Garethx

I should have also mentioned that the reason the Arthur Conley version is so good beyond merely technical considerations is the very haunting quality it evokes. Recorded within two years of Sam Cooke's death it manages to be a an almost ghostly evocation of the great man: the song's message of hope seems a bitterly ironic harbinger of the death of Otis Redding a few months later. Bobby Womack's version is similarly very haunting: I don't know if he ever made a sadder recording.

I'd probably go along with the assessment that it's one of soul music's most important songs: it means so much to so many people. As a legacy of Sam Cooke's secular performances it's a fitting tribute to a great artist who was in many ways the most vital vocalist of the soul era. In truth it's hard to go too wrong when covering this song as it's lyrically so powerful. Honourable mentions go to Arthur Conley as I stated last week: a wonderful vocal from one of Sam Cooke's natural heirs allied to a blistering backing track from the Fame musicians at the height of their collective powers. I've also mentioned a simply staggering performance of the song by Al Green with Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper as featured on the soundtrack to the mediocre Michael Mann/Will Smith biopic "Ali" some years ago. This was recorded live at a back-slapping MTV event but rises above its context to create something genuinely memorable and moving. Al Green has seldom summoned such vocal power and the playing of the MGs is a pleasure. I wish I had the ability to post soundfiles as it must be heard to be believed. Perhaps it's on youtube.

As an aside to the debate on licensing and so on does anyone know anything about Shirley herself: the writer credits feature the same names as on The Soul Twins records and her Enterprise 45 is a Detroit thing but I wonder if there is more out there. Her Backbeat 45 is my type of Northern Soul.

Got £300 for a M- copy last year. They're out there.

The guy who co-wrote "It's A Shame" and so-on with Stevie Wonder and Rita Wright is the same guy who had UK hits in the 70s on Chrysalis. Like Stevie Wonder he was also a blind artist. I'm unsure as to whether he's the same guy on World Artists, which is apparently from 1965, but it's possible. On the WA 45 Garrett tries to sound a lot like Sam Cooke and does it very well. Does anyone know for sure?

Lee Garrett's "So Far Away" on World Artists is a magnificent ender, which seems to be unknown to many. I'm not sure if this is the same singer as the guy who had UK hits in the 70s.

"Talking About Freedom" by Fontella Bass on Paula is a wonderful record which bears comparison with any heavy soul ballad by other, more revered singers. A lot of her catalogue is also very good indeed. For me she's unfairly associated only with "Rescue Me". A classic record but one which has unfortunately been hammered to death from forty years of abuse as incidental music in cheap television and advertising.

Lots of good shouts from everybody. Pickett at Fame or American is my idea of soul heaven: it really never got any better than that; the most complete singer with the greatest musicians playing some of the finest songs ever written in the genre. "I've Come A Long Way", "It's A Groove", "I'm Sorry About That", "Trust Me" and many more. "Land Of A Thousand Dances" itself is probably the single greatest cover version of any song put down on tape. Suspend all the baggage that goes with the artist being a household name, imagine yourself hearing it for the first time and revel in the sheer intensity of the music: simply mid-blowing and a testimony to the pioneering spirit of the times that something so primal and almost avant-garde in its intentions and execution could sell millions of copies around the world. I sometimes ask myself if it ever really happened.

The Flairs on RAP.

Arthur Conley had quite a variable output. He recorded quite a few records where he clearly couldn't care less, but at his best he was capable of true greatness. "Put Our Love Together" and "I'm A Lonely Stranger" are two of the finest soul performances of all time in my book. Even relatively minor album tracks such as "Is That You Love?" are fantastic and I maintain that his is the greatest cover of "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Never swop established and proven long term rarities for a 'flavour of the month' type record. It can come back to haunt you...

Close but no cigar. It's a good attempt at sounding like The Temptations but I'm not convinced it's them. There are indeed examples of reasonably major artists moonlighting on small labels for a variety of often shadowy reasons but I don't think this is one of them. This would have been recorded at the time when Ruffin & Kendricks were two of the biggest R&B stars in America, with Ruffin driving round in a Bentley that would have made Stephen Ireland blush. He was notoriously into money so the idea that he would moonlight with Kendricks (whom he apparently loathed) on any project guaranteed for obscurity is baffling.

Indeed Pete.

Dean Courtney and The Casualeers were also black. The 'other' side of the Casualeers Roulette 45 is a beautiful harmony record!

Played in London for around fifteen years. Tim Brown put this on one of the Anglo sales tapes and I was convinced it was such a winner that I bought as many as I could afford and gave them away to mates. Good to see people appreciating it at long last. Other side is a torrid 70s ballad of the highest order if that's your kinda thing.

On a technical note this show will sound far more soulful if you listen whilst using your index finger to plug your left nostril standing on only your right leg.

Was eight quid on the Soul Bowl 'label' lists in about '83: quite expensive by their standards for a general soul record. "Mr. Soul" was a fiver if memory serves me correctly (people seemed to want the Vocalian copies of that far more for some reason). If only we all knew then what we know now. Of course some knew back then we all know now.

An absolutely brilliant SOUL record. Don't know if you can play it out, but so what? Great to play at home. All together now: Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

That Darrow Fletcher was incredibly cheap!

I must confess that it's a new one on me, so thanks for bringing it up Ian. From a songwriting point of view I think it's often fascinating to hear the writer's version of things that become established classics, even if they don't finish up as being as good a record for whatever reason as the more established 'hit' version. Interesting that Copanni's line about 'on a cloud to Napoli' is not in the Jackson Sisters reading of the song. Yes, he's not the world's greatest singer but this is still a very nice pop-soul record, understandably more about the song than the Jackson Sisters version, which you'd have to say is more about the production and arrangement. Let's hope he's done OK in royalties over the years from it.

A good double sider.

That's a very good point John. Jessie is a very fine singer, it's just that I have a blind-spot on most covers of the real building blocks of soul: the "I Stand Accused", "For Your Precious Love", "That's How Strong My Love Is" etc type. Particularly 80s ones. Lately 1980s low budget synthesised productions have really started to grate on me whereas at the time I was more tolerant. Tried listening to the Frank Johnson material on Traction the other day and felt ready to jump off a tall building afterwards. A wonderful singer who could have been the natural heir to Johnnie Taylor and some great songs both new and old, but those piss-ant arrangements! Really shoddy and inexcusable.

Sold one for £120 about six months ago and had lots of calls on it. For what it's worth I think the Lonnie Youngblood version of the in-demand track (Let Your Love Bring Out The Woman In Me) on Calla is better: maybe not as good vocally but the early 70s backing track is nicer than the 80s re-recording on Bound Sound.

I've always thought one of Glen Campbell's 1965 Capitol singles would be of interest to more broadminded soul fans: "Guess I'm Dumb" is a Brian Wilson production halfway between a soaring uptown ballad and the melodies of what would become the "Pet Sounds" sound. A wonderful record. I don't know if we're allowed to post youtube clips anymore but there's a good one of Campbell performing it on Shindig there.