Recommend criminally underrated/unknown soul ballads

so many more, but i'll have to rummage through my collection

too bad you don't have a dusty groove near you, though you can always browse their web site for ideas: www.dustygroove.com

-- adam. (adamr...) (webmail), September 18th, 2004 2:32 PM. (nordicskilla) (later) (link)
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:-(

the ones i have are those "hi records 45s" cds. i think they're out of print though.

I forgot GAZ!

Bobby Womack's "I'm in Love" is another great one. As is his "Somebody Special" and the later "If You Think You're Lonely Now." I love Bobby Womack.

Howard Tate's "Get It While You Can" is of course essential--I've been listening to Tate a lot lately, went out and duplicated my old Verve/Mercury CD of Tate's classic sides by getting the new Hip-O collection of same, which includes the singles A/B in mono.

Sam and Dave's "I Can't Stand Up" is fantastic too.

Percy Sledge, "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road." And it's not exactly a "ballad" but George Perkins and the Silver Stars' "Crying in the Streets" is very fine in the 12/8 soul vein. Arthur Alexander's "Rainbow Road." All found on the "Sweet Soul Music" comp which I recommend heartily, also includes Otis Clay doing Doug Sahm's "She's About a Mover."

I could pick a zillion more

Doris Allen - A Shell of a Woman
Rance Allen - See What You Done Done
Little Anthony & the Imperials - Goin' Out Of My Head (proto-soul!)
Solomon Burke - Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms) or Sidewalks, Fences And Walls
James Carr - The Dark End Of The Street (greatest adultery record ever)
Clarence Carter - Making Love (At The Dark End Of The Street) (it's hard to go wrong with this song, unless you're Michael Bolton)
Otis Clay - I Die A Little Each Day or Tying To Live My Life Without You
Geater Davis - For Your Precious Love (maybe my second favourite version of my favourite song)
Doris Duke - He's Everything I Need
Eddie & Ernie - I'm Going For Myself
Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me Baby
Erma Franklin - Piece of My Heart
Eddie Giles - Losing Boy
James Govan - Jealous Kind
Clay Hammond - You Got Me Tamed
Charles Hodges (not the Hi organist) - Easier To Say Than Do
Brenda Holloway - You've Made Me So Very Happy
Claude Huey - Drifting
George Jackson - Aretha, Sing One For Me
Etta James - All I Could Do Was Cry
Jesse James - Ain't Much of a Home
Syl Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black?
Lynda Jones - Your Precious Love (an astounding record, my favourite version - if you have any interest at all in overwrought soul ballads, you MUST hear this)
Stacy Lane - The Lifetime of a Man
Betty Lavette - He Made a Woman Out of Me
Barbara Lewis - Baby, I'm Yours
Garnet Mimms - I'll Make It Up To You
Mirettes - To Love Somebody (I'm writing an article for Freaky Trigger on another great soul cover of a Bee Gees song, as it happens)
Aaron Neville - Tell It Like It Is
Art Neville - I'm Just A Fool To Care
Persuasions - Building A Home (more an acapella gospel number, but I think it fits)
Pic and Bill - Moments Like These
James & Bobby Purify - I'm Your Puppet
Sam & Dave - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby
Mighty Sam - I (Who Have Nothing)
Moody Scott - A Woman's Touch
Anne Sexton - I'm His Wife, You're Just A Friend
Joe Simon - The Chokin' Kind
Charles Smith - I'm Useless
Stairsteps - Tell Me Why
Jean Stanback - If I Ever Needed Love
Swamp Dogg - Sam Stone
Sweet Inspirations - Try A Little Tenderness
Joe Tex - Buying A Book (if only for the bit where he reports an old woman saying "Ain't nuthin' an old man can do for me 'cept show me which way a young man is")
Irma Thomas - Let's Do It Over
Kim Tolliver - Standing Room Only
Oscar Toney Jr - For Your Precious Love (frankly if you start collecting old versions of this and Dark End Of The Street you won't go far wrong)
Willie Walker - From Warm To Cool To Cold
Ella Washington - He Called Me Baby
Spencer Wiggins - That's How Strong My Love Is
Otis Williams & the Charms - Your Sweet Love Rained All Over Me
Chuck Willis - What Am I Living For?
Stanley Winston - No More Ghettos In America (no one seems to know anything about him beyond his making this: which alone is enough to rank it as one of the great musical careers, since it's one of the greatest records ever made)
Jerry Woodward - Somethin' I Ain't Never Had (a rare great white soul singer)
O.V. Wright - I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled And Crazy

Top priorities, in my opinion: Stanley Winston, Linda Jones, James Carr, Eddie Giles, Swamp Dogg.

did you see my thread about this?

(that said just looking at Martin's list is making me cry)

70s soul samples
Bobby Blue Bland - Ain't no love in the heart of the city
George McCrae - I Get Lifted
Labi Sifre - I got the
Syl Johnson - I hate i walked away
Tom Brock - There's Nothing in this world that can't stop me from loving you
Outlaw Blues Band - Deep Gully
William Bell - I forgot to be your lover (really one of my fave songs ever!)
Johnnie Taylor - Love in the Streets (Ain't good as the love at home)
Glady Knight & the pips - The way we were (try to remember)
Five Stairsteps - Ooh Child
Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - Let's do it again

80s soul samples
Cat Stevens - Was Dog a Doughnut
Don Blackman - Holding you, loving you
The Deele - Shoot 'em up movies
SOS Band - The Finest
Teddy Pendergrass - Love TKO
Patrice Rushen - Remind MeRose Royce - Love Don't live here anymore
NOrman Connors - You are my starship
Quincy Jones & James Ingram - One hundred ways
The Gap Band - Yearning for your love
Patrice Rushen - Forget me nots

There's a lot of competition, but I'm inclined to say that overall James Carr owns this thread...?

"Mimi," Al Green, found on his essential "Listen--The Rarities" collection.

Cheatin' ballad: Don Covay's "I Was Checkin' Out."

otis clay, "if i could reach out"
so many more, but i'll have to rummage through my collection

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Saturday, September 18, 2004

RIP Otis Clay

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2016/01/09/Soul-legend-Otis-Clay-dies-at-73/stories/201601090143

Seeing a co-bill of Otis and Ann Peebles was one of my best heaven on earth soul music experiences ever. RIP.

Saw Otis Clay, never saw Ann P... That would have been great

saw otis make an unannounced appearance at a tribute concert to curtis mayfield that was hastily organized in early 2000, a few weeks after mayfield's death. he did "people get ready" and a few others, and even though the other acts (rebecca gates, etc.) were great, the phrase that comes to mind in re. clay's performance was "that's how it's done."

it's not a ballad, but i think irma thomas' "two winters long" should have been an absolute smash hit record. this was recorded in 1962 (!!!!!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avfBh4Xv7tQ

for me it is in the pantheon of stone cold classics

That is nice. Love the interplay between Irma and the background vocalists

very good indeed, the sound is perfect

Mentioned upthread, but linking here for posterity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhmwzf_mh0

George Jackson — "Aretha, Sing One for Me" (1972): https://www.discogs.com/George-Jackson-Aretha-Sing-One-For-MeIm-Gonna-Wait/release/2583751

First song I thought of when I saw the thread title.