An impromptu catch

My vinyl digging trawls of local charity and second hand shops usually have some degree of advance planning, even if it’s usually just along the lines of "haven’t hit that area for a while, think I’ll have a look tomorrow". Last Saturday I had no prior intentions of seeking a vinyl fix, but I found myself with an hour to kill and with a couple of known haunts close by…. well you’ve just got to haven’t you?
So into "Disc ‘n’ Tape"* I went, and I’m glad I did! (*a gloriously anachronistic name for a music shop now methinks, it hasn’t changed it’s name in the 30 odd years I’ve known it and I hope it never does). Nowadays the shop mainly deals in new and second hand CDs, but it still has several wooden bins of secondhand 45s. Of course, being the UK, they are £1 bins not $1 bins and are invariably mostly full of rock or pop stuff. Finding a slab of soul or funk to get your heart racing is a rare event. But this impromptu visit turned up no less than THREE (count them!) soul scorchers. Not rare I grant you but pure quality, oh yes! Firstly there was Natalie Cole’s "Sophisticated Lady"/"Good Morning Heartache". I’d been turned on to "Good Morning Heartache" only recently by a blog post (sorry, can’t remember the author), so that was a good omen. Then halfway through the third bin I found two Ann Peebles singles, both in excellent condition. (I completed my haul with a pic sleeve Jam "Down In The Tube Station" – not soul I know, but another all time classic - and went home a happy man!).

Believe me, you can’t have enough Ann Peebles in your life. I have always been a fan – a “Black Music” magazine poster of her adorned my bedroom wall for some years back in the 70s. Her 73 hit “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” would have to rank in my top 10 all time all comers favourites.

I don’t intend to do a potted biog of Ann Peebles here as I know she has been the subject of a few posts over recent months. Red Kelly recently did an excellent in depth item on her and the roots of Hi records.

So let’s cut straight to the music, as I did as soon as I got home last Saturday. Both the tracks posted here are the B sides of the singles I bought, and in my opinion are stronger than the A sides.

“I Still Love You” in this instance is the B side to “Dr. Love Power” released in 1976. A track of the same name was also B side to “Part Time Love” in 1970, and is possibly the same track as it has an early feel to it I think. “A Love Vibration” is B side to “Do I Need You” released in 1974. It can also be found on the album “I Can’t Stand The Rain”.

Both are taken at a slightly slower pace than more typical Willie Mitchell produced Hi material and to my mind have a slightly lighter touch. They have a tender, almost delicate quality, and are both simply beautiful (especially “I Still Love You”). Enjoy!

Ann Peebles – I Still Love You (gone)
Ann Peebles – A Love Vibration (gone)

Start your Ann Peebles CD collection here (UK) or here (USA)