Bettye Swann – Feel The Feeling – Soul4Real ESP LP

A collection of thirteen tracks from Bettye Swann’s period on Atlantic, including five originally unreleased tracks directly from Spain. / Including the so very in demand deep-downdempo ‘Real Soul’ version of ‘This Old Heart Of Mine’. / The only way to get this originally unreleased tune on vinyl after the limited 7″ single sold out immediately after release and became expensive.

But not this fresh album here, together with our Soul4Real label amigos we even managed to GET THE PRICE DOWN for you!

This is a *RECORD SHACK IMPORT EXCLUSIVE* / Available FIRST UP from us outside Spain. / Strictly LIMITED EDITION aswell and a definite FUTURE COLLECTOR’S ITEM.

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Bettye Swann possessed one of the most emotive voices in soul music’s cannon but her recording career was that of a shooting-star; it blazed at the start, then illumined brightly before abruptly dissipating, all in just eleven years. In 1975 she ceased recording, moved to Las Vegas and retired her Bettye Swann persona.

The Louisianan Betty Jean Champion had relocated to Los Angeles as a young woman where in around 1964 she was introduced to Al Scott, owner of Money Records. It was her fourth Money 45 ‘Make Me Yours’ that propelled Swann into the stratosphere. One of the defining songs of the era, it was her pathway to Capitol Records with whom she signed in 1968.

By 1972 Bettye was at Atlantic Records. The initial Atlantic 45 ‘Victim Of A Foolish Heart’ b/w ‘Cold Day In Hell’ recorded at Fame with Mickey Buckins and Rick Hall, made for a promising debut reaching #16 on the Billboard chart. It was followed by Bettye’s version of Merle Haggard’s ‘Today I Started Loving You Again’ and ‘Til I Get It Right’, a gentle country-soul labour. ‘I’m Not That Easy To Lose’ also dates from those sessions.

In an attempt to broaden her appeal Atlantic sent Swann to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia where she cut Phil Hurtt’s’ and Tony Bell’s ‘Kiss My Love Goodbye’, ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ and ‘When The Game is Played On You’. Her fortunes continued to wane so Swann was next placed with Nashville producer Brad Shapiro. The results were artistically stellar and included three unissued gemstones in The Isley’s ‘This Old Heart of Mine’, a definitive version of Maxine Weldon’s ‘I Want Sunday Back Again’, and ‘Either You Love Me Or Leave Me’.

A pairing with Sam Dees that included Barbara Acklin’s ‘Just As Sure’ was issued as a 45 on the Atlantic distributed Big Tree label.

Liner notes by Gregg Burgess

tracklist:

A01 Bettye Swann – Kiss My Love Goodbye
A02 Bettye Swann – When The Game Is Played On You
A03 Bettye Swann – I Feel The Feeling
A04 Bettye Swann – I’m Not That Easy To Lose
A05 Bettye Swann – This Old Heart Of Mine
A06 Bettye Swann – Just As Sure (Bettye Swann & Sam Dees)
B01 Bettye Swann – Today I Started Loving You Again
B02 Bettye Swann – Victim Of A Foolish Heart
B03 Bettye Swann – I Want Sunday Back Again
B04 Bettye Swann – Time To Say Goodbye
B05 Bettye Swann – Either You Love Me Or Leave Me
B06 Bettye Swann – Till I Get It Right
B07 Bettye Swann – Cold Day (In Hell)

*A03/A05/B03/B05 Originally unreleased Atlantic recording. Produced by Brad Shapiro
*A04 Originally unreleased Atlantic recording. Produced by Mickey Buckins & Rick Hall