Musical Episode #038 : Haunted Heart, an hour of heartbreak at 45rpm

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• Listen to this podcast as a Spotify playlist here (though note, spotify doesn’t have all / many of the songs featured on the site so some playlists may be incomplete or feature slightly different versions than the original 45s I’m referring to here.
• Download the podcast here

Welcome back everyone, we’re back with another hour of 45s for you. This week we’ve got a stack of records that really pull at your heart strings. I know it’s the thick of a tough season but hopefully these songs don’t bring you down further but give you a shoulder to cry on if you need it.

Today’s mix runs the gamut from deep soul to girl groups with the tie that binds being the song really tugs at your heartstrings.

The stark version of I Only Have Eyes For You was originally released in 1968 as an album track but the Big Crown label recently released it on 45 backing the classic Laugh Now, Cry Later making 45 obsessed weirdos like me happy to have it on their favorite format. Similarly the now classic Little Ann track was an unreleased recording from 1966 that was rediscovered and released on 45 in 2019 and I’m forever grateful.

You’ll notice two tracks by Irma Thomas and I was going to make her the centerpiece of this mix but actually ended up pulling some other tracks I really wanted to include so pared it down to two. She’s such a versatile and powerful performer, whether it’s a slow, searing ballad like her version of A Woman Will Do Wrong or a storming number like Breakaway, she’s a musical force regardless of style.

A few other favorite tracks on the mix are Priscilla Page’s Shoo Bee Doo Bee which is the crystallization of so many wonderful musical elements; the girl group/ doo wop back grounds, the pumping piano, the simple lead guitar and the atmospheric vibraphone. All these combine in a way to make the song feel approachable, you can name and identify the parts and imagine it being made but you know it’s an inspired slice of heaven and trying to replicate it would always fall short. Same thing with Herman Hitson’s side, it feels incredibly vulnerable and heartfelt, like you can imagine him pleading directly to you.

I could go on and on about all these songs but you can just listen and hear the plaintive cries, the desperation and longing in each passing note. I hope you enjoy and we’ll see you back here next week for another podcast, which I promise will be more upbeat.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.
-George / Snack Attack

Tracklist:
The Impressions – I Can’t Stay Away (ABC, 1967)
Maxine Brown – Oh No, Not My Baby (Wand, 1964)
Mary Wells – Me Without You (20th Century Fox, 1965)
Valerie Simpson – Silly, Wasn’t I (Motown, 1972)
Dee Dee Warwick – Don’t Think My Baby’s Coming Back (Tiger, 1964)
The Falcons – I Found A Love (LuPine, 1962)
The Van Dykes – No Man Is An Island (Mala, 1965)
Brenda Holloway – Every Little Bit Hurts (Tamla, 1964)
Priscilla Page And Rony Darrel – Shoo Bee Doo Bee (Now That You’re Gone) (Topper, 1966)
Sam & Bill – For Your Love (Joda, 1965)
Irma Thomas – (I Want A True) True Love (Imperial, 1964)
Marvin Gaye – Pretty Little Baby (Tamla, 1965)
Billy Stewart – I Do Love You (Chess, 1963)
Sunny & The Sunliners – I Only Have Eyes For You (Big Crown, 1968/re:2019)
Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You (Philips, 1965)
Percy Sledge – It Tears Me up (Atlantic, 1966)
Etta James – I’d Rather Go Blind (Cadet, 1967)
Herman Hitson – You Are Too Much For The Human Heart (Atco, 1968)
Little Ann – Deep Shadows (Deep Soul, 1966 / re:2016)
Bob & Earl – Don’t Ever Leave Me (Tempe, 1962)
Mary Ann Fisher – Can’t Take The Heartbreaks (Segway, 1961)
Irma Thomas – A Woman Will Do Wrong (Chess, 1968)

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