"A's and B's" by REDBONE – Thirty-Six Single Sides from 1970 to 1977 on Epic and RCA Records USA and Epic Records UK and Brazil – featuring Pat and Lolly Vegas (March 2023 UK BGO Records (Beat Goes On Records) 2CD Compilation of Andrew Thompson Remasters)

 

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"...Come And Get Your Love..."

 

A two-hit wonder on the singles chart in their native USA in 1971 and 1972 (one big smash in the UK in 1971 that went all the way to No.2) – the Native Indian REDBONE are a strange one. Part a poor man's METERS - sort of MALO Latin-Rhythms with a bit of Funky booty butt waddles via GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION – they have always bubbled under but never really broken through.

 

But unfortunately – and even with the expanse of thirty-six 45-single sides from 1970 to 1977 presented here in quality remastered audio – it is easy to hear why. Their LPs never sold when I worked the vinyl counters in Reckless Records in London's Soho – and it has remained that way for decades.

 

Redbone were good at times, but never consistently great and despite this valiant British 2CD seven-inch singles trawl through material even diehard Seventies nuts like me don't know – there are not the discoveries you would hope for (some nuggets for sure, but not much more (hence the 3-stars). This release also doesn't provide any real discography info, so I have. Anyway, to the details...

 

UK released Friday, 17 March 2023 - "A's and B's" by REDBONE on Beat Goes On Records (BGO) BGOCD1488 (Barcode 5017261214881) is a 36-Track 2CD Compilation of Digitally Remastered 45-Single Sides from the USA, UK and JAPAN that plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (61:22 minutes):

1. Crazy Cajun Cakewalk Band

2. Night Come Down

Tracks 1 and 2 the A&B-sides of February 1970 US Debut 45-single on Epic 5-10597

3. Maggie

4. New Blue Sermonette

Tracks 3 and 4 the A&B-sides of October 1970 US 45-single on Epic 5-10670

5. Alcatraz

Track 5 the B-side of Maggie, October 1971 Japan-only 45-single on Epic 83006

6. Light As A Feather

7. Who Can Say?

Tracks 6 and 7 the A&B-sides of February 1971 US 45-single on Epic 5-10712

8. The Witch Queen Of New Orleans

9. Chant: 13^th Hour

Tracks 8 and 9 the A&B-sides of May 1971 US 45-single on Epic 5-10749; August 1971 UK 45-single on Epic EPC 7351 – peaked at No. 21 in the USA, No. 2 in the UK

10. When You Got Trouble

11. Niji Trance

12. Jericho

Tracks 10 and 12 the A&B-sides of March 1972 US 45-single on Epic 5-10839; Tracks 11 and 12 the A&B-sides of April 1972 UK 45-single on Epic S EPC 7954; note – the A-side in the UK was "Niji Trance", "When You Got Trouble" was not released there

13. Message From A Drum

14. One Monkey

Tracks 13 and 14 the A&B-sides of May 1972 US 45-single on Epic 5-10866 (no UK issue)

15. Fais-Do

16. Already Here (Brujo)

Tracks 15 and 16 the A&B-sides of August 1972 US 45-single on Epic 5-10910

17. Poison Ivy

18. Condition Your Condition

Tracks 17 and 18 the A&B-sides of January 1973 US 45-single on Epic 5-10946; A-side is a cover version of The Coasters 1959 R&B classic originally on Atlantic Records in the USA

 

CD2 (62:49 minutes):

1. We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee

2. Speakeasy

Tracks 1 and 2 the A&B-sides of March 1973 US 45-single on Epic 5-10979; February 1974 UK 45-single on Epic S EPC 1472

3. Come And Get Your Love

4. Day To Day Life

Tracks 3 and 4 the A&B-sides of August 1973 US 45-single on Epic 5-11035; April 1974 UK 45-single on Epic S EPC 1944

5. Wovoka

6. Clouds In My Sunshine

7. Sweet Lady Of Love

Tracks 5 and 6 the A&B-sides of May 1974 US 45-single on Epic 5-11131; Tracks 5 and 7 the A&B-sides of November 1973 UK 45-single on Epic S EPC 1830; Note – Tracks 10 and 6 issued in the UK September 1974 as the A&B-sides of Epic S EPC 2664; Track 8 on CD1 and Track 5 reissued as A&B-sides in the UK on Epic S EPC 4894 in January 1977

8. Suzi Girl

9. Interstate Highway 101

Tracks 8 and 9 the A&B-sides of August 1974 US 45-single on Epic 8-50015

10. One More Time

11. Blood, Sweat & Tears

Tracks 10 and 11 the A&B-sides of October 1974 US 45-single on Epic 8-50015; Note: Tracks 10 and 6 issued in the UK September 1974 as the A&B-sides of Epic S EPC 2664

12. Only You And Rock And Roll

Tracks 12 and 9 the A&B-sides of February 1975 US 45-single on Epic 8-50074

13. I've Got To Find The Right Woman

14. Physical Attraction

Tracks 13 and 14 the A&B-sides of May 1975 US 45-single on Epic 8-50107

15. (Beaded Dreams Through) Turquoise Eyes

Track 15 is the B-side of "Suzi Girl" in 1975 on a Brazilian 45-single 66262

16. Checkin’ It Out

Track 16 is the A-side of a 1977 Promo-Only US 45-single on RCA JH-11182

17. Give Our Love Another Try

Track 17 is the A-side of a 1977 Promo-only US 45-single on RCA JH-11096

18. Funky Silk

 

I have to say that even though the card-slipcase gives BGO Records compilations a cool look – these 2CD sets have boring and uninspiring front of shop artwork. On the rear of the slight 12-page booklet (good liner notes from SEAN EGAN) is a collage photo of varying picture sleeves down through the years (US, UK, Europe etc) that would have made for far prettier front cover artwork. Still – the digitally remastered Sony/BMG Remasters all pack a wallop (no engineer name noted)

 

As a two-sided different listen, the swamp rock voodoo vibe of "The Witch Queen Of New Orleans" backed by the extraordinary "Chant: 13^th Hour" which offers a Native Indian chant and drone for its first minute and half before going immediately into the most unexpected Meters/Allen Toussaint-type Funk that sounds staggeringly contemporary in 2023 for something that is 52-years old. "Give us just a little more time... " - the Native American band pleads – for more of this – you can have all the time you want. The melodies and heartaches continue with the really rather good "When You Get Trouble" – a sort of Drifters/Stylistics soulful shuffle that hooks its way into your affections as it comments on social mores of the day - eight children to feed, the landlord bearing down on you (great screaming passionate vocals as it gets into a stride too).

 

Don’t know why someone in Epic UK thought "Niji Trance" would somehow be a better A-side than "When You Get Trouble" – it’s an interesting spirit dance of a funker, but it was never as commercial as say the USA A-side or its guitar-funk social-commentary "Jericho" flip – a neighbourhood on the edge of Fresno where people are living in tents and lean-tos. Another excellent song (quite rightly noted by Sean Egan in his liner notes) is the mellow and sincere "Message From A Drum" – a very Matthews Southern Comfort vibe (its flipside "One Monkey" is piano-organ pretty too, a song about moving up to Detroit).

 

Things go downhill fast by the time CD2 comes around - "We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee" feeling like a sideways but somehow cheesy attempt to recreate the hit "The Witch Queen Of New Orleans" hit. Its B-side is an awful pedal-steel country thing called "Speakeasy". A track called "Hail" was issued as a UK 45 A-side with "Condition Your Condition" as its flipside April 1973 on Epic S EPC 1398, but unfortunately it has not been included on CD2 - a naughty oversight. But things cheer up considerably when we get to the joyous "Come And Get Your Love" – the song that was of course revived by being used in the opening sequence of the huge Marvel Movie "Guardians Of The Galaxy" as Chris Pratt dances across an alien surface with the Redbone song playing on his Walkman. Despite being listed on the card sleeve as "Day To Day Life/Chant Wovoka" – it is only the "Day To Day Life" edit at 2:40 minutes. Great Production and the catchy guitar-funk of "Wovoka" should have seen it succeed as a 45-single – especially with its hey-hey Native Indian chant B-side "Clouds In My Sunshine" that quickly morphs into Stylistics Soul-Pop territory. Unfortunately by the time I get to the insipid "Suzi Girl", "Blood, Sweat & Tears" and so on Redbone feel like a band trying to find a hit rather than writing any.

 

Redbone have their admirers and this huge 2CD singles haul is going to make them very happy by way of rarity content and remastered audio; but for the rest of us, I advise a listen first...