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"...Heed The Call!"
1971 was a huge year for Soul Music -
especially American Soul. Marvin Gaye's staggering "What's Going On"
on Tamla (which many argue is the greatest LP every made in any genre and they
might be right) - Aretha Franklin's right-on Grooveathon "Aretha Live At
Fillmore East" and the Blaxploitation big daddy of them all (with a dose
of extra bling) - Isaac Hayes' "Shaft". All of them went to the
coveted No. 1 spot on the US R&B charts in 1971. Even Curtis Mayfield's
socially conscious inner city opus "Curtis" on Curtom Records proved
to have extended legs from its release in October 1970 when it too went all the
way - eventually hitting the No. 1 spot in February 1971 and staying there for
5 weeks.
But I'd argue it was a stunning and pivotal
year because of those 'other' albums you hear about in hushed tones and deep
Soul-worshiping circles. I'm talking about Bobby Womack's "Communication"
on United Artists - Earth, Wind & Fire's eponymous debut on Warner Brothers
– The Isley Brothers doing Rock in a Soulful way on their awesome covers album
"Givin' It Back" on T-Neck and Gil Scott-Heron's beat poetry vs.
music mash-up "Small Talk At 125th And Lennon" on Flying Dutchman
(I've reviewed most). I'd like to add my further penny's worth with Minnie
Riperton's "Come To My Garden" on GRT Records - The (New) Rotary
Connection's "Hey, Love" on Cadet - and released in the same month of
August 1971 and on the same label - the wonderful "Freedom Means" by
The Dells. All of the last three mentioned have a connection – they were
Arranged and Produced by the genius that was CHARLES STEPNEY.
Stepney is a big name in small circles and I've
been singing his praises in my SOUNDS GOOD e-Book on 'Soul, Funk and Jazz
Fusion' for years (he was sadly lost to us in May 1976 aged only 46). But what
puts "Freedom Means" up there is the alliance on the same record with
Stepney and Soul Boys/Songwriting Heroes - Larry Wade and Terry Callier. This
dynamic-duo provided six of the nine songs on the LP and man you hear it. Which
brings us to this 2015 Reissue...
Caroline International/SoulMusic Records are
part of the Cherry Red network of UK labels and they are clearly pleased with
their very cool and lovely Remaster. This is a beauty and they know it. Let's
get to the music and the meaningful details...
UK released December 2015 - "Freedom
Means" by THE DELLS on Caroline International/SoulMusic Records CAROLR
033CD (Barcode 600753663097) is a straightforward CD Reissue/Remaster of the
1971 US album that plays out as follows (40:28 minutes):
1. Freedom Means [Side 1]
2. Rather Be With You
3. The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)
4. One Less Bell To Answer
5. It's All Up To You
6. Medley: If You Go Away/Love Story [Side 2]
7. Make It With You
8. Free And Easy
9. Melody Man
10. Freedom Theme
Tracks 1 to 10 are their album "Freedom
Means" - released August 1971 in the USA on Cadet Records CA 50004 (no UK
issue). Produced and Arranged by CHARLES STEPNEY - it peaked at No. 4 on the US
R&B charts and No. 81 on the Pop charts.
NOTE: There are only 9 actual songs on the
album - "Freedom Theme" at the end of Side 2 (credited to Charles
Stepney) was merely a 20-second segment of silence (a statement of sorts on the
times). To keep the integrity of the whole album - Caroline have included it
here anyway.
THE DELLS were:
JOHNNY CARTER and VERNE ALLISON – Tenor Vocals
MARVIN JUNIOR and MICKEY McGILL – Baritone
Voices
CHUCK BARKSDALE – Bass Vocals
Musicians:
Guitars – Phil Upchurch, Terry Callier and
Patrick Ferreri
Trombones – John Avant and Morris Ellis
Trumpets – Arthur Hoyle and Murray Watson
French Horns: Ethel Merker and Richard Olberg
Piano – Charles Stepney
Harp – Edward Druzinsky
Bass – Sidney Simms and Phil Upchurch
Percussion – Morris Jennings, Sheldon Elias and
Donny Simmons
Violins, Cellos and Violas – Various
In a sumptuous 16-page booklet – A. SCOTT
GALLOWAY gives us superb liner notes that feature newly arranged interviews
with surviving singer Mickey McGill as well as reminiscences down through the
years from Callier, Wade and even Stepney himself. There's a great photo of
Larry Wade with Terry Callier in 2000 looking like two elder statesmen of Soul
– label repros of Side 1 and 2 for the Cadet CA 50004 LP as well as repros of
the desirable Cadet/Checker US 7" singles for the two singles lifted off
the album - "The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)" b/w "Freedom
Means" on Cadet CA 5683 (July 1971) and "It's All Up To You" b/w
"Oh, My Dear" on Cadet 5689 (January 1972). It's really well done and
gives genuine insight into facts around the songs and the recordings - insider
info that was all but mystery only a few years ago.
But the big news is the Audio – a truly
stunning NICK ROBBINS Remaster from original tapes. Nick has done literally
hundreds of CDs for Ace Records of the UK and especially their beloved
Kent-Soul imprint. This is a guy who knows his way around a Soul Record and a
master box. The full lushness of Stepney's arrangements (there's fifteen
players for Violins, Cellos and Violas in the booklet credits alone) and the
other great musicians and their obvious skills is now in proper evidence. I had
a few of these tracks on the Dells double-CD "Standing Ovation: The Very
Best Of 1966-1988" from Universal in 2007 (see separate review) – they
were remastered by the mighty Erick Labson and were uniformly stunning. But
somehow, somewhere - Robbins has managed to wrench more. Fans of the album and
Stepney-orientated material will love this.
Written by Wade, Stepney and Callier and
somehow reflecting the heady days of blacks and whites finally coming together
in some kind of shared bond - the album opens with the upbeat message song
"Freedom Means". A spoken intro advises that speaking right out -
finding space in time - working it all out together - is where it's at (man).
The smooch vocals soon turn into a righteous groove with the little guitar
flicks of Phil Upchurch subtly evident. Wade, Stepney and Callier song number two
is the busy "Rather Be With You" - a love song with a pulse. Callier
would return to the song almost two years later (as "I'd Rather Be With
You") for release on his "What Color Is Love" album (Cadet CA
50019 in March 1973). Callier's later cut is a leaner version - his gorgeous
voice carrying the melody yet again. The Dells version of "Rather Be With
You" initially features the huge Bass lungs of Chuck Barksdale singing
sexily into his lady's ears only to be joined by Bacharach type brass and the
complimentary Tenor voice of Johnny Carter. It's a hugely romantic song and
with Barksdale's deep timber has more than a shade of Brook Benton over on
Atlantic Records.
Magic then wallops you in the proverbial
goolies – the sensational "The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)".
Marvin Junior gets a lion's share of the passionate outbursts - but all five
voices are up there harmonising like pros to make a sublime cohesive whole.
This song alone makes the album five-stars and is surely one of the loveliest
examples of Harmony Soul out there (the public took it to heart too over the
months eventually putting it up to No. 8 on the R&B charts and even giving
it a No. 30 placing on the normally resistant Rock and Pop charts). "One
Less Bell To Answer" is the first of three cover versions - a Burt
Bacharach and Hal David creation made famous by The 5th Dimension who put their
version on Bell 940 on the No. 2 spot in late 1970. I have to say I'm not a
huge fan of this overly busy song - or the Jacques Brel/Rod McKuen combo of
"If You Go Away/Love Story" - the second cover on the LP. Both may
have some reaching for the word 'cheese' and the remote control's forward
button. Better is the very Terry Callier "It's All Up To You" which
feels 5th Dimension but in a more genuinely joyful way.
Their 3rd cover is the David Gates Bread
classic "Make It With You" which The Dells radically rearrange into a
Funky Stroller with Brass. Galloway's liner notes reckon it's a rare misstep -
but I love it better than the supposed wonder of that "Love Story"
talking-schlock. But they fade into memory as I totally trip out on another
fave-rave of mine - the stunning groove
of "Free And Easy" - where Phil Upchurch finally gets to shine for
close on five minutes. The voices swing and sway and there he is - flicking
away on the frets - complimenting the very 'California Soul' groove in the
melody. Apparently Stepney had charts for Upchurch to play - but he also knew
that the virtuoso guitarist liked to improvise and 'feel it' (like all great
Jazzers) - so that's what he let Upchurch do (this is why so many musicians
wanted to work with CS - he understood how to get the best out of them). The
lead vocals are also just stunning - one for that cool 70ts Soul CD-R you need
to impress pals with. "Melody Man" brings it home and the 20-seconds
of "Freedom Theme" feels like an eerie ghost somehow trying to tell
us something important from the past...a quiet and 'be still' moment...
Barksdale wisely commented once - "...God
allotted Charles Stepney just so much time to be here...that was time
exquisitely spent..."
Spend some of your cash on this exquisitely
realised CD Reissue/Remaster.
And well done to all at Caroline International and more from the criminally ignored Cadet/Checker labels purlease...
And well done to all at Caroline International and more from the criminally ignored Cadet/Checker labels purlease...
