One of the great thrills I've had during the duration of this blog has been featuring the works of the amazing Barbara Lynn. Ms Lynn was a real trailblazer; her recording career began when she was still a teenage, and Barbara came out of the gate singing, writing a good chunk of her own material, and playing guitar.Her second single, "You'll Lose A Good Thing" became a big hit, and one of the most enduring R&B oldies of the early '60's. Barbara still performs live, and puts on an incredible performance full of sass, humor, grace, sultry vocals, and some barn-burning guitar work.
Sure, there's lots of great versions of this one, but Barbara does a great job stepping up to the standards of Barrett Strong and The Beatles. This version is unique in that the intro is so complex but funky. And that's a hard tightrope to balance upon! It's just too bad she doesn't have a guitar break in this one because she would have torn it up, alas.
from 1964...
BARBARA LYNN - MONEY
In concert, Barbara Lynn tells a fantastic story about how she received a call from Mick Jagger in 1965, essentially asking her permission to record a cover of this jam. She tells it so well, in a humorous way (at first she thought it was a prank), but ends the story in a way that shows how appreciative she was that the song was covered.
"Oh! Baby" is a real corker; Barbara delivers a punchy vocal on top of some red hot soul backing for some glorious results.
from 1964...
BARBARA LYNN - OH! BABY (WE GOT A GOOD THING GOIN')
In my ongoing series of featuring practically every record recorded by Ms Barbara Lynn, here's yet another great one, showcasing her always groovin' rhythmic drive in full effect. If that's not the Sir Douglas Quintet backing her on this track, I would be VERY surprised!
from 1965...
BARBARA LYNN - YOU CAN'T BUY MY LOVE
Barbara Lynn cut her piece de resistance in 1967; the mighty 'I'm A Good Woman". Barbara pushes the range of her vocals to the maximum here, with a heart wrenching intro that twists and turns the pitch in a way that cries out PURE SOUL. This is one of the most powerful records ever cut; the snare drum sound cuts to the bone, the simple horn arrangement swings, and I had the fortunate experience to hear the session tape of this track- Barbara sang the lead vocal AND played guitar during the same performance. Now THAT'S talent, folks. An earth shaking record; one which sits at the top of the mountain of perfection.
from 1967...
BARBARA LYNN - I'M A GOOD WOMAN
Barbara followed up "Good Woman" with the easy groove of 'You Left The Water Running"; a great song from the pen of Fame Records folks Dan Penn, Rick Hall and Oscar Frank (later made famous by an Otis Redding demo that was released posthumously).
Something about the rhythm of this track is hypnotic, and of course Barbara's vocal delivery is perfect for a poetic lyric such as this.
from 1967...
BARBARA LYNN - YOU LEFT THE WATER RUNNING
"I Don't Want A Playboy" brings back the intensity and overall theme of 'I'm A Good Woman" for results which are almost as powerful. One can't help but think that there may have been a fella in her life that was the direct inspiration for these cuts, and I love how she stood up to him (at least in song).
When she sings the closing line, no doubt is left that this woman MEANS BUSINESS.
from 1967...
BARBARA LYNN - I DON'T WANT A PLAYBOY
Barbara's final single of her incredible four 45 run at tribe Records is the flat out rocking (and far too brief) "Club A -Go-Go". Better believe I wanna meet you down at Shorty's Club, where you "gotta have soul". We know YOU DO, Barbara!
from 1967...
BARBARA LYNN - CLUB A-GO-GO
Barbara was signed to Atlantic Records in 1967 (a VERY prolific year for her, as we see here), and her first release for this giant label was perhaps her greatest soul ballad double sider. an amazing LP followed in 1968 as well, which featured both of these tracks.
"This Is The Thanks I Get" is one of her greatest compositions; simple, heartfelt and direct to the gut.
'Ring Telephone Ring" is moody, magnificent, and haunting.
from 1967...
BARBARA LYNN - THIS IS THE THANKS I GET
b/w RING TELEPHONE RING
It hasn't been easy deciding which tracks to leave off of this post; Barbara released so many records, so many of them magnificent! If you like what you hear, there are some good CD collections out there of her work, and I recommend that you BUY THEM.
"(Until Then) I'll Suffer" is another of Barabara's glorious self-penned ballads, and it's a song that she plays live to this very day for some drop-down-on-the-floor glorious performances.
from 1971...
BARBARA LYNN - (UNTIL THEN) I'LL SUFFER
"Nice & Easy" is a bit of a return to the Tribe Records sound (especially the groove of "You Left The Water Running"), and I wouldn't be surprised if it was cut during that time and issued several years later.
from 1971...
BARBARA LYNN - NICE & EASY
Barbara Lynn ended her run of amazing music at Atlantic Records with the sexy, funky, and downright NASTY "You Make Me So Hot".
Barbara has recently revived this one for live shows, and I just about lost my cool when I saw her play this last January in Anaheim.
from 1973...
BARBARA LYNN - YOU MAKE ME SO HOT
This was a tricky record to get; I was outbid twice before I snagged this copy. It was also the philosophical question of "do I really want to pay THAT MUCH for this record????". I did, and I don't regret for one second becoming the proud owner of this 45 that is said there are about 20 known copies of. I provided a transfer of my 45 to Jazzman Records for their Soul Spectrum comp.
Of course, just because something is RARE doesn't mean I want to listen to it! This infectious record absolutely slays me!
This record was cut after Barbara Lynn moved to L.A and was comfortably settled into motherhood and only gigging locally, occasionally. There was a LONG period (about 5 years) where she didn't record anything, and there was a gap of another 4 years or so after this.
from 1979...
BARBARA LYNN - MELLOW FEELING (PART 1)