"When A Man Loves A Woman + Warm And Tender Love" by PERCY SLEDGE - June and November 1966 US Debut and Second Studio Albums on Atlantic Records in Stereo (November 2016 UK Edsel Compilation - 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD with Four Bonus Tracks - Number 1 in a Series of 3 CD Compilations) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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June 1966 US Debut Album "When A Man Loves A Woman" on Atlantic Records

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"...Loving Eyes Can Never See..."

The first in an series of three Edsel CD compilations for that great Southern Soul Man – Percy Sledge - and his immaculately coiffured stay at Atlantic Records (see list below for the other two titles).

 

This leanly priced card-digipak offers up his June 1966 debut album "When A Man Loves A Woman" followed by the November 1966 second studio platter "Warm And Tender Soul" plus four appropriate stragglers – two Non-LP B-sides and two later-released alternate version rarities. Lots to warm your soul and the woman you love (put your best friend down). To the details...

 

UK released 11 November 2016 - "When A Man Loves A Woman + Warm And Tender Soul" by PERCY SLEDGE on Edsel EDSA 5063 (Barcode 740155506339) is a Compilation offering 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD with Four Bonus Tracks. It plays out as follows (73:33 minutes):

 

1. When A Man Loves A Woman [Side 1]

2. My Adorable One 

3. Put A Little Lovin' On Me

4. Love Me All The Way 

5. When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)

6. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man 

7. Thief in The Night [Side 2]

8. You Fooled Me

9. Love Makes The World Go Round 

10. Success 

11. Love Me Like You Mean It 

Tracks 1 to 11 are his debut album "When A Man Loves A Woman" - released June 1966 in the USA on Atlantic 8125 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8125 (Stereo) - in the UK on Atlantic 587015 (Mono) and Atlantic 588015 (Stereo). The STEREO Mix is used for this CD. 

 

12. It Tears Me Up [Side 1]

13. I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You 

14. You Really Got A Hold On Me 

15. That's How Strong My Love Is 

16. A Sweet Woman Like You 

17. Love Me Tender

18. Warm And Tender Love [Side 2]

19. Try A Little Tenderness 

20. So Much Love 

21. I Stand Accused 

22. Heart Of A Child 

23. Oh How Happy 

Tracks 12 to 23 are his second studio album "Warm And Tender Love" - released November 1966 in the USA on Atlantic 8132 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8132 (Stereo) - in the UK on Atlantic 587048 (Mono) and Atlantic 588048 (Stereo). The STEREO Mix is used for this CD.

 

BONUS TRACKS:

24. When A Man Loves A Woman - Remake recorded in 1966, but unreleased until 1998 as an 'Alternate Take' on the CD compilation "The Very Best Of..." on Rhino R2 72969

 

25. Sugar Puddin' (July 1966 US 45-single on Atlantic 45-2341, Non-LP B-side of "Warm And Tender Love")

 

26. You've Got That Something Wonderful (February 1967 US 45-single on Atlantic 45-2383, Non-LP B-side of "Baby, Help Me")

 

27. (With) Every Beat Of My Heart (First Appeared on the 1981 UK LP "The Golden Voice Of Soul" on Atlantic K 20085)

 

PACKAGING - the card digipak opens to offer a superb 16-page booklet with properly in-depth and affectionate liner notes from Soul Expert TONY ROUNCE (October 2016). Our Tone is a name Sixties Soul and Southern Soul fans trust implicitly - a man whose vast knowledge on the subject has penned loads of booklets for England's Ace Records and other champions of the genre. You get pictures of both albums, their rare UK plum-coloured Atlantic labels, some rare 7" 45-single picture sleeves for "When A Man Loves A Woman", "It Tears Me Up" and "Warm And Tender Love". The booklet even reproduces the original LP's rear sleeve liner notes (both) alongside full track-by-track annotation. The last page pictures the threesome of generous CD compilations in the series (see list below). 

 

AUDIO is licensed from WEA (the 90s Rhino Remasters) and has been mastered for these compilations for Edsel by PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy Mastering. The debut album ranges from great to just good while the second LP is fabulous - and something of a missing masterpiece of slow torch-song Southern Soul. For sure some of the cuts rattle at the edge of obviously worn tapes, but most all of it feels alive and in your face for all the right smooching reasons. To the tunes...

Climbing to an impressive No. 2 slot on the Billboard LP charts, the debut album is of course dominated by the monster that is "When A Man Loves A Woman". A slow starter single in March 1966 yet still a sure fire hit, this stunning slice of sexy Southern Soul eventually nabbed the No. 1 slot months later on both US R&B and Pop - a huge feat for a male Soul Singer starting out. In fact (as Rounce quite rightly points out), the practice of placing a picture of a pretty white lady on the front cover of the album with the darker than dark singer on the rear was commonplace then (it actually affected shop sales) - but even now it grates big time.

 

The smooch of "When A Man Loves A Woman" is carried through with tracks like the soft-shuffling "My Adorable One" and take my cold hands and warm them of "Love Me All The Way" and "You Fooled Me". Upside the neck-breathers are a few dancefloor boppers like "Put A Little Lovin' On Me" and the makes the tree grow tall of "Love Makes The World Go Round". Forgotten nuggets come in the shape of the don't-come-easy organ grind of "Success" and the very Otis Redding bottom-wiggle of "Love Me Like You Mean It" - the B-side to the March 1966 classic "When A Man Loves A Woman". Speaking of which, I can hear why the 'brass' additions to that song were dropped (Bonus - Track 24) - it's a nice listen but one that clutters the mix up too much, thereby diluting the song's staggering hurt-power. Still, a fascinating listen to my ears after all these decades knowing the original...

 

The "Warm And Tender" album is even more amazing and in my book, a genuinely lost classic on the vast Atlantic Records catalogue. 

 

These Edsel sets are unfortunately deleted now in 2022, but if you get a chance to pick them up cheapish, then take the advice given in "You Really Got A Hold On Me" where Percy pleads "I don't want you, but I need you..." You do need it peeps...

 

PERCY SLEDGE Edsel Series of CD Compilations (November 2016)

 

1. When A Man Loves A Woman + Warm And Tender Love (Edsel EDSA 5063 - Barcode 740155506339) - 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD with Four Bonuses

 

2. The Percy Sledge Way + Take Time To Know Her (Edsel EDSK 7116 - Barcode 740155711634) - 2LPs Remastered onto 2CDs with Eight Bonuses)

 

3. My Special Prayer + Singles And Rarites (Edsel EDSK 7113 (Barcode 740155711337) - Final LP Remastered onto 2CDs with 27 Bonuses)