Funk my Soul

You can’t miss with Philly Sophistisoul right !! And yet another obscurity that is hard to accept as such - surfacing for your seasoned palate, demanding only the best. True Reflection are a high calibre quartet that recorded just the one LP, but truly seize their moment to leave a mark reeking of quality. Boasting both incredible tenor and falsetto leads, and exceptional harmonies, you really cannot fail to be impressed when the songs are as good as this.

Tracks
A1 Whisper 5:00
A2 That Was Yesterday 3:25
A3 Society 4:20
A4 What You Don’t Know 2:30
B1 It Really Hurts 4:00
B2 Helpless Man 5:00
B3 That’s Where I’m Coming From 2:40
B4 Look At All The Lonely People 4:40

Review by Trakbuv

Another volatile star that blazed for one album and then imploded, scattering its components to the far reaches of the soul galaxy. And in “Where I’m Coming From”, paraphrasing from the movie Bladerunner, True Reflection ’shone so very brightly’. With roots in Washington DC, the quartet came together at the mighty Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, PA. And under the august auspices of arrangers Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Vince Montana, an assured seam of quality was ingrained into the vinyl. And to add to the mix, True Reflection were no strangers to the recording studio themselves. Glenn Leonard had been a member of The Chancellors (recall ‘All the way from Heaven’), The Instant Groove, and The Unifics. Joe Blunt had also been with The Chancellors. The remaining two members, Joe Coleman and Bobby Cox do not seem to have any obvious musical connections prior to True Reflection.

However, True Reflection did provide a springboard for their musical careers. Glenn Leonard went on to replace Damon Harris as first tenor and lead singer of The Temptations (1975-83), with possibly his most notable lead on the single ‘Power’.  Jo Blunt joined The Drifters in 1975 just as their popularity soared in the UK with popcorn numbers like ‘You’re more than a number’ and ‘Hello happiness’. He featured as lead on several tracks including ‘Like a movie’ and ‘When you coming home’.   Joe Coleman went on to form part of The Persuaders line up (1974-75) and later teamed up with his brother William, and Richard Gant (another ex-Persuaders who had been replaced by one Howard Kenney), to form Mirage. In 1978, they released an excellent LP in their own right entitled ‘Princes of Love’.

Back to 1972, True Reflection release their debut single “Beer Cans and Empty Hands” b/w “Silent Treatment” (Atco 45-6905) to a thunderous silence. The following year they follow it up with a long player utilising the same writing/production team responsible for their 7″, namely Bob Currington, T. Lester, W. Lester, R. Brown and Joe Blunt. Some may recognise these as the same dudes that kicked up a storm for The Modulations on their ‘It’s Rough Out Here’ LP. And for me, a comparison in formula of funky burners and sweet ballads can be readily drawn between the two high calibre sets.

“Whispers” is a wonderful introduction to the band, a gritty blend of Norman Whitfield and the Sigma Sound, with fabulous lead vocals and harmonies all neatly tied up with a message to the music - probably my favourite track. “That was yesterday” drops the pace to deathly slow with a sombre falsetto, all recalling The Chi-Lites in structure - very impressive. “Society” packs another political punch with a growling lead brooding over a smart synclavier groove. “What you don’t know” is a delightful urgent falsetto-led dancer, and the falsetto is maintained for the tuneful ballad “It really hurts”. This really carries a potfull of stardust in its exquisite tenderness - unbelievably good. The tempo drops a touch for the lovely “Helpless man” boasting terms of endearment like ‘I need you baby like a clock needs his hands’. The skipping “That’s where I’m coming from” provides a slightly more commercial edge to the proceedings, but still wonderful in its own brief way - and a real throwback to the essence of popular soul music of the time. The dramatic “Look at all the lonely people” is another very pretty ballad, if slightly saccharined by its sentiment.

For me, there really are no weakness in the whirl on either side of the platter. Fabulous vocals, exceptional harmonies and great, if not entirely memorable, tunes conveying some thoughtful lyrical content. Another startling reminder of how high the bar stood in the early part of the seventies. But also a very lamentable stinging pinch of the number of high quality bands that came and went with little or no public regard. ‘And then they disappeared like tears in rain.’

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Buy the CD from Amazon and the vinyl from Groove Collector or Ebay

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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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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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I admit I was totally unfamiliar  with Lady Tata.  This album her second on Motown is another great choice of Trakbuv which proves - once more - why I totally trust him posting anything in this blog.

With Motown, Táta released four solo albums on the Tamla label: Full Speed Ahead (1976), Totally Táta (1977), Try My Love (1978), and Givin’ All My Love (1981). These albums feature a diverse range of genres, including classic Motown soul, country or southern soul, disco, jazz, funk, country, Latin, doo-wop, and gospel.

She has had an active career as a back-up singer, working with Stevie Wonder, Andraé Crouch, Lou Rawls,(Duet) Rare Earth,(Duet) Chaka Kahn, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Madonna. She also worked in film, performing the voice of Shug Avery in The Color Purple; she is featured on four songs on the 1986 soundtrack album, one of which, Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister), was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Song category.

Thanks Trak for one of the most colourful and playful voices ever heard…. you were absolutely right!

This is a fine @320 vinyl rip of the original Motown LP including covers.

Tracks
A1  Mr. Troublemaker 3.43
A2  Blame It on the Sun 4.26
A3  Come in Heaven Earth Is Calling 9.03
A4  Deep Inside 4.53
B1  Jesus Take Me Higher 5.10
B2  Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places 3.27
B3  It’s Too Late 3.32
B4  You’ll Never Rock Alone 3.20
B5  Ever So Lovingly 5.34

Review by Trakbuv

In honour of Nikos and his wonderful tribute to all things Tamla and Motown, I have resurrected one of my personal forgotten glories from its illustrious catalogue.  Tata Vega – a name that rolls off the tongue like Teena Marie or Chaka Khan, but never becoming as household as those luminaries - yet certainly a force to be reckoned alongside them.  Christened Carmen Rosa Vega in Queens, Long Island back in 1951, it was dear old dad who gave her the nickname of Tata in remembrance of her first uttered words.  Dad also had the knack of uprooting her every now and then due to his commitment to the US Air Force, before finally touching down in Miami when she was in her teens.  At seventeen (nice title for a song methinks), she travelled to LA in hope of fame and, after struggling as a street musician for a year, finally hit paydirt as part of the Broadway musical ‘Hair’ (1969-70), alongside Dobie Gray.  Dobie then left to form a band, Pollution, and invited Tata to join the entourage.  They released a couple of very busy, unfocussed LPs that employed much of the theatrical styling that was ‘Hair’.  Neither LP really showed Tata (or Dobie) in their best light.  She then joined Earthquire, releasing an LP in 1973 that reminds me a little of the rawness of Rufus’s debut.  Tata was definitely finding her comfort zone vocally, if still a little unrestrained.

Her debut ‘Full Speed Ahead’ (1976) finally offered an uncluttered environment to really allow Tata’s now fully developed larynx to excel.  The material however was lacklustre, with only a few cuts being memorable, including the gorgeous ‘Just when things are getting good’.   However Motown persevered, and her follow-up set was the perfect meat to really capture her awesome piquant flavour.  Side One is one of my favourite faces of any LP.  It really puts Tata firmly in the spotlight with material that summons her huge variety of vocal techniques and phrasings that still beggar belief.  ‘Mr. Troublemaker’ unleashes her extraordinary audacity and assured playfulness over a fabulous funky backdrop, this has to be played over and over again to appreciate just how much LIFE is crammed into it.  Unbelievable.  This very cleverly leads directly into Stevie’s ‘Blame it on the sun’.  I know that many may disagree (Nikos included), but I believe this is far superior to the original, with Tata giving a much more dramatic, pathos-riddled performance.  I can’t think of another instance where I can say that about a Stevie song, can you ?  And just when you think I cannot get more enthused about Tata, we have the third track, ‘Come in Heaven’.  This is the first song I ever heard her sing – and still ranks among the finest songs ever sung.  Tata really shames every singer with something from a place that defies earthly ability.  Astounding, inspired and captivating, Al Johnson’s vocal incursions just adding to the splendour - the first half boasts a yearning plea that MAKES the Lord cry tears.  Then mid-way, she makes the Lord boogie with all his heavenly might – displaying that dynamite dynamism she catapults so freely from within her petite frame.  Staggering ingenuity.  And finally to round off a perfect 22 minutes, we have the gorgeous, heartwrenching ‘Deep inside’.  Utterly spellbinding.

Poor old Side Two – always destined to be the poor relative.  Fortunately, there is still plenty for me get excited about in my search for more superlatives !  It begins with ‘Jesus takes me higher’, the weakest track for me.  However, the reggae-influenced ‘Love comes from the most unexpected places’ is a lovely change of pace, and the break where she coos ‘I really love you’ is an excerpt that I used to play repeatedly in my teens – it really is that good.  Then it’s good ol’ honky-tonk funk in the form of ‘Too late’, a nice tuneful groove with a hint of disco in the string arrangement.  Next up is a very capable version of Brian & Brenda Russell’s ‘You’ll never rock alone’, a upbeat felicitous affair.  We exit in very mournful mood with ‘Ever so lovingly’ – caked in tragedy and pain.  The trouble is that the lyrics speak of the glory of love, which seems so at odds with the music.  An anomaly that I still struggle with, but as a record – achingly beautiful.

One of the greatest failures of Motown - how this lady did not attain superstardom ranks with how Stevie’s ‘I just called to say I love you’ became such a hit as two of the greatest mysteries of the music industry.  Let’s hear some heartfelt commendations of how she reaches ‘deep inside’ you with that charismatic rack of chords.  To paraphrase Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson – “we want to Tata you” !!

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Buy the import CD (P-Vine, Japan) through Amazon or CD Universe. Buy the vinyl at a decent price on Ebay or Records Connection.

While downloading enjoy Tata singing “Mr. Troublemaker”!!

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Excellent and rare bluesy soul LP from Tina Britt, produced by Juggy Murray. For a soul singer with two Top 40 R&B hits, very little is known about Tina Britt. Very little. This is her debut 1969 LP on Minit which is her only complete solo output. Tina Britt was famous for recording tracks by other great writers and musicians including ‘God Bless The Child’ (by Billie Holliday), ‘Jonny I Love You’ (by Booker T), ‘My Lovers Prayer’ (by Otis Redding) and ‘Sookie Sookie (by Steve Cropper and Don Covay).

This is a wonderful find and I let Trakbuv to review the album in his unique delightful way.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Minit LP including covers.

Tracks
A1 Who Was That 2.46
A2 God Bless the Child 3.56
A3 Johnny I Love You 2.56
A4 Sookie Sookie 3.16
A5 Hawg For You 4.07
A6 My Lover’s Prayer 3.00
B1 Born on a Bayou 2.24
B2 I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know 5.27
B3 Dr. Feelgood 3.08
B4 Bright Lights Big City 2.26
B5 Key to the Highway 2.39
B6 You Ain’t Nothing but in the Way 4.43

Review by Trakbuv

” Well, Nikos tentatively asked me to review what he may have suspected to be out of my comfort zone. He was right - the prospect of a bluesy singer I’d never heard of covering other people’s toons failed to dampen my appetite.  But, hey, never say never – and I needed the exercise, not to mention a threadbare pocket lining that needed resuscitating.  Rubbing down the usual suspects didn’t turn up many leads as to the dame’s whereabouts.  Seemed like I was going to have to fly this one with no parachute…or wings.  Did manage to track down that the lady had operated under an alias, being born originally Tina Brittingham back in ‘38.  False names always give me the jitters, but things started cooking when I got drift that she had a couple of Top 40 R&B hits, with her biggest hit, ‘The Real Thing’, reaching the dizzy heights of #20.  This broad sure had some pedigree, that’s for sure.  Seemed she’d had several rotating plastic discs issued, and this is where I managed to pick up her scent.  I followed her from Eastern Records, Veep, and eventually to Minit Records – this wasn’t gonna be cheap on Nikos’ expenses kitty.  Finally, I managed to find her hideway – a jook joint on the corner of 33 and a third, caught helplessly between the grooves of ‘Blues All The Way’.  Released in 1969 on Minit, and produced by her ever faithful side-kick and muscle, Henry ‘Juggy’ Murray.  Knew him from his stretch at Sue records – smooth operator I recall.  Anyways, I take a corner seat at the back of the gig, and fire up a smoke.

Lady T enters stage in a slinky number and is immediately greeted with a steel guitar and a whoop of applause.  She gets straight down dirty with some solid rhythm and blues in ‘Who was that’ and its ‘who’s shoes are under my bed’ pointed accusation.  I immediately push my hat out my face and lean forward – this mama is the real deal.  The sweet laidback sassiness of Billie coupled with the commanding spunkiness of Aretha or Carla, this girl ripped the beer-stained carpet from under me.  Unbelievable – rivet, rivet, rivet.  Then the lights turn low, and the spotlight reveals Tina now propping up a white piano.  My face turns white too, my stomach curls into a small ball, and; Oh Lord, I can’t breath or blink !  ‘Thems that got shall get, them that’s not shall lose’ reaches into my rib cage and has my heartbeat in its hands.  Damn me to hell, but I think this version of ‘God bless the child’ outdoes Billie !  I’m a lovesick fool for you, Lady T, and the night’s hardly begun.  She takes a sip from a tall glass, which then accompanies her to the mic upright.  ‘Johnny I love you’ plays like a doped up Esther Phillips – this girl is positively horizontal on this enticing, cool cucumber.  Then we break out with ‘Sookie Sookie’ and tables are immediately cleared to give the audience some room to move.  I’m the only one sat at this point as she infuses a coquette razzle into the midnight air.   Then it’s bluesville complete with horn section taking ‘Hawg for you’ all the way home.  A choir then introduces ‘My lover’s prayer’, with Ms Britt cooing in a mock weaping wail.  The lights suddenly turn out – silence – is the set over ?

The lights come straight back up, brighter than before with Tina somehow wearing a totally different outfit.  ‘Born on a Bayou’ oozes class, Tina totally faultless as ever and utterly gorgeous horns piping the cream on a luxuriant cake.  Outstanding.  The perennial favourite ‘I love you more’ blends fatefully with the smoke-riddled air, conveying the despair on its choking fumes.  Another standard gets the Tina treatment, ‘Dr Feelgood’ booming those familiar accolades from the stage and clear across town, before cranking it up a touch for ‘Bright lights, big city’.  She now enters a gentle swagger to accompany the chugging ‘Key to the highway’ with an effortlessly mesmeric performance. The acidic ‘You ain’t nothing but in the way’ burns from a glistening wound as she tears the lyric sheet to threads. I have no connection with space or time.  I live only for her next phrase.  The lights suddenly turn off and on again, but Ms Britt is nowhere to be found.  I check backstage for the dressing room, but find only a yard full of overturned empty barrels.  I re-enter the building and I’m greeted with an empty abandoned saloon.  Was it all some crazy dream – I’ll leave you to be the judge. ”
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In 2006 the album was released for the first time on cd including bonus tracks from her early work which was influenced by Berry Gordy’s music machine. The songs are great slices of uptempo soul and included her biggest hit, The Real Thing, which climbed sure-footedly to #20 on Billboard’s R&B chart.  Buy it here.

Now listen “Who Was That” and enjoy the rest of the album.

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Ike & Tina Turner - 1966 - River Deep Mountain High

Phil Spectors‘ wall of sound meets Tina Turners’ wall of voice.

Tina is excellent as always but I enjoy the rawer sounds of the Ike and Tina Turner band than the Phil Specter treatment.  He turned a great soul band into a pop band although the title track is great and works as either. These sessions, recorded in 1966, were produced by Phil Spector. Spector’s production chops and Tina Turner’s voice were a match made in heaven. Turner possesses one of the strongest voices ever committed to wax; Spector envelops it in the grandest version of his Wall of Sound that he ever conceived. Besides the title track, Spector cut Ike & Tina redoing their first three chart hits, “A Fool in Love,” “I Idolize You,” and “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.” Although it’s a sacrilege to say so, these versions are better than the originals. Finally, Ike & Tina’s performance of the obscure Holland-Dozier-Holland ditty “A Love Like Yours” is another phenomenal highlight.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the reissue A&M Records LP including covers.

Tracks
A1   River Deep - Mountain High (3:39)
A2  I Idolize You (3:03)
A3   A Love Like Yours (3:06)
A4   A Fool In Love (3:13)
A5   Make ‘Em Wait (2:22)
A6   Hold On Baby (2:59)
B1   I’ll Never Need More Than This (3:34)
B2   Save The Last Dance For Me (3:47)
B3  Oh Baby! (2:46)
B4   Every Day I Have To Cry (2:41)
B5   Such A Fool For You (2:48)
B6   It’s Gonna Work Out Fine (3:14)

Seems that European listeners listened more carefully, as this album became huge hit in UK and it began a decades-long love affair between Tina and her European fans.Half “Wagnerian”,undescribable symphonic sound of Phil Spector, half Ike’s gutsy R&B, this album was monumental achievement of 1960’s music and still sounds great today. As we all know,Ike was NOT close to studio on Spector’s sessions,but still his name is one the cover of the album.At this stage of her life (27 years old) Tina was not a Goddes-in-making, but a wild Queen of Amazon woman warriors - her singing,passion and attitude are simply out of this world:numerous British rock stars were hugely impressed after hearing this album (Rod Stewart:”I wanted to BE Tina Turner”) and Rolling Stones invited them on a UK tour immediately.Never mind commercial flop in USA,Brian Wilson from “Beach Boys” still list this album as one of his all-time favourites.One has also to remeber it was a girl-group age when girls sounded sweet,so Tina’s wild vocals were completely different from the rest of the competition,she was obviously more inspired by screaming,hot soul male singers like James Brown than say,Motown girls.I remeber reading interviews with her, where she never mentioned any female singer as her influence and its clear why - this woman had her own sound that was not “feminine” in conventional way,her voice at that time was more raw & primitive than anything you could hear in 1960’s - almost like Stone Age woman clawing her way out of the Cave,with arrow in her hands. Ike was obviously not impressed with Spector’s masterpiece,as it shows on “Kent Years” compilation which follows the period shortly afterwards:he just kept on touring and recording his less-than-inspired R&B that mostly copied his own style from early 1960’s.Tina had bigger commercial succes in 1980’s and I enjoyed the fact that world finally recognised her importance,but this was a moment of her immortality,the reason why she is always listed in every Rock-antholgy.(By the way,Darlene Love - Spector’s faithfull background singer who did most of his classic work - pleaded Spector to give her “River Deep” but he always refused,saying its made for Tina,after he was blown away with her live performance)

Listen live “River Deep Mountain High”

Download link
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Ike & Tina turner - 1972 - Workin’ Together

Workin’ Together is a top notch album and is certainly one of Ike & Tina’s best. The title track is an amazing song that surprisingly enough isn’t about lovin’ a man who’s cheating on you even though it was written by Ike under his alias Eki Renrut. Don’t be slow to notice that the alias is simply his name backwards. But anyway, I prefer side two over side one because all of the songs can stand on their own, especially Goodbye, So Long and the famous Proud Mary.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Liberty LP including covers.

Tracks
A1   Workin’ Together (3:36)
A2   (As Long As I Can) Get You When I Want You (2:25)
A3   Get Back (3:15)
A4   The Way You Love Me (2:38)
A5   You Can Have It (3:28)
A6   Game Of Love (2:47)
B1   Funkier Than A Mosquita’s Tweeter (2:40)
B2   Ohh Poo Pah Doo (3:35)
B3   Proud Mary (4:48)
B4   Goodbye, So Long (1:56)
B5   Let It Be (3:15)

Workin Together was Ike & Tina’s second album for their new label Liberty after bouncing around on several others. It proved to be their biggest seller ever spending 38 weeks on the charts. When you listen to it you can hear why. Workin’ Together is an album with one of the finest ‘peace’ anthems of the 70’s. The title song is a song that is very relevant today, the sound is fresh and very well performed by the famed duo. It especially shows Tina’s turn toward the rock music that would support her career for decades. This album also has the electrifying ” Get Back “. Tina makes a song all her own like no other. And as far as making a song all her own Tina made history by recording ” Proud Mary “. This track shines on this album, it is as hot as ever. The b-side to Proud Mary was a New York club hit “Funkier Than A Mosquita’s Tweeter”. This brilliantly fun track was an underground hit written by Tina’s sister Ailline Bullock. There is still the raw sounds of early Ike & Tina, but the change was on it’s way for the leading lady, and it shows. They end the album with a mighty plea for peace and ask us to “Let It Be”. Another great turn for Ms. Turner. It is by far one of the finest recordings of the duo. It mostly showcases Tina’s love for all music. I can’t say enough about this brilliant album. Buy it today.

Listen the amazing live performance of “Proud Mary”

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Sublime harmony soul from The Temprees one of the few southern groups who could really match the brilliance of the east coast scene of the time!

Along with The Mad Lads and The Dramatics, The Temprees recorded some very sweet and soulful romantic ballads for Stax Records. Although their peak was short, classic ballads like “Explain It To Her Mama”, “Dedicated To The One I Love” and the immortal “Love Can Be So Wonderful” place The Temprees in the same league as The Stylistics, The Delfonics and The Dells.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original We Produce Records(Stax) including covers.

Tracks
A1 Explain It To Her Mama (2:57)
A2 If I Could Say What’s On My Mind (4:25)
A3 (Girl) I Love You (3:12)
A4 I Love You, You Love Me (4:47)
A5 We’ve Only Just Begun (4:47)
B1 Dedicated To The One I Love (6:53)
B2 My Baby Love (2:54)
B3 I’m For You, You For Me (4:47)
B4 Love….Can Be So Wonderful (3:31)

Heavenly heavenly vocal group soul!

Although recorded in Memphis for the Stax subsidiary of We Produce, the sound of the record is much more in keeping with some of the best of the New Jersey group soul records from the time, fragile at times, with a sweetness that’s quite different than the bolder sound of early 70s Stax! The vocals are very raw, but woven together perfectly, into a soaring sound that will reach up and rip your still-beating heart right out of your chest!

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The Memphis, TN. balladeers’ finest LP. Lead singer Jasper “Jabo” Phillips, Dale Juan Calvin, and Harold Scott put the “l” in “lush.” Only two fast numbers are on Lovemen. “Explain It to Her Mama” and “My Baby Love” are both tight, but are not the caliber of the slow jams. Without a lot of fanfare, the Temprees recorded some of the ’70s’ sweetest soul music. “If I Can Say What’s on My Mind” really hits home; men and women can relate to the message which depicts the innocence of attraction and the inability to say what you really mean. “Girl I Love You, You Love Me” is a love vow with an exclamation point; it sounds like a lyric you’d write after a passionate love session. Their version of “Dedicated to the One I Love” is the definitive version; you won’t find a better rendition of the super ballad and quiet storm staple. They’re too tender to be dudes on “Love…Can Be So Wonderful,” a silky-smooth soul waltz powered by a prominent organ that will rip your heart out. As sweet as the Temprees were, they were virtually ignored at Stax, and continue to be slighted in the reissue market; a good compilation CD is way overdue.

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Listen up “Love Can Be So Wonderful”

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A million thanks to Raphy and cafecafecafe who cleaned this one perfectly and for their constant help.

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