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"…Yes
They Told Me To Watch Out For You…"
Some
Soul singers garnish a reputation that borders on the hysterical – Luther
Ingram, James Carr and even white boy Eddie Hinton spring to mind – and Macon
Georgia’s Howard Tate is one of them. His album came into existence in 1967 –
was reissued in 1969 with a slightly different track running order and then
(like him) disappeared into virtual obscurity for nearly 30 years. But luckily
for us – up steps Harvey Weinger at Hip-O Select who has saved the day and
these fabulous torch-Soul sides for posterity. Here are the coiffured down-home
details…
US
released March 2007 as a numbered limited edition CD of 5000 – "Get It
While You Can – The Complete Legendary Verve Sessions" by HOWARD TATE is
on Hip-O Select B0002210-02 and its 29-tracks break down as follows (74:55
minutes):
Tracks
1 to 10 are his debut album “Get It While You Can” – it was released April 1967
on Verve V-5022 (Mono) and Verve V6-5022 (Stereo). The STEREO mix is used here
(all the singles are the Mono variant).
1.
Ain’t Nobody Home 2. Part-Time Love 3. Glad I Knew Better 4. How Blue Can You
Get 5. Get It While You Can 6. Baby, I Love You 7. I Learned It All The Hard
Way 8. Everyday Have The Blues 9. How Come My Bulldog Don’t Bark 10. Look At
Granny Run Run
Tracks
11 and 12 are "Stop" and "Sweet Love Child" - two STEREO
tracks that were added onto the February 1969 reissue LP on Verve Records
V6-5072 (it also had different artwork which is on the first page of the
booklet).
Tracks
13 and 14 are "Ain't Nobody Home" and "How Come My Bulldog Don't
Bark" – the A&B sides of a June 1966 USA 7" single on Verve VK
10420 (Mono)
Tracks
15 and 16 are "Look At Granny Run Run" and "Half A Man" –
the A&B sides of a December 1966 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10464
(Mono)
Tracks
17 and 18 are “Get It While You Can” and “Glad I Knew Better” – the A&B
sides of a March 1967 USA 7” single on Verve VK 10496 (Mono)
Tracks
19 and 20 are "Baby, I Love You" and "How Blue Can You Get"
– the A&B sides of a May 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10525 (Mono)
Tracks
21 and 22 are "I Learned It All The Hard Way" and "Part-Time
Love" – the A&B sides of an August 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK
10567 (Mono)
Tracks
23 and 24 are "Stop" and "Shoot 'Em All Down" – the A&B
sides of a December 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10573 (Mono)
Tracks
25 and 26 are "Everyday I Have The Blues" and "Night Owl" –
the A&B sides of a June 1968 7" single on Verve VK 10604 (Mono)
Tracks
27 and 28 are “Sweet Love Child” and “I’m Your Servant” – the A&B sides of
a November 1968 USA 7” single on Verve VK 10625 (Mono)
(Bonus)
Track 29 "Give Me Some Courage" is an alternate mix first issued in
1995 on the Mercury Chronicles CD set “Get It While You Can: The Legendary
Sessions”. It is freshly mixed for this CD.
Hip-O
Select have used a favorite remaster engineer of mine – SUHA GUR. He’s had his
hand in many great Soul reissues (especially on the Motown front) and received
unanimous praise for them all. The sound is fantastic – punchy, present and
full of sock-it-to-em emotion. It’s housed in a three-way foldout card digipak
and is numbered in Gold to 5000 on the rear. The 20-page booklet has
contributions from long time fan Harvey Weinger and musical associate, mentor
and album Producer Jerry Ragovoy. It also reproduces the original liner notes
from both issues of the album and well as track-by-track annotation.
Most
white boys like me will know “Get It While You Can” and “Look At Granny Run
Run” from Janis Joplin and Ry Cooder (both songs penned by the dynamic duo of
Jerry Ragovoy and Mort Shuman). “Get It While You Can” got soul-rocked on
Janis’ Joplin’s sublime “Pearl” album in 1971 while Ry Cooder did a furiously
funny version of “Look At Granny Run Run” on his fabulous Americana “Bop Til
You Drop” album in 1979. Even Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills
covered “Stop” on their wicked Blues Rock album “Super Session” in 1968.
I
love the huge feel of the STEREO album – tracks like “Glad I Knew Better” sound
just amazing – instruments and his aching Little Richardesque vocals leaping
out of the speakers (lyrics from it title this review). Both “Stop” and “Sweet
Love Child” added on in 1969 only made an already perfect album even better.
I
have the “Howard Tate” album he made on Atlantic in 1972 on the "Atlantic
Soul Legends" 20CD Mini Box Set issued in 2012 (see separate review) that
is a cracker as well. Unfortunately this CD quickly sold out and in 2014 has
built up a hefty price tag – but this is one of those occasions where spending
the wedge is worth it.
Beautiful
stuff and one of the reasons why Hip-O Select is held in such affection by Soul
fans and collectors…
