"…Ready Willing And Able…To Give You My Love…"
Best known as one of 'the' great Backing Vocalists (especially in the Seventies) - Texan CLYDIE KING had her own stab at Solo fame in the mid to late Sixties on the Stateside and Minit Record labels in the USA.
Not that anyone noticed - none of these 45s made the Top 40 in the US R&B charts despite the fact that her singles are beloved amongst Soul collectors. Even the presence of the mighty JIMMY HOLIDAY on the wonderful and chipper "Ready, Willing & Able" failed to move.
This fab little November 2007 CD Remaster called "The Imperial & Minit Years" by CLYDIE KING on EMI/Stateside 5099950958122 (Barcode 5099950958122) sets out to prove the chart-buying public were wrong to ignore her - and makes a damn good 22-Track point of doing so. Here are the in-depth details…
1. The Thrill Is Gone
2. If You Were A Man
1965, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Imperial 66109
3. Missin' My Baby
4. My Love Grows Deeper
1965, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Imperial 66139
5. He Always Comes Back To Me
6. Soft And Gentle Ways
1966, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Imperial 66172
7. Ready, Willing And Able [Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King]
8. We Got A Good Thing Goin' [Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King]
1967, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Minit 32021
9. One Of Those Good For Crying Over You Days
10. My Mistakes Of Yesterday
1967, A&B-sides of USA 7" single of Minit 32025
11. I'll Never Stop Loving You
12. Shing-A-Ling
1968, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Minit 32032
13. One Part, Two Part
14. Love Now Pay Later
1968, A&B-sides of USA 7" single on Minit 32054
15. Good Kind Of Hurt
16. I'm Glad I'm A Woman
17. If You Love Me Like You Say
18. Ode To Billie Joe
19. Something To Remember You By
20. The Way I Love My Man
21. When In Rome
22. You Can't Make Me Love You
Tracks 15 to 22 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Much of the Imperial stuff is actually very Phil Spector sounding because the recordings reflect that wall of sound feel. The Minit label material features Jimmy Holiday both on duet vocals and in song-writing credits - and are pure Sixties Soul bliss – full of "...sock it to me…and dig this…" lyrics. Check out "Shing-A-Ling", a Van McCoy song relegated to the B-side of "I'll Never Stop Loving You" - absolutely sensational – like discovering a great unheard Motown gem. And there's also her most famous song - the uptempo duet with Jimmy Holiday - "Ready Willing And Able" (lyrics above) – a lovely tune. It was featured in 1986 on a Jimmy Holiday reissue album called "Everybody Needs Help" when EMI first started dipping their toes in Old School Soul reissues.
As a session vocalist, the list of rock and soul luminaries Clydie has played is almost ludicrous - The Doors, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, B.B. King, The Supremes, The Rolling Stones, America, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and my first introduction to her - via Steely Dan. Clydie King sang on Steely Dan albums - mother of God!
The Bonus Tracks all turn out to be properly produced studio recordings (all from 1968) - and they're uniformly excellent - especially "Good Kind Of Hurt" and the wicked "You Can't Make Me Love You".
This is what a Soul CD reissue should be about - ludicrously rare Soul gems given a new remastered airing - topped up with a primo haul of previously unreleased goodies from those heady times - and that's exactly what you get here. Buy this beautiful Soul compilation and you'll know why her vocals were and are - so revered. And it's less than a fiver from most sellers…very nice indeed…
