru the Mind” and “Let Me Be Your Friend“.

(Bio and Review by Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide)

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Buy the vinyl from ebay or Groove Collector and a digital copy from Amazon.

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Do not miss their debut album “First Landing” in our back pages here.

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Starfire are a self-contained group that released their first LP in 1976. This is their sophomore set, containing two tracks from the debut, and continuing to buck the gimmicky trend of disco with a very fine mixture of funk and ballads. They brought out another LP in the mid-eighties - comprising of tracks of their first two albums suggesting they became Red Dwarfs way before their time. An obscure outfit on an even more obscure label, we are pleased to put this very capable band in the spotlight.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Dynamic Artists LP (supplied by Nikos) including covers.

Tracks
A1 Dancing and Singing 5:51
A2 Super Sensuous Woman 4:34
A3 Get Up Everybody 4:27
A4 If You Can’t Stand The Heat 3:15
B1 I Want To Sing This Song For You 4:11
B2 Loneliness Has Got Me Down 2:25
B3 Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me 3:56
B4 Love You One More Time 4:00
B4 Make The Most Of It 5:04

Review by Trakbuv

Starfire - ‘the baddest 5 stars in the galaxy’ - complete with star signs. So boasts the back cover of this rather splendid LP - and you know you are in the starfighter/zodiac obsessed seventies. This self-contained band of celestial beings comprise of Rudy Leeper (lead vox, percussion), Antwan Garrison (lead, bass), Jay Pryor (guitar, background vox), Willie McWhite (keyboards, background) and Ronnie Cokes (drums, background) all originating from Richmond in the Virginia Constellation. Also, special mention to the Trussel horns - are these the same crew who gave us ‘Love injection’ ? This is actually their second LP, bursting in the galaxy with a solid ten tracker in the shape of “Get off with us”, two earth years earlier. “Dancing and Singing For You” continues to deliver an endearing spectrum of tempos all performed with confidence and style. Just to confuse our fellow stargazers, the LP was repackaged as “Starfire” in 1980 - with a silver cover and fresh tracklisting. The uptempo tracks were also recut/remixed to give a more contemporary disco feel. On the original interplanetary platter we have on display here, the nuggets have been carefully distributed on the two sides of the moon - the light side entitled “Dancing For You” composed of baadaas funk for shaking starbooty - the dark side entitled “Singing For You” composed of luscious delights for when the lights are low.

Appropriately, “Dancing and singing” leads the squadron of goodies, introducing the band as more concerned with having a good time than star system domination. And what could be better than a brickhouse AND a sensuous woman - why its “Super sensuous woman” of course - and with this insightful knowledge, the throttle is turned up a touch while steering an assured course of party action. It’s back to the meaningful lyrics with “Get up everybody” reminding us that our brains are but a mechanism for ensuring we don’t fall over on the dancefloor, and here we have the addition of some laser technology in the shape of synthesizer tricks from the 61st Century. “If you can’t stand the heat” gets a slight nudge on retroblasters with a down-dirty funkgrinder to close side A.

As we enter the twilight sky, side B gently introduces a floating stage of a carefully lit quintet, the lead beaming a strong performance ably assisted by gorgeous harmonies on “I Want To Sing”. Next up is one of the flagships, the big ballad “Loneliness has got me down” - big enough to fit a meteorite cluster and crush it with its tender melancholy. Lovely. “Love you one more time” is a wonderful swayer with both leads working off one another as a team to rival Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Another of the flagships for me is the rare groover “Make the most it”, a track repeated from their debut - and it’s easy to see why. Wonderfully produced, ultraspacey and quite hypnotic - gorgeous. Joe Carter was responsible for producing the entire album and the tracks were written between him and the band members. And although operating from the small, obscure Dynamic Artists label, the cabin crew operate a very tight ship and deliver a thoroughly commendable job by all. I for one will be recommending they are duly rewarded with the highest honours by Starfleet command.

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You can buy this rare vinyl from Groove Collector for 54 Euro and from BackAtCha for £60. Try their CD with their best songs (1976-1980) from Amazon.

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A heartbreaking classic from Terry Huff and his Special Delivery group - a cool 70s harmony ensemble who deliver some wonderful backup on the set! The record’s a stone east coast classic from way back - arranged and conducted by Al Johnson, with a vibe that’s a slightly more polished take on the harmony modes used by George Kerr over at All-Platinum. Terry Huff has a high-end vocal approach that’s great - never cloying or too-sweet, but nicely crackling and almost in a Ralfi Pagan mode at points. Huff wrote most of the songs (Dusty Groove).

This is a @256 (Japanese Edition) CD rip including covers.

Tracks
A1. That’s When Love Hurts (4:45)
A2. The Lonely One (LP Version) (3:28)
A3. Why Doesn’t Love Last (4:55)
A4. When You’re Lonely (4:40)
B1. Where There’s A Will (There’s A Way) (3:38)
B2. Poochie (5:33)
B3. I Destroyed Your Love - Part 1 (3:32)
B4. I Destroyed Your Love - Part 2 (3:30)
B5. Just Not Enough Love (4:25)

The Lonely One (45 Version) [Japanese Edition Bonus Track]
Come Back With Love - Pt.1 - Special Delivery [Japanese Edition Bonus Track]
Come Back With Love - Pt.2 - Special Delivery [Japanese Edition Bonus Track]
The Lonely One (Inst.) [Japanese Edition Bonus Track]

By Chris Rizik
Originally called Act 1, the group Special Delivery was a rotating bunch of Washington D.C.-based singers that had a brief moment in the spotlight in 1976.   Led by falsetto singer Terry Huff, the group had its first hit around the Huff-written ballad “I Destroyed Your Love.”  The six minute song (split up into parts for both sides of the 45) only made it halfway up the Soul charts, but was an absolute gem, with excellent harmonies behind Huff’s sweet falsetto voice.  It may be one of the greatest sweet soul cuts of the 70s, with the appeal of some of the top Stylistics and Chi-Lites cuts. The song continued to live on after its initial run, and is still a regular on Urban Adult Contemporary radio 30+ years after its introduction.

The group followed “I Destroyed Your Love” with “The Lonely One“, another excellent Huff ballad that shot up to the Soul Top 10 and seemed to indicate another hot Soul group was in the makings.  Working with writer/producer Al Johnson, the group released the album The Lonely One later that year, and it briefly reached the Soul top 40.  All Music Guide asserts that by the time “The Lonely One” was recorded, Special Delivery had already broken up and that the single and subsequent album were actually recorded by Huff, Johnson and Huff’s brother, but were nonetheless credited to Special Delivery. Huff informed me that his split with Special Delivery occurred two weeks before the release of “I Destroyed Your Love” due to a dispute about songwriting credit for the song (Huff is generally credited as the sole writer of the song).
Special Delivery regrouped in 1977 without Huff, and charted one more time, with 1978’s “This Kind of Love,” before fading into oblivion with their 1981 release Living On the Run.  Though he entertained offers following his split with Special Delivery, Huff’s solo career never materialized, and his national notoriety wound up being limited to two wonderful Soul ballads.
The name Special Delivery was later used by a completely unrelated country/folk act, which released This Is Special Delivery in 1994.  You won’t find Terry Huff’s sweet falsetto on that disc. Just a whole lotta picking and strumming.

Article from http://www.soultracks.com/special_delivery.htm

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Buy a digital copy from Amazon and a lot of vinyl and CD’s from Ebay and Musicstack.

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Terry Huff kindly left a message for his fans and visitors of FMS :

” Greetings!

Wonder what I have been doing all of these years? Go to thesolutiontoallproblems.com and you will see the only thing that has kept me out of my first love: MUSIC!

It took 27 years to complete!

But now that it is, I hope to have new music this year or at the very most, next year!

LOVE YA ALL!  HOLLA AT ME “

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A Tribute to Ron Banks and The Dramatics by Trakbuv

We at FMS are sorry to report the sad loss of Ron Banks on 4th March. He was one of the founding members of the incredible Dramatics formed back in 1962 in Detroit while still at Cleveland Jr High, and was recognised as the group leader. The original line-up was Ron (falsetto/tenor), Larry Demps (baritone), Larry Reed (lead vocal), Elbert Wilkins, and Robert Ellington (replaced by Ron Davis in 1964). Their first single in ‘66 was apparently misprinted as The Dynamics on the first 500 copies, with the vibrant, catchy ‘Bingo’ as the A-side. The B-side was a Temptations-esque ‘Somewhere’, complete with a clear falsetto lead. Could this be Ron Banks first lead vocal outing ? It is well known that he had a more than healthy respect for Eddie Kendricks in tuning his vocal style. The same lead turned up on the Northern Soul favourite ‘Inky Dinky Wang Dang Doo’, also released on Wingate in 1967.

This is a @320 vinyl rip(supplied by Nikos) of the original Stax/Volt LP including covers

Tracks
A1 The Devil Is Dope 5:24
A2 You Could Become the Very Heart of Me 2:47
A3 Now You Got Me Loving You 4:23
A4 Fell for You 3:22
B1 Jim, What’s Wrong With Him 4:49
B2 Hey You! Get Off My Mountain 3:38
B3 Beautiful People 3:50
B4 Beware of the Man (With the Candy in His Hand) 2:57

Their first chart success was for Sport Records in 1967, with the beautiful ballad ‘If you haven’t got love’ hitting #43 - the polish was really beginning to shine. In 1968, Larry Reed and Ron Davis were replaced by William ‘WeeGee’ Howard (lead) and Willie Ford, respectively. Soon thereafter, they hooked up with Stax Records and had a series of hits on the Volt outlet. History was in the making, although their first release (‘Your love is strange’) failed to set the world alight in 1969 (the flipside ‘Since I fell in love’ showcased the quality of the multi-leads). And although they had to wait until 1971 for their second release, the planetary alignment across our solar system was about to be disturbed forever. ‘Whatcha see is whatcha get’ really is the PERFECT record performed by the PERFECT group. Scoring number 3 and 9 on the Billboard R&B and Pop Charts, respectively, before attaining Gold status - there could have been no better fanfare to introduce The Dramatics to the forefront of Soul Harmony Groups - forever. Elbert giving the baritone intro, Ron the falsetto, then Larry, followed by Willie, before Wee Gee hits the floor running. For me, one of the greatest triumphs for male harmonising ever. And it can’t be stressed enough at how Ron’s perfect frills really MAKE this record that so special.

Ron Banks became more involved in both writing and producing as part of The Dramatics, before extending those talents to his brother’s outfit, the vastly overlooked Five Special. He later produced a very fine and successful solo album entitled ‘Truly Bad’ in 1983, and also assisted Brittany Blake in 1993 on a delightful duet entitled ‘Forever’.  He even recorded a song by the renowned boxer Thomas “Hitman” Hearns in the early ’80s - Ron was a very talented sportsman himself, winning scholarships in both baseball and American football on graduating from Northern High School. His charm, humble persona and active charity work have been widely acknowledged, as well as being the lighthouse rock that held the Dramatics together in many formats over the years. Fellow Dramatic and close friend LJ Reynolds was duly stunned and deeply upset by the news of Ron’s passing. Of concert dates due to start around the same time, he commented “The show must go on. If it was me I’d want them to go ahead and I’m sure he’d feel the same way. It’ll be a long, silent ride there. But we’ll take Ron’s mike and put it up onstage, and let it stand there”. Ron Banks is survived by his wife, Sandy Banks, four daughters and two sons (1951-2010).

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To the albums, and their sophomore set, “A Dramatic Experience” is a beautiful time capsule of a band in transition. Half the songs feature William ‘WeeGee’ Howard and Elbert Wilkins, the other half their replacements, LJ Reynolds (from Chocolate Syrup) and Lenny Mayes. So essentially we have a septet of artists all vying for centre stage !! For me, Ron Banks really stands out on this platter as the pivotal peg for this revolving door. His best performance and one of the Dramatics finest, ‘Now you got me loving me’ is one of the standout cuts. The other is the incredible duet between Ron and Wee Gee on the gorgeously defiant ‘Hey you ! Get off my mountain’, attaining #5 and #43 on the R&B and Pop Charts, respectively. Fantastic LP.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (supplied by Nikos) of the original Stax/Volt LP including covers

Tracks

A1 And I Panicked 3:53
A2 I Dedicate My Life to You 3:30
A3 You’re Got Me Going Through a Thing 4:19
A4 I Pray She’ll Never Go Away 4:37
B1 I Made Myself Lonely 3:49
B2 Highway to Heaven 3:54
B3 Beautiful Feeling 3:57
B4 Toast to the Fool 5:32
B5 It’s So Hard Trying to Get Over You 3:56

On departing, Wee Gee and Elbert actually formed their own ‘The Dramatics’ releasing ‘No rebate on love’ on Mainstream in 1975, a slightly pop-flavoured item that definitely tried hard to be a dead ringer for the original Dramatics. Their follow-up, ‘Sho nuff good feelin” (now as ‘The Dramatic Experience’) was even more forgettable (although its flip ‘Someday, somewhere’ is very pretty). As a consequence, Ron officially took the helm to distinguish the two outfits, re-branding as “Ron Banks and The Dramatics” for the next two albums.

Personally, I think the addition of LJ and Lenny sealed their fate as my favourite all-time male harmony outfit. LJ had a more expressive voice than Wee Gee and Lenny provided a critical link between Ron and LJ that was often seamless. And I feel that their harmonies gained a unique warmth. Their third release was business as usual, “Dramatically Yours” sustaining that deft mix of beautifully arranged mid- and uptempo grabbers with gentle crushers. Here, LJ stamps his authority all over the plaintive ‘And I panicked’ - utterly devastating.  ‘Toast to the fool’ is another important track that reached #18/67 R&B/Pop Charts - and another testament to the incredible harmonising and interactive vocalising of the Dramatics. Maybe not quite the household name as some of their peers, but the endurance and collective talent of Ron Banks and The Dramatics is, to me, equal to any band and second to none.  We salute you.

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Listen up to their amazing debut album “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” including “In The Rain” in our back pages here and finally buy almost every one of their albums on CD from Amazon. ..….and please leave a comment. We always need your views on the albums and posts.

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You should all be really happy that we have Mr.Moo within our contributors cause he shares with us great albums like this one. Eddie Floyd’s 2nd LP “I’ve Never Found A Girl”, a Southern Soul diamond.

In 1966, Floyd recorded a song intended for Otis Redding. Wexler convinced Stax president Jim Stewart to release Floyd’s version. The Steve Cropper/Eddie Floyd “Knock On Wood” launched Floyd’s solo career and has been cut by over a hundred different artists from David Bowie to Count Basie. It became a disco hit for Amii Stewart in 1979.

Floyd was one of Stax’s most consistent and versatile artists. He scored several more hits on his own, including “I Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)” and “Raise Your Hand”, which was covered by both Janis Joplin and Bruce Springsteen.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (supplied by Mr.Moo) of the original Stax Records Lp including covers.

Tracks
A1. Bring It On Home To Me 2.29
A2. Never Give You Up 2.40
A3. Girl I Love You 3.15
A4. Hobo 2.55
A5. I Need You Woman 2.13
A6. I’ve Never Found A Girl 2.40
B1. I’ll Take Her 2.33
B2. Slip Away 3.21
B3. I’m Just The Kind Of Fool 3.13
B4. Water 3.03
B5. Sweet Things You Do 2.10

Review by Soulmakossa

The fantastic, highly original spin on Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me” opens Eddie Floyd’s second album with the same fire and passion that exuded out of Floyd’s own classic, “Knock on Wood“. The Memphis Horns and Booker T. and his M.G.’s cook up a monster of a groove here, and the track rightfully became a big R&B hit when released on single. But there is so much more on this highly underrated album…

Eddie’s take on Jerry Butler’s “Never Give You Up” is fantastic: Al Jackson keeps the beat right in the pocket, while strings and even the French horn are put to use here, wonderfully embellishing this solid tune. “Girl I Love You” is rooted more firmly in the blues-drenched Memphis tradition. Steve Cropper churns out some mighty fine guitar fills while the Memphis Horns wail on infectiously behind him. “Hobo” surely ranks as one of Floyd’s finest soulful rock compositions (along with the classic “Big Bird”), with its incessant beat and catchy backing vocals. Nonetheless, it was relegated to LP-only status forever, and thus is one of Eddie’s least known soulful stompers. Even stronger is the high powered “I Need You Woman“, one of those inimitable Stax-gems with the entire band and Floyd ripping it up. Especially tantalizing ’bout this tune is the clever incorporation of some elements of Sam & Dave’s massive “Soul Man” in the middle of the song.

The title tune is just gorgeous. Soul perfection. Eddie’s huge voice, the thick, steady rolling bass, and those irrestistible strings rightfully turned this into Floyd’s second biggest hit ever. What’s more remarkable about this tune is that aside drummer Al Jackson and the Memphis Horns, all instruments are played and arranged by Booker T. Jones, including the right-on-the-money, sweet guitar solo. A Southern Soul must! The upbeat mood doesn’t falter after that; the busy, horn-infected “I’ll Take Her” - featuring superb harmony vocalizing - and Floyd’s spin on Clarence Carter’s “Slip Away” are energetic, stomping slices of supreme, grade A Southern Soul. But when Floyd decides to slow things down a bit, he really goes for broke. The indescribably beautiful “I’m Just the Kind of Fool” is, in my opinion, almost the equal to James Carr’s “Dark End of the Street”. Eddie’s lamenting voice, the moody, hazey beat, the wailing horns and Booker T.’s haunting, gospelish Hammond fills certainly created someting very VERY special here. A track that will not let you go. Essential. And despite “Water” being upbeat, jolly and almost carefree in its sound, the lyrics are completely in sync with the despair uttered in “I’m Just the Kind of Fool”. Nonetheless, Eddie’s the kinda guy that is, from the heart, an optimist. And the LP ends on a likeminded note, with the rockin’, supergroove of “Sweet Things You Do“, a joyous celebration of sweet, sweet lovin’.

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Biography, discography and more from AllMusic here.

This album wasn’t reissued, except as part of this 1993 combi CD release here. Buy this one on vinyl and a lot of his other LP’s and CD’s on Ebay.

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As a soul legend, Candi Staton hardly needs an introduction by me. However I am heartened by the fact that her elusive FAME recordings are now so freely available and her earthy Southern roots have finally become recognised as essential part of her career. If you are not familiar with the more dynamic side of Candi Staton, grab a sturdy chair and give this, her third and final FAME recording, a listen. And grab her debut right here in the FMS back catalogue. Prepare to have your soul devastated.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original FAME LP (supplied by Raphy) including covers.

Tracks
A1 Do It In The Name Of Love 3:00
A2 Darling You’re All That I Need 3:23
A3 Blackmail 2:58
A4 In The Ghetto 2:52
A5 Wanted : Lover 2:43
B1 The Best Thing You Ever Had 2:25
B2 Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me 3:00
B3 I’ll Drop Everything And Come Running 2:48
B4 You Don’t Love Me No More 2:24
B5 The Thanks For Loving You 2:49

Review by Trakbuv

Canzetta Staton’s roots seed from the fertile farmland of Hanceville, Alabama circa 1943 where her extraordinary vocals were recognised as early as five years old in the church choir, later hooking up with her older sister, Maggie as part of the Four Golden Echoes. Due to her alcoholic gambling father, her mother decided to take control and move herself and 5 children to Cleveland, where her sixth child, and oldest son was already living. Candi and her sister continued to astound local church goers and were asked by a prestigious churchwoman, Bishop Jewel, to be part of a trio. As the Jewel Gospel Trio, Candi, Maggie and Naomi Harrison toured as far away as The Philippines and recorded several singles for Nashboro Records between ‘55 and ‘58. These included the righteous testifying of ‘Jesus is listening’, ‘Too late’ (with Candi belting out the lead on both) and the terrific, cutesy ‘Many angels in the band’. At seventeen, she left the band under a cloud of being taken advantage of to pursue marriage to Lou Rawls (then with the Pilgrim Travellers) that never materialised.

Later, she fell pregnant to a local minister in Alabama whereupon marriage was obligatory. However, his jealousy meant that her career in music and the road was on hold as she settled down to motherhood for the next seven years with four children and, by all accounts, an abusive relationship. She did a couple of recordings during this period, one on Minaret (a duet with Billy Walker) and another on Unity entitled ‘Now you’ve got the upper hand’, a strangely subdued Candi on a Motownesque number. In 1968, her brother dared her to accompany him to an amateur contest in Birmingham, at the 27-28 Club, where she was prompted to take the stage. She did a rendition of Aretha’s ‘Do Right Woman’ that opened the door to a regular spot every week. One night, Clarence Carter strolled in the joint and knew a good thing when he heard it. Initially she turned down his offer of touring with his band due to domestic commitments. Soon thereafter, her husband became violent over a fictitious affair she was having, and enough was enough.

The opportunity to join Clarence proved to be a major turning point. Not only did they marry, but he provided the contact to introduce her to Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals, the then blossoming home for Southern Soul. His label FAME Records had had some critical and commercial success, and as a recording studio, the Muscle Shoals Sound housed some of the best songwriters and musicians around. And Rick’s reaction to first hearing Candi soar ? “It was a blues voice, a gospel voice, and a pop voice. I just rushed her in the studio. Real quick”. They cut four sides that same night and the fruits of those recordings can be heard on her debut LP ‘I’m Just a Prisoner’. Her debut single, ‘I’d Rather Be An Old Man’s Sweetheart’ made #9 R&B and Top 50 Pop - the first of 12 consecutive hits for the label, 16 in total !! Her first two albums were distributed by Capitol Records (her second being ‘Stand By Your Man’), but for the third eponymous LP, they switched to United Artists.

It was pretty much business as usual - why spoil a winning formula. But I think there is a sophistication here that replaces some of the more raw elements of the first two sets. More importantly, vocally she is still on top form - with those notorious breaking vocals that Rick Hall forced out of Candi by making her sing over and over to accentuate the rasp - that’s tortured soul for ya !! We sound off with the utterly scrumptious “Do it in the name of love”, an enthralling, sexy Candi pleading ‘Don’t you know we go together’ before getting down for the chorus. She reminds me a lot of Mavis Staples on this - and that’s meant as a compliment. Fantastic.  The beautifully arranged “Darling you’re all that I need” is another beauty, an urgent ballad with some tender vocal support. “Blackmail” ups the tempo with a well-constructed tuneful number, before the caressing sound of a lonely harmonica unveils “In the ghetto”. An inspired choice to follow up the earlier success of ‘Stand by your man’ and FAME’s strong links with Country Music. I’ve always liked the original version, but this takes it home where it belongs. Absolutely astounding, and no wonder Elvis sent her a letter expressing his love of her update.

“Best thing you ever had” gets down and brassy and the perfect meat for Candi to chew up in style. The more restrained and melodic “Lovin’ you lovin’ me” has Candi caressing the hairs on the back of my neck - I must say I have a soft spot for when she sings in her more natural tones. “I’ll drop everything” is a nod to the Staples ‘Come go with me’ and that ain’t a bad thing. My favourite comes up next, with that Tower Of Power horns-like intro grabbing my lungs on their first flare. “You don’t love me no more” feels like real tears being shed with real memories glistening in their fragile rolling structure. If anyone asks you what soul music means, just play them this and watch their breathing stop dead. We round off in fine fettle with the raspy, rhetorical “Is this the thanks I get” with excellent use of steel guitar.

This is probably my favourite of her FAME recordings, but they are all exceptional visions of trapping heartache, betrayal, love and bitterness down a studio microphone, with Candi easily rivalling all the soul greats. Believe the hype !!

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Check out her debut FAME LP here in our back pages.

Great biography available here and a nice interview here.

You should buy a fantastic CD compilation here,  with 26 songs that bring together her long unavailable and legendary Muscle Shoals sides recorded for Fame Records.

Candi had a new cd release in 2009, buy it here and listen up her amazing performance on “You don’t love me no more” .

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“Without disrespecting ‘The Mighty Three’ from Philadelphia Records - whose emblem was three elephants if I recall correctly - this is a post by Nikos, Raphy and Trakbuv . PS. First 10 people to recall the names of the original Mighty Three win a trip to Soul Heaven.  Next shuttle leaving 2064.”

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Tammi Terrell had a sexy, hypnotic voice and alluring sensibility that not only made her an ideal partner for Marvin Gaye, but could have resulted in substantial impact as a solo singer. This album includes her finest solo single, “I Can’t Believe You Love Me,” and some other great numbers, although Terrell never received any songs for herself that matched what she did with Gaye.

This is a @320 vinyl rip (cleaned by Raphy) of the original Motown LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 I Can’t Believe You Love Me 2:32
A2 That’s What Boys Are Made For 2:58
A3 Come On and See Me 2:20
A4 What a Good Man He Is 2:59
A5 Tears At the End of a Love Affair 2:52
A6 This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) 2:28
B1 He’s the One I Love 2:35
B2 Can’t Stop Now (Love Is Calling) 2:40
B3 Just Too Much To Hope For 2:54
B4 Hold Me Oh My Darling 2:58
B5 I Can’t Go On without You 2:55

Review by  RDTEN1

Almost four decades after her death Tammi Terrell’s chiefly known for her work with the late Marvin Gaye.  That’s not a bad way to go down in history, though to my ears Terrell was easily one of Motown’s most talented performers and certainly one of the label’s sexiest acts.  Anyhow, the three Gaye-Terrell collaborative albums for Tamla stand among the cream of the Motown empire’s catalog.

With Terrell unable to actively participate in recording new material, Motown cobbled together a solo album - 1968’s “Irresistible“.   Co–produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol the set pulled together a mixture of the earlier Motown singles and previously recorded, but shelved numbers.  By all rights the project should have been a complete artistic disaster.  It wasn’t.  Yes, the earlier singles had a somewhat dated sound, but that didn’t make much difference given Terrell’s wonderful voice.  Again, I’m clearly biased, but Motown somehow managed to uncover enough quality material to pull together what was in effect a nice tribute to Terrell.

- It wasn’t as good as the version she cut with Marvin Gaye, but the mid-tempo ‘I Can’t Believe You Love Me‘ served up an instantly recognizable Motown groove providing a nice showcase for Terrell’s sassy and sexy voice. - Virtually every Motown LP seems to have included at least one throwaway MOR tune.  Her cover of the old Spinners tune (with a suitable gender modification) ‘That’s What Boys Are Made For‘ was that song this time out.  Horrible ! - One of the album standouts, ‘Come On and See Me‘ was another classic slice of Motown pop perfection.  Instantly memorable melody with a great hook; great horn and string arrangement, and another fantastic performance from Terrell. - My vote for the standout track, ‘What a Good Man He Is‘ was simply irresistible.  Terrell brought all of her sassy edge to this one.  Makes you wonder if she was thinking about then-boyfriend David Ruffin …  Motown apparently intended to release it as a single, but for some reason elected not to.  Shame they didn’t. - ‘Tears At the End of a Love Affair‘ came close to being great, but ultimately fell short due to the clunky backing vocals (guys singing in falsetto?) and an arrangement that sounded like it was trying to rip off The Supremes. - Covering ‘This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)‘ almost seems to have been an initiation requirement for Motown acts.  As a result you couldn’t be blamed for having low expectations for yet another cover.  Funny thing is that by kicking into hype-drive Terrell came very close to making the song her own.  Her cover is easily one of my favorites and gawd knows there are enough versions out there. - ‘He’s the One I Live‘ was another track with considerable commercial potential and served as a nice showcased for Terrell’s playful side. - If the album sported a song that typified the Motown sound, ‘Can’t Stop Now (Love Is Calling)‘ was it.  Hard to believe that this one wasn’t tapped as an earlier single.  Great backing vocals … - A little on the MOR side, though the bossa nova feel was kind of cool.  Unfortunately Terrell didn’t seem very comfortable on this one. - ‘Hold Me Oh My Darling‘ was a rather bland ballad,.  Kicked along by some goofy male supporting vocals, the track didn’t have a great deal going for it.  The song was originally recorded by Mary Wells, though her slower version wasn’t any better. - ‘I Can’t Go On without You‘ was another song that sounded incomplete.  The song had considerable commercial potential with a nice little hook (though the bells were irritating), but somehow it never all came into focus.

Far from the perfect collection but for folks who only knew her as Marvin Gaye’s foil, the album went a long way to demonstrating Terrell was a capable performer in her own rite.  It also leave you to wonder what Terrell could have done had the powers to be decided to give her a little more time.  Well worth seeking out.

Motown also tapped the album for a pair of singles:

- 1968’s ‘This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)’ b/w ‘Just Too Much To Hope For’ (Motown catalog number M-1138) # 67 pop - 1968’s ‘Come On and See Me’ b/w ‘Baby Dont’cha Worry’ (Motown catalog number M-1095) There are a number of Tammi Terrell related websites.  Though it doesn’t seem to have been updated in some time, one of the better ones is located here.

Biography and discography with Marvin Gaye and solo on Wikipedia

Released on CD in 1991 but it is out of print. Buy the vinyl from Ebay along with one last CD.

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