One of the great R&B debut albums

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One of the great R&B debut albums

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MasonJar

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One of the great R&B debut albums

Posted over 2 years ago

Artist:

Roberta Flack
Album:

First Take
Track:
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Tryin' Times

I'll never forget the first time I heard Roberta Flack's debut album about a year ago. I believe I thought something like, "Damn, I'm finally hearing this album NOW?" Better late than never, I s'pose. Since then there will be weeks when I can listen only to this album. This is one of those weeks. The whole album is sublime, especially the opening cut "Compared to What", the following track "Angelitos Negros" and the gorgeous "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", but it is "Tryin' Times" that for some reason captivates me every time I listen to it.

Comments (6)

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ZeppoNoir says Hey there! Welcome to MOG! Compared To What? You mean she covers the Les McCann & Eddie Harris version of Compared To What?...or is Les and Eddie covering Roberta's "Compared To What"? ....Help me. I'm confused. Great tune by god! By the way, did anyone ever tell you that when you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way?

Permalink posted 07/17/2007
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MasonJar says Eugene McDaniels (I guess he goes by Gene) wrote "Compared to What", so Les, Eddie and Roberta are all involved in a sordid scheme of covering Gene's tune. Be confused no more, Monsieur ZeppoNoir. Gene McDaniels also wrote "Feel Like Making Love", which Roberta Flack also did.

Permalink posted 07/17/2007
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ZeppoNoir says Ah-so. Was just looking up Gene and saw the mention of two of his albums Outlaw and Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse. Both come highly recommended. Where was my head?!?!

Permalink posted 07/17/2007
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MasonJar says Thanks for the welcome, FastRMacR. Roberta Flack at Red Rocks in '73...I'm envious. You know, I'm not at all familiar with Roberta's work with Donny Hathaway. I guess I'll have to indulge myself soonly. Any recommendations?

Permalink posted 07/19/2007
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FastRMacR says Welcome MasonJar! Thanks for sharing that tune - sooo nice (and so applicable to the times again indeed)! I think it's fascinating that ZeppoNoir made a Quincy Jones post about the same time you post a Roberta Flack tune! (See, he just got me up here on mog as well, and I got the oddest kick listing my first concert experience at Red Rocks). 1973 and I remember it well - my pops used to jam those Roberta Flack LPs (_Killing Me Softly_ and _Chapter Two_) right along with the Quincy Jones (_Walking In Space_ and _Gula Matari_). Wow! This is some great stuff with so many musical connections -that puts my head quite nicely. Merci! And merci beaucoup to Q for bringing Roberta to the light for us. Shouldn'we be mentioning Donny Hathaway here as well gentlemen?

Permalink posted 07/19/2007
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FastRMacR says OK - I'm a ... "Stimpy, you eedyot!!" Quincy Jones did *not* give Roberta Flack her 'start'. (I must have amalgamated all those album plays by pops back then .. "my poor brain":http://mog.com/music/Foo_Fighters/The_Colour_%2526_The_Shape). That and my pops says he remembers Miles Davis being credited in the liner notes of _Killing Me Softly_. +Les McCann+: it's nice and clear in the lady's own "biography":http://www.robertaflack.com/rfbio.html on her website. Read it. Know it. Love it. Fantastic woman! I was a little kid in '73 .. but I have vivid memories of that Red Rocks concert (I can still feel the hippie vibes and smell the grass - no kiddin')! Donny Hathaway did a version of "Tryin' Times" on his own 1970 album, "Everything is Everything":http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000033OT/korantenstoli-20. He was influential in the music publishing scene (Don-Pow Music) and worked with Flack on many occasions. I was trying to get at who actually wrote that song - thinking they probably collaborated on it.

Permalink posted 07/23/2007