Prelude is considered one of the big names for dance and disco music of the 70s and 80s. Its catalogue is huge, with plenty of LPs and 12" singles. Soul lovers can find something for theirs taste too as in the case of this album produced by David Porter and recorded at Malaco Studio in Jackson, Mississipi (unfortunately on 15th April of this year the company's studio and offices were destroyed by a tornado) and in Memphis.
This beautiful cover version of Clarence Coulter's masterpiece (and super rarity!) comes from the first album of the Yates family, that was recorded in Alabama and on the West Coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco, to be precise). Compared to the original the tempo is faster and arrangments are more exuberant. Well done!
These two forgotten 45s sound great if played together. Arthur Freeman has a good reputation for the Stafford's monster "You Got Me Up Tight" on Jumbo. "Played Out Play Girl" was originally issued on his first single and then re-arranged in 1971. It came out on Astor Arts and, one year later, on Excello. The song is a fine example of uptempo Southern Soul. The second of our soul men, Chuck Carter, recorded one single for Brunswick but the best track of the sessions, "He's A Lover", stayed in the vaults till Guy Hennigan made it big at Stafford. "I've Done You Wrong" is a competent version of Kip Anderson's classic and saw the light of day in the latter half of the 60s. To add more value, on the official A side you will find a great deep soul ballad. Blue and red labels, two tasty ingredients for a successful recipe. Enjoy your meal!
I first heard this record on Colin Dilnot's very informative blog and it was love at first sight. After purchasing the album "The Swinging Sound Of Soul" on Europa at last I succeeded in finding a copy on eBay for a very good price. Both sides are brilliant. "I Was Satisfied" starts off with a harmonica and then it builds up with a spine tingling crescendo while "You Never Know" is rhythmically more consistent and has a rather latin flavour.
This is the re-recording of Elvin Spencer's "Lift This Hurt", originally issued by Winner in 1970 and one year later by Twinight, thanks to Syl Johnson who convinced the label to purchase his contract. This version is faster and more danceable while the flip is a fine ballad. Needless to say Elvin was Chosen Few's bandleader. If you want to investigate further Bandit Records' treasures, Numerogroup has published a great compilation dedicated to Arrow Brown's label (http://www.numerogroup.com/).
