Imagine you are a 13-year-old Canzetta Staton playing with your similarly aged pal Mavis Staples on the steps of the Apollo Theatre (the Jewell Gospel Trio singing within). As you run up and down the rungs shouting at each other, Mavis is struggling with the Christian name – too much of a mouthful. Hands on her hips, Mavis Staples (soon to be a stunning Lead Vocalist herself with The Staple Singers on Epic and then into the stratosphere with Stax Records) has made an Executive decision - I'm just going to call you Candi from now on because you're like a sweet. And that's it – the name stuck. Great stories like this abound when it comes to this most underrated of Soul Icons – but to the issue at hand...
Candi Staton and Ace Records fans have been here before - June 2011 saw the fabulous 2CD compilation "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEN2 353 (Barcode 029667235327) give them all three of her superb Southern Soul American LPs on Rick Hall's Fame Records plus non-LP single-sides and even threw in unreleased - all from her stay there 1969-1972.
So if you own that digital twofer from 2011 then you might want to give
these two new 2023 single CD reissues of the first two albums a jaundiced wallet eye
and a hard pass. But then you'd clock an eye on the cool CD artwork, the new inner sleeve and
booklet (pictured above - and there are VINYL variants too) and probably capitulate - because they're just so damn cute.
I don't know if Ace Records of the UK has given the first two releases in this series a 'name' - Mini LP Series or something like that. But by way of description, what you have is two Mini LP Card Sleeve CD Reissues (oversized card sleeves) with the Remasters from original STEREO tapes and each release with a new Colour Inner Sleeve, a 12-page liner-notes booklet complete with photos, memorabilia and new interviews with Candi by Soul aficionado IAN SHIRLEY.
Released Friday, 27 October
2023 in the UK - they are Candi's first two albums for Rick Hall's Fame Records
- "I'm Just A Prisoner" from April 1970 and "Stand By Your
Man" from December 1970. Both charted on the US Billboard R&B album
charts - the debut "I'm Just A Prisoner" entered the chart 23 May
1970 and peaked at No.37 with a chart run of 10 weeks. The more popular
"Stand By Your Man" album (named after its cover-version of the
famous Dolly Parton Country hit) hit the US charts 9 January 1971, rose to an
impressive No.12 and stayed on the charts for 12 weeks. This review is for the
debut first (the "Stand By Your Man" second album review is separate)...
UK released Friday, 27 October 2023 (November 2023 in the USA) - "I'm Just A Prisoner" by CANDI STATON on Ace Records/Kent Soul CDKENM 516 (Barcode 029667108829) is a straightforward CD Reissue and Remaster of her 1970 debut album on Fame Records (now in Mini LP Repro Artwork front and rear) that plays out as follows (26:21 minutes):
1. Someone You Use [Side 1]
2. I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)
3. You Don't Love Me No More
4. Evidence
5. Sweet Feeling
6. Do Your Duty [Side 2]
7. That's How Strong My Love Is
8. I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')
9. Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man
10. Get it When I Want It
Tracks 1 to 10 are her debut album "I'm Just A Prisoner" - released April 1970 on Fame Records ST-4201 in STEREO, October 1970 in the UK on Capitol Records ST-21631 in STEREO. Produced by RICK HALL at Fame Studios in Alabama - it peaked at No. 37 on the US R&B Billboard charts (didn't chart UK).
Any fan will notice that the album is 'as is' and with a playing time of 26:21 minutes, is hardly busting a nut in terms of value for money. Worse - there were three American 45s that preceded the debut's launch with Non-LP sides on all that could (and should) have been included as Bonuses.
"I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)" was b/w "For You" in May 1969 on Fame 1456 - the flipside "For You" being Non-LP. Following that "Never In Public" turned up as an A-side in August 1969 on Fame 1459 and again that's not here either (the LP cut "You Don't Love Me No More" was its B). Third was "Heart On A String" which turned up as a Non-LP B-side to "I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')" in November 1969 on Fame 1460. A fourth American 45-single came the same month as the album - "Evidence" b/w "Sweet Feeling" in April 1970 on Fame 1466 - but at least both were on the LP. Those three sought-after Non-LP cuts are all on the "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" 2CD compilation mentioned above - but it would have so cool to have had them here (they are not on the "Stand By Your Man" album plus "Sweet Feeling" and "I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')" on that second LP are duplicates of songs on the debut).
But (and this is the big but) - what you do get is wonderful - and I can't stress enough how good this reissue sounds too - remastered from original tapes. In fact Ace Records put it out on VINYL earlier in 2023 in both BLACK and PINK CANDI-FLOSS variants - 26 May 2023 on Ace Records/Kent Soul HIQLP 123 (Barcode 029667018319). Both have the same VINYL catalogue numbers and barcodes, but the PINK CANDI-FLOSS coloured LP is limited to 250 copies only. Let's get to the details...
The original American album artwork is faithfully reproduced on front and rear - a 29-year Candi smiling from the back sleeve (the liner notes beside that photo are unfortunately not reproduced in the new 12-page booklet). As you undo the shrinkwrap, there is a new colour inner sleeve (the original LP didn't have one) with a period photo of our hero on front and rear stood beside some Alabama log cabin in her cool 1969 dress. The studio for FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) is pictured along with Producer and mentor Rick Hal and his trusted Fame Gang on in-house musicians on the inner booklet page and at the rear. In-between the track list info/writing credits and new CS interviews are publicity photos, trade reviews of the LP, foreign picture sleeves and US 45s as well as several snaps of the mother of four - it's all very tasteful and revealing. And the audio is glorious - STEREO and kicking.
The first side (tracks 1 to 5) is virtually a perfect Southern Soul run - the songwriting presence and funky-cleverness of Clarence Carter (her husband between 1970 and 1973) everywhere you turn. The Fame band play a blinder too - "Sweet Feeling" being a woman's-take remake of "That Old Time Feeling" - a B-side Clarence Carter had done with Rick Hall for "Back Door Santa" on Atlantic 2576. It's without question my fave groove on here. Not to be outdone, Candi doesn't slouch on the Etta James/Aretha Franklin torch ballads either - "You Don't Love Me No More" actually filled with an ache that feels all too dangerously real.
In fact in the UK, Capitol Records clearly felt the slinkier "Sweet Feeling" stood a better chance than "Evidence" as the A-side in Blighty (it was the reverse in the USA). They were late putting the album out in England - probably sold bupkis anyway and that saw that the second LP "Stand By Your Man" wasn't issued on Capitol UK at all, but Capitol in Germany. Side 2 of the LP falters a tad for me - "Do Your Duty" a passable dancer. But stuff like "I'm Just A Prisoner..." and "That's How Strong My Love Is" are so strong and show why original copies of this cookin' LP shift hands so regularly for good money. It may only have ten songs on it - but it's a Southern Soul winner.
I liked this reissue so much, I nabbed the "Stand By Your Man" CD reissue too even though I actually don't like her version of the title track she got nominated for a Grammy for (there's far better stuff on the LP).
A cook Kent Soul re-release then (those HIQLPs are gorgeous too) and timely reminders in both cases as to why we love Soul Music from these halcyon decades so much. 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 "I'm Just A Prisoner" and "Stand By Your Man" from 1970 is where the Southern Soul smarts started. Buy them both and enjoy these criminally forgotten peaches...
See also my review for "Stand By Your Man"
Second release (27 Oct 2023) in this Kent Soul CD Series
