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"...Gonna Please You...Yes I Am!"
A blindingly good twofer from England's BGO yet again – pairing two completely overlooked Blues-Soul albums that haven't seen the CD light of day prior to this - ever.
Originally on Mercury Records and their subsidiary Blue Rock – they came out Stateside in early 1967 and late 1969 (the first even got a British release in both Mono and Stereo) and were clearly aimed at dancefloor feet rather than Blues Guitar purists. Criminally forgotten goodies comes to mind, so let's have at Little Junior cuttin' loose and cookin' his lovin' goose...
UK released March 2017 - "Like It Is/Honey-Drippin' Blues" by (LITTLE) JUNIOR PARKER on Beat Goes On BGOCD1278 (Barcode 5017261212788) offers two US Albums from 1967 and 1969 originally on Mercury Records Remastered onto 1CD and plays out as follows (61:33 minutes):
1. Country Girl [Side 1]
2. You Can Make It If You Try
3. Wish Me Well
4. Hey Lawdy Mama
5. Sometimes I Wonder
6. (Ooh Wee Baby) That's The Way You Make Me Feel
7. Come Back, Baby [Side 2]
8. Just Like A Fish
9. Baby, Please
10. You Ain't Got No Heart
11. Cracked Up Over You
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album "Like It Is" – released February 1967 in the USA on Mercury MG-21101 (Mono) and Mercury SR-61101 (Stereo) and March 1967 in the UK on Mercury 20097 MCL (Mono) and Mercury 20097 SMCL (Stereo). Produced by BOBBY ROBINSON – it didn't chart in either country. Band included Memphis sessionmen Willie Mitchell (the Hi Records and Al Green Producer), Gene 'Bowlegs' Miller, Fred Ford and Jimmy Mitchell on Various Horns, Reggie Young on Guitar, Buddy Emmons on Organ, Joe Hall on Piano, Mike Leech on Bass with Sam Creason on Drums.
12. Easy Lovin' [Side 1]
13. I'm So Satisfied
14. You Can't Keep A Good Woman Down
15. You're The One
16. Reconsider Baby
17. Lover to Friend
18. Your Bag Is Bringing Me Down
19. Ain't Gon' Be No Cutting Aloose [Side 2]
20. Lovin' Man On Your Hands
21. Your Love's All Over Me
22. What A Fool I Was
23. I Got Money
24. It Must Be Love
Tracks 12 to 24 are the album "Honey-Drippin’ Blues" – released December 1969 in the USA on Mercury/Blue Rock SRB-64004 in Stereo (no UK issue).
The card-wrap outer slipcase lends these Beat Goes On reissues a classy feel while the 20-page booklet features all the original artwork and sleeve notes with a new appraisal of all by noted writer CHARLES WARING. He goes into both albums and gives a potted history of Parker back when he was Little Junior Parker for his album in 1961 on Crown Records called "Driving Wheel". Hip-O Select of the USA reissued that famous American LP in its reissue artwork and I've reviewed that rare CD elsewhere.
BGO's resident mucho-experienced Audio Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON does the usual stalwart business by the transfers and even if the separation in say either "Baby Please" or "You Ain't Got No Heart" sees the drums in one speaker and the guitar and brass in another – they're so alive, kicking and clear – the feel is still great. This is a nice sounding CD reissue and the musicianship of the Memphis sessionmen is tight, contributing a lift when the arrangements needed it. The second album from 1969 sees Production values go up big time, proper Stereo – gorgeous sound in your speakers as you digest the hipster shuffle of "Easy Lovin'" and the lurve-man persuasion in "You're The One".
Amongst the large number of covers on the "Like It Is" album is an absolute cracker in his dancing take on Memphis Slim’s "Wish Me Well" where session guitarist Reggie Young (subject of an Ace CD all by himself) does Junior Parker proud – tasty flicks throughout. Young does the same on the Jimmy Reed standard "Hey Lawdy Mama" – gotta leave this town – ain’t got no time to lose. Mercury took the opening song "Country Girl" on Side 1 and paired it up with another excellent Parker original "Sometimes I Wonder" as the flipside – but the April 1967 US 45-single on Mercury 72672 didn’t seem to take. Shame, as both are good.
Less successful is a girly-vocal-laden take on Smokey Robinson's "(Ooh Wee Baby) That's The Way You Make Me Feel" that feels too much like its reaching for a two-minute single hit. Far better is the chugging Blues lurch in "Come Back, Baby" – a popular Ray Charles song used on loads of Euro Atlantic Records singles in 1961 and 1962. Parker follows it with another chugger-winner in the shape of "Come Back A Fish" – a Pearl Woods song Mercury issued way ahead of the album in September 1966 as a flipside (Woods famously co-wrote "Something's Got A Hold Of Me" with Etta James). Using a truly superb smouldering cover of the Curtis Mayfield pleader "Baby Please" on the A-side of Mercury 72620 – they make for a handsome pairing. And on it goes to the Motown R&B bop of "Cracked Up Over You" – Junior Parker understated in his vocal delivery – backed up so well by Piano, Brass and Drums making it a dancefloor draw.
The December 1969 LP "Honey-Drippin' Blues" clearly feels more produced and sounds just great for it – very much a 60ts Sexy Shuffling Soul LP more than Blues or traditional R&B. Think The Dells meets The Chi-Lites meets Northern Soul joy. His voice just so suits this material too. Hardly surprising that Blue Rock chose "Easy Lovin'" as its leadoff 45-single - it's hooky chorus bound to grab FM-attention. Coupled with the equally cool "You Can't Keep A Good Woman Down" on the flipside - Blue Rock B-4088 was released August 1969 as a US 45-single but it didn't trouble Billboard's top 200 on their R&B charts.
Lovely warmth to the side-stepper "You’re The One" – a sexy thrill-you-with-my-love piece of slinkiness – his pleading vocals smooth as silk. Parker then cleverly reworks the Lowell Fulson classic "Reconsider Baby" with tiny nods in the arrangement to the fabulous version Presley did on the "Elvis Is Back" way back in 1960. Looky-here-baby lyrical jabs fill "Lover To Friend" as does some nice Harmonica soloing work from Parker. He goes into full-on smooch for "What A Fool I Was" sounding not unlike B.B. King realising he's been a bit of a schmuck when it comes to trusting that woman who studies all the time.
For sure the song quality dips on album number two with "I Got Money" and the church-organ vs. girly backing singers of "It Must Be Love" feeling like Parker's chasing Aretha Franklin Gospel-Soul authenticity and not quite getting there. But still, there is so much good on this pairing that at less than seven quid in July 2021 on Amazon (brand new) - that makes me wanna advise that you to "Wish Me Well" when it comes to Beat Goes On BGOCD 1278...
