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"...Little Mama..."
I've loved Bobby Bland's
Rhythm 'n' Blues of the Sixties and especially his stunning Seventies Funky
Soul LP duo for Dunhill Records - "His California Album" in 1973 and
"Dreamer" from 1974 - both of which Beat Goes On (BGO) put out on CD
way back in their early 90ts reissue days (BGOCD64 and BGOCD63 respectively).
In fact, both of those nuggets could do with a serious Audio upgrade - hissy
lo-fi early attempts at digital transfer compared to the sophisticated
productions on offer here.
Unfortunately, this latest
BGO outing from December 2021 (delayed from November 2021 due to Covid-19)
deals with 1978 through to 1981 - four albums on ABC and MCA Records where even
the most generous of spirits would have to admit that the songs and music took
a major nose dive as opposed to the quality of those early 70s LPs.
Still - BGOCD 1472 is
beautifully presented, sounds awesome and with four albums on two discs (each
CD wading in at over the 80-minutes barrier) – properly great value for money. Here are
the sweet vibrations...
UK released December 2021 -
"Come Fly With Me/I Feel Good, I Feel Fine/Sweet Vibrations/Try Me, I'm
Real" by BOBBY BLAND on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1472 (Barcode 5017261214720) is
a compilation offering 4LPs Remastered onto 2CDs.
Tracks 1 to 9 on Disc 1
(80:38 minutes) feature the album "Come Fly With Me" released June
1978 in the USA on ABC Records AA-1075 and ABC Records ABCL 5249 in the UK -
whilst Tracks 10 to 17 are the album "I Feel Good, I Feel Fine"
released September 1979 in the USA on MCA Records MCA-3157 (no UK Issue).
Tracks 1 to 9 on Disc 2
(82:22 minutes) feature the album "Sweet Vibrations" released
December 1980 in the USA on MCA Records 5142 – whilst Tracks 10 to 18 are the
album "Try Me, I'm Real" released September 1981 on MCA Records 5233.
The outer card slipcase
always adds these Beat Goes On compilations a classy look and the 24-page
chunky booklet contained within has new in-depth liner notes from CHARLES
WARING of Mojo Magazine fame and a regular for BGO. All the artwork is here and
best of all, beautifully clear and muscular Remasters from ANDREW THOMPSON.
But you wish that all this
reissue effort was in the stead of better songs - "Little Mama" and
"Soon As The Weather Breaks" on Disc 1 offer rare moments of genuine
Soul as opposed to the terribly twee forced nature of the rest. Things improve
immeasurably over on CD2 when we reach the early 80ts with the you-turn-me-out yet
you-turn-me-on cool of "Sweet Vibrator". Other goodies are the
finger-clicking brass-punctured swagger of "Soul With A Flavour" and
the hurting abuse-me George Benson-type smooch in "Special Kind Of Fool".
Gorgeous production values too on "A Real Woman Is What It Takes"
where he employs that gravel voice and gargle to great effect. The 1981 platter
"Try Me, I'm Real" stuck close to the preceding year's style – slow
and slick for "Just You, Just Me" followed by a shuffler like
"Givin' Up The Streets For Love" – but cover versions like "What
A Difference A Day Makes" and "I Cover The Waterfront" feel like
filler Bland can pull off in his sleep rather than genuinely inspired choices.
The audio is great and the
BGO presentation is once again up there with the very best – but you just have
to taper those Soul expectations when it comes to the actual music, especially
on that weaker CD1.
Fans, however, should not hesitate for a moment and dive
in...this is the best representation of his material from that period to date...
