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"...I Heard You Been Running Around..."
Friday, 27 October 2023 saw Ace Records of the UK reissue Candi Staton's first two albums for Rick Hall's American label Fame Records - "I'm Just A Prisoner" from April 1970 and "Stand By Your Man" from December 1970 (those British CD reissues are pictured at the bottom of this review).
Now for Friday, 29 March 2024, the UK gets door number three – the self-titled "Candi Staton" LP originally released September 1972 in the USA as her third studio album of Southern Soul on Fame Records FAS-1800 (no UK variant). Also like the first two reissues - "Candi Staton" is available as both a CD and Black Vinyl LP - the LP variant being Ace/Kent Soul HIQLP 130 - Barcode 029667022217 (comes with an inner sleeve that appears to have all the info of the 12-page CD booklet crammed onto both sides).
Also, like the first two 2023 CDs - "Candi Staton" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKENM 519 (Barcode 029667109727) comes in 'Mini LP Repro Artwork' that boasts a New Inner Sleeve, a fully-featured 12-Page Liner Notes Booklet and the whole set has Remasters from Original Tapes. It looks and sounds fantastic with clearly huge leaps having taken place in recording techniques by 1972 - because while "I'm Just A Prisoner" and "Stand By Your Man" from 1970 sounded so damn good – this 1972 beast leaps out of your speakers with a clarity that is frightening – real muscle and power to every single song. A top-quality job done in Audio transfer.
Downsides: at 28:19 minutes total playing time, "Candi Staton" CD could of course have done with some Single Edits and maybe even the unreleased stuff that showed up June 2011 on the fabulous 2CD compilation "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEN2 353 (Barcode 029667235327). But what is here, rocks. Elvis Presley even wrote her a personal note about how much he enjoyed her cover of "In The Ghetto" – a single lifted off of Side 1 before the album was released. To the details…
1. Do It In The Name Of Love [Side 1]
2. Darling You're All That I Need
3. Blackmail
4. In The Ghetto
5. Wanted: Lover
6. The Best Thing You Ever Had [Side 2]
7. Lovin' You, Lovin' Me
8. I'll Drop Everything And Come Running
9. You Don't Love Me No More
10. The Thanks I Get For Loving You
Tracks 1 to 10 are her third studio album "Candi Staton" - released September 1972 on Fame Records FAS-1800 in STEREO (no UK issue). Produced by RICK HALL at Fame Studios in Alabama - it peaked at No. 37 on the US R&B Billboard charts.
As already mentioned, Candi Staton and Ace Records fans have been here before - June 2011 seeing the fabulous 2CD compilation "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEN2 353 (Barcode 029667235327). That twofer CD set gives you all three of her superb Southern Soul American LPs on Rick Hall's Fame Records plus non-LP single-sides and unreleased - all from her stay there between 1969 and 1972. So, if you own that digital anthology from 2011, then you might want to give these 2023 and 2024 single CD reissues a jaundiced wallet eye and a hard pass. But then you clock the cool CD artwork, the new inner sleeve and booklet (pictured above) and capitulation may not be far off because these things are just so damn cute.
I don't know if Ace Records of the UK has given the reissues a 'name' per say - Mini LP Series or something like that. But by way of description, what you have is a Mini LP Oversized Card Sleeve with the CD Remaster from original STEREO tapes, a new Colour Inner Sleeve (pictured) and a 12-page liner-notes booklet complete with photos, trade adverts, label repros, sheet music memorabilia and new interviews with Candi by Soul aficionado IAN SHIRLEY.
The "Candi Staton" album was preceded in the USA by "In The Ghetto" b/w "Sure As Sin" – the Mac Davis-penned A-side issued 20 May 1972 on Fame Records 91000 as the first US 45-single. But any true fan will notice that the CD album 'as is' offers a total-playing-time of just 28:19 minutes, hardly busting a nut in terms of value for money. Worse - "Sure As Sin" is a Non-LP flipside penned by Eddie Hinton and Marlin Greene that could (and should) have been included as a very cool Bonus. The "In The Ghetto" song had of course been issued by Elvis in April 1969 and become a huge late-career hit for him – a message song about social injustice. Two other female artists had also had a go – Dolly Parton and Bobbie Gentry. Candi’s cover managed an 11-week stay and rose to No. 48 on the US Billboard R&B charts.
A month after the 10-track "Candi Staton" LP hit American record shops, Fame paired two of its better tracks as single number two. October 1972 saw "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me" b/w "You Don't Love Me No More" issued as the second US 45-single on Fame 91005. The Barbara Wyrick-penned A-side and the Clarence Carter/Candi Staton co-write on the flipside reached No. 40 on the US R&B charts and even managed a No.83 placing on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Hits Chart.
Third and final single from the album was the Bobby Bloom and Neil Goldberg song that opened Side 1 "Do It In The Name Of Love" b/w the Candi Staton original "The Thanks I Get For Loving You". Issued December 1972 on Fame 91009, this funky dancefloor-orientated pairing did best of all reaching No. 17 on the US R&B charts and No.63 on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Hits.
The audio punch of the 'lay it on me' and 'you can make me talk so easy' opener "Do It In The Name Of Love" is fantastic – its slick Bass line like The Staple Singers over on Stax while the brass jabs ape the JBs on Polydor. John Bettis and Kerry Chater penned the sleepless-night pine in "Darling You're All I Need" – Candi moaning about the one sure thing she threw away. Gloria Jones and Pamela Sawyer wrote the jaunty agony of "Blackmail" while guitarist Travis Wammack (part of the Fame crew that played on the album) pointed Candi to "Darling You're All That I Had" – a song he had recorded with Fame too for his own self-titled debut album "Travis Wammack" on Fame Records FAS-1801 which also came out late 1972. Leonard Caston and Lloyd Webber end Side 1 with a call-and-response funky-funky shimmering guitar-groover "Wanted: Lover" – only good men should apply for this job – no experience necessary – but the benefits will of course be worth it.
Side 2 opens with a George Jackson groove - "The Best Thing You Ever Had" – Candi telling her ex that his new squeeze has naught on his ex. Strings and keyboards all clear – the neck-jerking suffering making you want to shimmy to the dancefloor. Gorgeous audio too on the Barbara Wyrick ballad "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me" – Acoustic Guitar and Strings complimenting the gently touch my hand lyrics. A team of four funky dudes coughed up the 'I know you have another baby too' groover "I'll Drop Everything And Come Running" (Larry Chambers, George Jackson, Melvin Leaks and Raymond Moore) – Candi still hankering after Mr. Right whilst settling for Mr. Right Now. The piano and good-woman guitar ballad "You Don't Love Me No More" is a fabulous Southern Soul pleader (his kiss not lasting long enough) with a great brass fade out that will send Northern Soul lovers into an arm-folding trance. She brings the album to a close with a very Clarence Carter sounding (is this) "The Thanks I Get For Loving You" – a fantastic Seventies Soul groove (its keyboard-slinky opening nicked liberally from the Sixties) that will surely show up in a TV Series on Netflix any day now (lyrics from it title this review).
Another cool Kent Soul re-release then (those HIQLPs are gorgeous too) and a timely reminder as to why we love Soul Music so much from that halcyon decade. Rick Hall's label released two more 45s for Staton in 1973 (could have been bonuses) and Candi Staton would leave Fame Soul behind when she demanded that "Young Hearts..." should run free in her mid Seventies Warner Brothers Disco years - thereafter becoming a household name.
But the trio of "I'm Just A Prisoner", "Stand By Your Man" and "Candi Staton" LPs from 1970 and 1972 is where the Southern Soul smarts started. Buy this and the others and bathe yourself in the audio juices (now don't be rude) of some criminally forgotten peaches...
The Other Two Titles In This Ace/Kent Soul Series - See Separate Reviews
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