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"...I Can Understand It... "
A sob Soul story with a happy ending... I'd bought the then newcomer 'Q' Magazine from a shop in Berwick Street on a whim, absolutely loved its contents and funky writing and quickly began collecting them (I think it was only issue 5 or 6 in 1986 or 1987). Damn, I even had two of those Perspex 'Q' holders they sold for £11.99 from their back pages to house my collection in (numbered on the spines with cryptic messages from films and albums).
Anyway, back to that early issue of Q. What caught my eye was that it contained a near seven-or-eight page article accompanied by cool photos on the amazing musical life of Bobby Womack. While his albums "The Poet I" and "II" had made impact and reignited interest in 1981 and 1984, few talked of BW in Blighty in the late Eighties let alone acknowledged his contributions to Soul in the Sixties and Seventies on Imperial and United Artists Records.
And in some respects, in March 2021, it's the same really. Womack always seems to be overlooked for the bigger names, yet he made consistently good albums that at times tipped over into greatness and even brilliance. Case in point here. You get his excellent fourth and third studio albums (the running order is reversed for some reason) from 1971 and 1972 - Remastered in their entirety onto 1CD with a half decent booklet and a not too ludicrous price tag. Time for us to understand it...indeed...here are the communicative details...
UK released September 2004 - "Understanding/Communication" by BOBBY WOMACK on EMI/Stateside 866 0782 (Barcode 724386607829) offers two LPs from 1971 and 1972 Remastered onto 1CD (see below re running order) that plays out as follows (71:41 minutes):
1. I Can Understand It [Side 1]
2. Woman's Gotta Have It
3. And I Love Her
4. Got To Get You Back
5. Simple Man [Side 2]
6. Ruby Dean
7. Thing Called Love
8. Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)
9. Harry Hippie
Tracks 1 to 9 are his fourth studio album "Understanding" (fifth LP overall) - released March 1972 in the USA on United Artists UAS-5577 and September 1972 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29365. It peaked at No. 7 on the US R&B charts (didn't chart UK).
10. Communication [Side 1]
11. Come L'Amore
12. Fire And Rain
13. (If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back
14. Monologue / (They Long To Be) Close To You [Side 2]
15. Everything Is Beautiful
16. That's The Way I Feel About Cha
17. Yield Not To Temptation
Tracks 10 to 17 are his third studio album "Communication" (fourth overall) - released September 1971 in the USA on United Artists UAS-5539 and June 1972 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29306. It peaked at No. 7 on the US R&B LP charts (didn't chart UK).
DEAN RUDLAND of Ace Records reissue-fame provides the liner notes in the 12-page booklet. It's nice if not a tad underwhelming – a couple of black and white period photos with BW sporting an open chest, trademark sunglasses and a hanging medallion (no LP artwork). Rudland gives a potted history of the period LPs – but the big news is Remasters done at Abbey Road Studios by STEVE ROOKE and NIGEL REEVE. Rooke was part of the team that handled the much praised Beatles reissues and Apple Artists catalogue – whilst Nigel Reeve has been at the helm of many revered Audiophile reissues including huge swathes of the Universal "Originals" catalogue. Both know their way around a tape box or two in other words and the Audio is fabulous. I had British LP pressings of both albums for years and they never sounded this good. To the music...
Womack used the same trusted crew on top-flight musicians for both records. Guests included Barry Beckett on Keyboards, Tippy Armstrong and Jimmy Johnson on Guitars, David Hood and Roger Hawkins of the Muscle Shoals inhouse-band on Bass and Drums with Bobby Womack, Ronnie Eads, Harvey Thompson, Dale Quillen and Harrison Calloway, Jr. on Horns. Backing Singers included Blaxploitation star Pam Grier with veteran vocalists Patrice Holloway and Janice Singleton.
Although released in September 1971 – the "Communication" album turned out to have great legs (a 40-week run) aided by two singles from it – one of which almost clipped the coveted No. 1 spot. United Artists opened the "Communication" LP's onslaught with its title track released a month before the LP – the James Taylor cover "Fire And Rain" on its flipside. Released August 1971, United Artists 50816 entered the US R&B charts in October and eventually settled at a modest No. 40 placing. Although the album used just his name - the American seven-inch singles credited him as '(The Preacher) Bobby Womack And Peace' – a nod in part to the talking-then-singing style that was his trademark.
But in November 1971, UA hit Radio and Sales paydirt when they issued the irrepressibly catchy "That's The Way I Feel About Cha" with "Come L'Amore" on the B-side. The sexy groove of United Artists 50847 saw the single smash into the Top Ten and eventually peak at No. 2 with a 17-week run.
Better was to come for the follow-up "Understanding" album when in April 1972, United Artists 50902 coupled the instantly likeable "Woman's Gotta Have It" with another Side 1 LP track "(If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back". This time the 45 went all the way to Number 1 – an impressive feat back in the day. July 1972 then saw the Neil Diamond cover version of "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)" coupled with "Harry Hippie" on United Artists 50946. The A-side of that 45 stalled at No. 16 in September 1972, but then the flip gained popularity and went to No. 8 in late December 1972.
With four sides known to Joe Public, the "Understanding" LP secured sales to put it (like its popular predecessor) up to No. 7 R&B and No. 43 Rock. Womack would only compound that success in the early months of 1973 with his soundtrack album to "Across 110th Street". The title song to "Across 110th Street" was famously re-used in full by Quentin Tarantino in the opening airport walkway sequence to his "Jackie Brown" film of 1997 - his gangster homage movie featuring Pam Grier who had sung with Womack all those decades ago.
I love this little release. For sure in 2021, I find some of the cover versions completely superfluous to requirements and the long talked leads-ins a tad testing too – but when Bobby The Preacher got his great lungs around a great tune – I was sold and slaughtered. And there are far more of those on here than filler. Very cool.
Bobby Womack sang "Yield Not To Temptation" - I'm gonna ignore him and buy as many of these reissues as I can. RIP you pioneer and thanks for all the great memories...
PS: see my review for "Fly Me To The Moon/My Prescription" - his first two albums on Imperial Records also in this EMI-Stateside CD Reissue series
