Jimi's on this (guitar) as is Don Covay (background vocalist) and Billy Preston (organ). Released on Vee-Jay Records. Dig Richard preaching in the middle of this.

Pure blues amazingness

This should have been a big hit, at least on the "black" chart. This song is proof that he was perfectly capable of recording contemporary R & B music and that he wasn't just an "oldies" act.

rialb said:

This should have been a big hit, at least on the "black" chart. This song is proof that he was perfectly capable of recording contemporary R & B music and that he wasn't just an "oldies" act.

It peaked at No. 12 on the R&B charts. I think the biggest problem is he released it on a label that was about to go bankrupt (Vee-Jay).

Nice.......never heard that one.

Thanks.

Timmy84 said:

rialb said:

This should have been a big hit, at least on the "black" chart. This song is proof that he was perfectly capable of recording contemporary R & B music and that he wasn't just an "oldies" act.

It peaked at No. 12 on the R&B charts. I think the biggest problem is he released it on a label that was about to go bankrupt (Vee-Jay).

I was not aware of that. I guess that it was a fairly sizable hit but like everything he recorded after the fifties it is overshadowed by his early material.

I think that he had trouble finding good/great songs to record in the sixties/seventies but when he was given a good song he could still deliver a great performance. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he recorded for Stax. He may have been a little too raw for Motown but maybe that partnership could have worked.

whoa. this is AWESOME.

rialb said:

Timmy84 said:

It peaked at No. 12 on the R&B charts. I think the biggest problem is he released it on a label that was about to go bankrupt (Vee-Jay).

I was not aware of that. I guess that it was a fairly sizable hit but like everything he recorded after the fifties it is overshadowed by his early material.

I think that he had trouble finding good/great songs to record in the sixties/seventies but when he was given a good song he could still deliver a great performance. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he recorded for Stax. He may have been a little too raw for Motown but maybe that partnership could have worked.

I think it was because producers didn't know what to do with him. They weren't the genius type producers that Robert "Bumps" Blackwell had been for Richard. It also had to do with changing times. It's a miracle a rock and roll song like "Bama Lama Bama Loo", for instance, made it to 82 on the pop chart (the R&B chart was taken out briefly when it charted but Billboard has put the song at 82 on its historic archives). Like I said, if this song had gotten better promotion (like if he had released it on Stax or Atlantic), then he would've had a great comeback as a bluesy soul artist. Another issue is people were trying to make Richard someone else. He complained once that Vee-Jay had tried to get him to do the same type of modern R&B productions as his fellow Georgia rocker James Brown. Richard reportedly asked them, "don't you know who I am?" Not in an arrogant, braggadocious matter, but in a sad, almost melancholy way because he felt Vee-Jay had totally forgot who he really was. The only guy who truly understood him musically was his old Specialty label mate Larry Williams and they began working together shortly after this song came out. It was because of Larry that Richard at least got some mainstream popularity again as a flamboyant live performer.

^ Forgot to add: and his flamboyance during this period - including blond wigs - didn't help matters either.

Timmy84 said:

^ Forgot to add: and his flamboyance during this period - including blond wigs - didn't help matters either.

His weirdnes scared off some black folks.