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MORE THAN A FEELING
1976
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"...I'm Open To Persuasion..."
I
can recall vividly the first time I heard "Love And Affection" in the
Autumn of 1976 – sophisticated, hurting, layered – it was truly jaw-dropping
stuff. And this most famous of her songs has pretty much remained a Radio
stalwart ever since.
Her third album – the self-titled "Joan
Armatrading" is coming up on a 50th anniversary in 2026 so
deserves to have its considerable praises sung "...once more with
feeling..."
UK
released September 1997 – "Joan Armatrading" by JOAN ARMATRADING on
A&M CDMID 104 (Barcode 082839322829) is a straightforward mid-price CD
transfer of the album on the label's 'A&M ReMasterPieces' Series and plays
out as follows (42:05 minutes):
1.
Down To Zero [Side 1]
2.
Help Yourself
3.
Water With The Wine
4.
Love And Affection
5.
Save Me
6.
Join The Boys [Side 2]
7.
People
8.
Somebody Who Loves You
9.
Like Fire
10.
Tall In The Saddle
Tracks
1 to 10 are her third LP "Joan Armatrading" – released August 1976 in
the UK on A&M Records AMLH 64588 and September 1976 in the USA on A&M
SP-4588. The album peaked at No. 12 on the UK album charts (No. 67 in the USA)
in September 1976. The CD Remaster was carried out by ROGER WAKE at Bourberry
& Wake and is very clean – beautiful in places. Unfortunately the inlay is
a gatefold slip of paper with musician credits and bugger all else which is a
damn shame (early days of CD reissues).
THE
BAND:
JOAN
ARMATRADING – 6 and 12-string Acoustic Guitars & Lead Vocals
JERRY
DONAHUE – Lead Electric Guitar (all tracks except "Somebody Who Loves
You" and "Like Fire")
BRYN
HAWORTH – Mandolin on "Somebody Who Loves You" and Slide Guitar on
"Like Fire"
PETER
WOOD – Piano and Organ (all tracks except "Somebody Who Loves You"
and "Like Fire")
DAVE
MARKEE – Bass on All Tracks
DAVE
MATTACKS – Drums on All Tracks except "Down To Zero" and "Help
Yourself"
KENNEY
JONES – Drums on "Down To Zero" and "Help Yourself"
Duel
drums with Dave Mattacks on "Water With The Wine", "Join The
Boys" and "People"
B.J.
COLE – Steel Guitar on "Down To Zero"
GRAHAM
LYLE (of Gallagher & Lyle) – 12-String Guitar on "Down To Zero"
JIMMY
JEWEL – Saxophone on "Love And Affection"
LEROY
CHAMPAIGN and CLARKE PETERS – Backing Vocals on "Love And Affection"
Following
on from her debut LP "Whatever's For Us" on Cube Records HIFLY 12 in
November 1972 and her 2nd effort "Back To The Night" on A&M
Records AMLH 68305 in April 1975 – "Joan Armatrading" didn't so much
launch her but explode the West Indies lady (by way of Birmingham in the UK)
onto a world stage. The self-titled LP was everywhere by Christmas and being praised
as one of 'the albums of the year' by admirers in the music press on both sides
of the pond and everywhere else for that matter.
Side
1 opens with the magnificent "Down To Zero" – a regular on "Best
Of" and "Anthology" compilations and easy to hear why. A
gorgeous production by Glyn Johns sees those acoustic guitars up front until
Jerry Donahue from Fairport Convention kicks in with that great lead guitar.
Kenney Jones (of Small Faces, Faces and The Who) and Dave Markee (of Centipede)
both play blinders on the Drums and Bass too. But its those "...first
class scene-stealer...brand new dandy..." lyrics that cut into you –
announcing with bravado that this is no sappy love song nor is the writer a
teenage sucker. The sweet sounds continue with the deceptive "Help
Yourself" – and just as you're getting comfortable with it acoustic sway –
the song goes funky and angry - genius.
"...Met
him on a Monday and he said he loved me so..." she sings warily on
"Water With The Wine" and by the time you get halfway though the song
you get the uneasy feeling that things aren't going to work out for this Joe
Schmo. It's funny now to think of that deep bass vocal on "Love And
Affection" as being Detective Lester Freamon in HBO's 'The Wire' TV Series
who used to bawl out Dominic West's character McNulty every week. But the other
unsung hero on this classic is surely Jimmy Jewell of Jake & The Family
Jewels - whose Saxophone work elevates the song into the majestic. Everything
about this ode to love is aching like an open wound – longing for a taste of
the real thing - and even after 40 years "Love And Affection" still
has the emotional mojo to move a soul.
Side
2 opens with the funky Rock of "Join The Boys" where Joan declares
her musical motley crew is "...second to none even on a bad night..."
– great piano and organ fills from Peter Wood throughout with both Kenney Jones
and Dave Mattacks whacking those skins. I've always had a soft spot for
anything Bryn Haworth plays on – a fantastic guitar player who used to be with
Freakbeat darlings Fleur Des Lys in the 60ts. Haworth had just put out two solo
albums on Island "Let The Days Go By" in 1974 and "Sunny Side Of
The Street" in 1975 (see my review for this pairing on Gott Discs).
Haworth's mandolin playing is sweetly complimentary to "Somebody Who Loves
You" bringing out the warmth of the song - while his menacing chunky Slide
on "Like Fire" perfectly underscores Joan's fantastic funky Acoustic
Guitar playing. The record ends on the quietly hopeful "Tall In The
Saddle" which features a wildly effective guitar solo from Jerry Donohue.
If
you want more of her great material – the "Gold" 2CD set from
Universal has beautiful 2005 remasters from Erick Labson – but at present this
is the only way to get the whole album with 'that' song on it.
I'd
love to hear outtakes from these sessions or demos and I can't help thinking
that a 2CD 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of "Joan Armatrading" is due in 2026? Here's hoping...
