Every morning I get up and listen to a record all the way through. My bath runs and the sun rises and I sit at my desk with a cup of tea, a bowl of cereal, energy drink,yoghurt . Whatever I have in my fridge and fruit bowl. Whatever the cornerstones of a nutritious breakfast might be today.
Today I'm listening to Dusty Springfield's Definitely. On Phillips Records and released in 1968. Generally you'd go to Dusty in Memphis or a Greatest Hits collection. But I found a cheap copy of Definitely in RPM, my go to record shop in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago and I'm going with this. Records are like people. You need to make an effort to get to know them. Tease out the character from the grooves.
Dusty Springfield is one of the best people I know to wake up with. She's a sedictress. Voice smooth as silk. Kohl eyed. That fabulous hair. But more than that. She's a great singer. A different class from Cilla, Sandy Shaw or Cilla or Lulu. Her competitors here at the time. They all had their moments but Dusty is streets ahead in Soul Top Trumps. Her real competition is Dionne and Aretha. And she stands tall against both.
She has incredible control and mastery of the song she's tackling at any point in time. Often Baccarach & David classics, passed around by the girls at the time. Songs of heartache. Winning and losing at love. She skips around. Shows her versatility. Tackles Aznavour, Randy Newman and Norma Tornega.
Each of this is a story. A narrative of life and love. And though it doesn't hang together as an album like Dusty in Memphis it's an enchanting half hour and transports you back in time to a period in life where things seemed simpler. When I was just a lad in trousers. Holding my mummy's hand.
It's an illusion of course, life was never simple or easy. But the illusion hangs effortlessly here and I find myself turning the record over again. My bath can wait.
Dusty takes part in the production duties here. And pens the sleevenotes herself. It' an inspiring example of a woman taking control despite her uncertinties and difficulties. She's a role model.
After a couple of plays two tracks stand out. Take Another Piece of My Heart which effortlessly outclasses Janis Joplin's more famous version. I always find that overwrought and slightly mannered. Janis soars elsehwhere. The other one that got to me was Dusty's take on This Girl's In Love With You. This will always take me back to a campus square in 1989 . Walking and crossing it and thinking of someone I loved in Italy. Who I knew I was losing. Trying not to cry. I always have a tear in my eye whenever I listen to that song. Great songs will always be able to do this. Dusty's version is every bit as classy as Dionne's/
Elsewhere Definitely is an album to learn to love. I've got time. It's done it's job today. Into the coming morning and my lesson at nine. Thanks Dusty! A great loss. With Sandy Denny, the greatest Soul singer the UK ever produced. Different shades of Soul. But equally treasurable.
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