Impressions - Love Me (unissued alt take)

[Liljimmycrank]

OK, so if you missed your chance with Andy Spencer and Matt Bolton to get a copy of The Impressions unreleased promo only alt take of Love Me, here's a chance from me. I've also given a blurb from various threads about the background and the recent find if that sort of thing interests you.

 

THE IMPRESSIONS - LOVE ME / DO YOU WANNA WIN, 
CURTOM CR1959 PROMO,
MINT, £20 + post

 

£2 UK Post, £4 Europe Post, £5 rest of world

 

PayPal as friends and family if poss but no drama if not.
PM me preferably or reply here.

 

 

The Blurb:
There are 3 different takes of 'Love me' with differences amongst each. The promo being the only way to own that cut. Here's the back story..... 
Both the "Times have changed" LP cut and the 45 single/issue (catalogue number 1959) had Leroy Hutson on lead vocals. 
This newly discovered unnisued promo (also catalogued as 1959), which has a different arrangement compared to the released issue, follows similar arrangements to the LP but obviously different vocal and other subtle variants.
Despite the vocals having all the hallmarks of Curtis Mayfield's velvet falsetto tones, he never actually cut this record, although he did pen it. Curtis left the Impressions in 1968 and this was recorded a few years later. The vocals are covered by the line up of Leroy Hutson, Sam Gooden and Fred Cash.
But who was the lead on this take?......
From the sleeve notes of the "Indelible Impressions" cd from '91 and thanks largely Taffy (Ian Guy) for most of the info via his direct contact with the band we now know the person on lead vocals on this promo cut was actually SAM GOODEN! 
The follow up single to 'Love me' from the lp was going to be Potent love but Curtis Mayfield scrapped it in favour of re-releasing 'Love me' with 'I need to belong' as the A-side cat number CR1973). 
The Love me alt take, which remained unissued, was recorded at New York bell sound studios in which was a part of the "Times have changed" session. 
Hutson did the arranging (and the monologue) on the LP take from which this cut is based, but Mayfield himself decided to switch lead vocalists from Hutson to Gooden and so we end up with this promo only cut; the reason why this has the same category number as the original issue remains a mystery. 
In my opinion, the promo offers more tempo and rawness, with better dance floor appeal. Sounds mega on a big system, as attendees at the recent 100 club niter will testify!! 

And what about the find..... 
So this stock came from an old radio station in Baltimore, Marland. Loads of buddah/subsidiary/distributed affiliate label stock across various genres. A bit strange for a the volume of multiples to be unearthed at a radio station and rumoured that the family member the deal was done through had a working link into Buddah itself. As for the Impressions promos, the source has run dry with the approx 150-200 copies now sold, hence the (mainly UK) re-selling at the minute. Given these have never really surfaced in the wild, I suspect this small batch (smaller than most new releases) could be the only run, and once they're gone they're gone!!

[Liljimmycrank]

All sold now thank you

[Tlscapital]

If I may put my bit into it; I find it very interesting and most worth wile on the history, collector's and alternate take side of things, where I still much prefer the 'regular' slicker and mellower 45 take that is more groovy IMO or more "instant", it is none the less a fantastic 45 to tell versions apart 'epic' discovery. Regards, Tim