Candi Staton's rare soul recordings for FAME released on vinyl

Candi Staton's 12 shelved FAME recordings – which appeared on the Evidence 2CD in 2011 – are out on vinyl today.  

Here's the scoop...

Trouble, Heartaches And Sadness (The Lost Fame Sessions Masters) features twelve previously unreleased tracks from Candi Staton’s incredible recording period at the legendary FAME studios. Discovered and compiled as part of Dean Rudland's comprehensive 48-track Evidence (The Complete Fame Sessions Masters) 2CD comp released by Ace/Kent back in 2011, Staton's 12 unissued tracks are available for the first time on vinyl for RSD DROPS 2021 on Saturday (July 17).

Side 1 – 1. One More Hurt (2.41), 2. Spread Your Love On Me (3.10), 3. Lovin’ The Easy Way (2.50), 4. Where Were You (3.17)*, 5. I Gave A Little And Lost A Lot (4.19), 6. Do Right Woman (3.07).

Side 2 – 1. We Had It All (2.53), 2. Slipping Away (3.10), 3. I'll Be Here (3.25), 4. Trouble, Heartaches And Sadness (2.47), 5. Jolene (4.13), 6. Are You Just Building Me Up (3.28) (All tracks are stereo except * mono)

Check out Candi Staton's version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and the title track below. 

Happy Birthday Jimmy Scott!

Remembering "the singer's singer" Jimmy Scott on his birthday with a 1971 performance of "I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over"  

LINKS

Tom Schnabel's Rhythm Planet Remembering Little Jimmy Scott

Soul Jazz issues Studio One Ska Fire! singles box for RSD

The limited-run Studio One Ska Fire! box includes ska gems from Bob Marley, The Maytals, Lee Perry & The Skatalites.  

Here's the scoop... 

Soul Jazz Records are releasing the Studio One Ska Fire! box set, a limited-edition one-off pressing exclusive for Record Store Day 2021 on July 17. The collectors seven-inch box set includes 10 amazing and super-rare Studio One ska tracks on five 7” singles, all produced with separate inner sleeves. Featuring The Skatalites, Lee Perry, Toots and the Maytals, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Don Drummond, Jackie Opel, Derrick Morgan, The Ethiopians and more – a who’s who of the biggest names in reggae history! Rare and classic original ska tracks from Jamaica's no.1 record label, all recorded by Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd at Studio One Records. All tracks have been digitally remastered and the singles come housed in a thick, heavyweight card box.

Check the track list following the clips of Lee Perry's "Open Up," The Skatalites (Rolando Al & The Soul Brothers) "Something Special" and The Regals' "Shammy Back"

RECORD 1

A: Bob Marley and The Wailers – Rude Boy

AA: Derrick Morgan – It’s Alright

RECORD 2

A: Don Drummond – Don D Special

AA: The Maytals – A Man Who Knows

RECORD 3

A: The Skatalites – Something Special

AA: Lee Perry – Open Up (aka Cook Book)

RECORD 4

A: The Regals – Shammy Back

AA: Bob Marley and The Wailers – Diamond Baby

RECORD 5

A: Jackie Opel – The Mill Man

AA: Ethiopians – I Am Free

That time MTV aired a Chesterfield Kings video

Watch MTV's Martha Quinn introduce a clip for "99th Floor" by Rochester's Chesterfield Kings with animation by Fred Armstrong. 

Chesterfield Kings frontman Greg Prevost is still putting out great records. Check out Songs For These Times right here. 

Happy Birthday William Bell

Celebrating the birthday of Memphis soul great William Bell with NEA video, Tiny Desk Concert and podcast interview. 

Shirley Collins returns to the cliffs for Crowlink EP

Shirley Collins has a new five-track EP of field recordings featuring "My  Sailor Boy" (see below) out July 30th via Domino. 

Here's the scoop...

Britfolk icon Shirley Collins MBE released the excellent Heart’s Ease last year; her second album for Domino, it showcased Collins with her confidence fully returned. An album broader & brighter in tone than 2016’s Lodestar (her first studio album in 38 years), it found Shirley Collins exploring warmer themes and featured four non-traditional songs, including closing track “Crowlink”.

Today, Shirley Collins is pleased to announce the release of a new EP, Crowlink, due July 30th. The five-song EP is named after a particular hamlet in the Seven Sisters (a series of undulating hills on the Sussex coast of England) with a pathway that overlooks the English Channel, one of which is one of Shirley’s Collins’ favourite places to be.

Picking up from Heart’s Ease’s finale, the Crowlink EP is a collection of songs sung by Shirley Collins, and featuring field recordings from the edge of the cliffs at Crowlink, Firle Church and Etchingham, recorded by Matthew Shaw. Shaw produced the EP and contributes instrumental accompaniment.

Alongside the Crowlink announcement, Shirley Collins shares “My Sailor Boy” from the EP, which finds Shirley Collins singing over a moody, atmospheric fusion of sounds and demonstrates a more experimental side to the folk veteran. The track’s video (see it below), directed by frequent collaborator Grant Gee, mirrors the eerie sound and mystical feel of the EP. Elsewhere on the EP, Ossian Brown’s hurdy-gurdy rings through on “The Rose and the Briar”; artwork comes courtesy of author, painter, filmmaker & provocateur Brian Catling.

Pre-order a digital copy of Shirley's "Crowlink" right here: https://smarturl.it/CrowlinkEP. There's a 12" vinyl version planned for release later this year. Watch Grant Gee's video for "My Sailor Boy" followed by the tracklist for the Crowlink EP below. 

Shirley Collins – Crowlink EP 

 1.     Across The Field

2.     At Break of Day

3.     Through All Eternity

4.     My Sailor Boy

5.     The Rose and the Briar

One For The Weekend: Lawrence Ardoin

Here's "Joe Pitre a Deux Femmes" performed by Lawrence Ardoin and crew at The Crashpad in Eunice, LA back in 1983.