60s NORTHERN SOUL LINDA JONES CAN'T LIVE MY LIFE UK WB

	£		53
	$		70

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60s FEMME NORTHERN SOUL

TOTAL CLASS

1975 BRITISH ISSUE

MASTERFUL DEEP SOUL FLIP

LINDA JONES

"I JUST CAN'T LIVE MY LIFE (WITHOUT YOU BABE)"

HEAR HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjdQImy6xGY

b/w

"MY HEART (WILL UNDERSTAND)"

(UK: Warner Bros. K 16621, 1975)

Recorded: 1969

Record conditon: Excellent +++ (plays Excellent ++++)

Labels condition: Spotless

Linda Jones (1944 - 1972)

The death of Linda Jones, at the tender age of just 27, was one of soul music's most untimely losses. Who knows what this New York songstress would have gone on to achieve, had she not passed away so young. The instantly recognisable voice was there from her debut single, and even the use of an alias (Linda Lane) couldn't disguise the fact that something special was on the way. Very scarce 45s followed on Atco and Blue Cat, but it was with the classic "Hypnotized" that she finally made her mark, with the single peaking at #4 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was the first of seven singles released by Warner Bros., six of which appeared on their Loma offshoot. Linda also recorded a superb album for Loma, titled after her biggest hit, and which included the original version of "A Last Minute Miracle". When Loma ceased to operate, Linda had another monster Northern side put out on the main Warner Bros. label: "I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Babe)" is more popular today than ever. A stay with Gamble and Huff's Neptune label saw the 60s out, and she was waxing a run of top-notch 45s for All Platinum's Turbo subsidiary, when she died suddenly - the victim of a diabetic coma.

Unlike "My Heart Needs A Break", this one did manage to make Kev Roberts' Northern Soul Top 500, even if #449 is a lot lower than one would have hoped. I think the book needs a serious update, because "Keep On Running Away" by Bits 'n Pieces was listed at only two places higher, and that one also sells for much more than it's lowly placing would now imply. "I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Baby)" is one of producer/songwriter George Kerr's finest moments, which would have been issued on Loma, if that label had survived a little longer. The similarity between this title and another Warner Bros. 45 from the same period is remarkable. Alice Clark's "You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me)" was just eight releases before "I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Baby)". Not only were both records George Kerr/Richard Tee collaborations, but also had similar shimmering harp cascades, and even the brackets in the titles fell in the same places. On both sides!

As the singer's most revered track on the Northern scene, "I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Baby)" never seems to age, and Warner Bros. deserved unreserved applause for giving it a UK issue (if only they'd released Alice Clark at the same time). Even these reissues always gather a lot of interest, and it's easy to see why. The track begins with that wonderful harp, which reappears part of the way through. There's lots of the singer's trademark histrionic wailing, the backing ladies repeat the title again and again, and all is set over a driving beat. There's a gorgeous deep soul ballad on the flip, which also shows just why the early demise of Linda Jones was such a big loss to the soul scene in general.

The record is in stunning condition, and the sound quality is still as good as new.

Both labels are immaculate, with a solid centre.

The edges are completely chip-free.

This single comes in my own personalized white card cover.