Kent 181 - Various Artists - Gettin' To Me (2000) + Booklet - Rare Soul (FLAC 462MB)

Repost from the old blog and a flac upgrade...."Gettin' To Me" is a sensational compilation that evokes so many great memories for me. A return to mid 1960s nights, buffing the tiny dance floors of the Iron Door Liverpool,Manchester Twisted Wheel, Nottingham Dungeon club, The Scene, The Marquee, The Flamingo and the 100 Club (Latter 4 in London). Such a fine collection of Atlantic treasures deserves a far more descriptive review than i could ever give it. "If You Can't Be True" is Marva Lee's great remake of Gene Chandler's original (the flip of "What Now") a superb Curtis Mayfield song and a long standing favourite with B-side buffs. Other glorious tracks include the falsetto Parliaments' "A New Day Begins", the excellent Ben E King/Bert Berns' classic "Cry No More" and Esther Phillips show stopper the eternal fave of most soul fans  "Just Say Goodbye". If one must single out just one cut as the highlight, the spot must fall to the title track, the long awaited "Gettin' To Me". The background story of which goes something like this...Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller produced a session at Bell Studios in New York in February '66 with Atco soul supremo, Ben E King. Though this recording session only yielded two finished songs, they were both superb cuts that, for reasons best known to themselves, Atlantic didn't issue right away. "Where's The Girl", a wonderful Leiber/Stoller ballad, was eventually released on the flipside of "It's Amazing", a single that flopped in late '68. Mike & Jerry had produced the original recording for Jerry Butler back in '63, when he was between hits, so neither version of this great ballad really got the full recognition it deserves. The second song that was cut that day, "Gettin' To Me", stayed in the Atlantic vaults until a disastrous fire in the early 70s destroyed the master, along with most of Atlantic's other great unissued gems.  Fortunately Ady Croasdell discovered a metal pressing of this long lost Gem buried in a West End second hand record shop cheapo box. With modern technology this gem was restored & released for the first time back in 2000. Not only has it an unmatched vocal performance from Ben, it also provides a rare insight to the creative development of Leiber & Stoller during that period. They had tired of their executive roles at Red Bird in New York and wanted to get back to action in the studio. The magic combination of Leiber/Stoller/King, added to the beautiful arrangement by Artie Butler, makes "Gettin' To Me" an ultimate experience and therefore indispensable to your collection. 

AMM

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