ALLEN TOUSSAINT Southern Nights 1975 UK REPRISE 1st PRESS
£
34
$
45
£ 34
Sold For
Jan 30, 2017
Sold Date
Jan 20, 2017
Start Date
£ 24
Start price
2
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
ALLEN TOUSSAINT Southern Nights 1975 UK REPRISE 1st PRESS
ALLEN TOUSSAINTSouthern Nights
1975 UK REPRISE (K 54021) FIRST PRESSING
EXCELLENT COPY WITH BEAUTIFULLY DEEP, RICH AND WARM SOUND
PRESSED WITH THE FIRST ISSUE TAN REPRISE LABELS
MARTIX: K 54021 A1 ALLEN / K 54021 B1 ALLEN
HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATT SLEEVE
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL PLAIN WHITE INNER SLEEVE
Allen Toussaint produced a kind of masterpiece with his first Reprise album, Life, Love and Faith, finding previously unimagined variations on his signature New Orleans R&B sound. For its 1975 sequel, Southern Nights, he went even further out, working with producer Marshall Sehorn to create a hazy vague concept album that flirted with neo-psychedelia while dishing out his deepest funk and sweetest soul. It's a bit of an unfocused album, but that's largely due to the repeated instrumental "filler," usually based on the theme of the title song, that pops up between every two or so songs, undercutting whatever momentum the album is building. That, along with a song or two that are merely average Toussaint, prevents Southern Nights from being a full-fledged masterpiece, but it comes close enough to that level of distinction anyway due to the brilliance of its best songs. There is, of course, "Southern Nights," which Glen Campbell later took to the top of the charts, but it's nearly unrecognizable here, given a swirling, trippy arrangement that plays like a heat mirage. It's rivalled by the exquisite "What Do You Want the Girl to Do?," later covered by both Bonnie Raitt and Boz Scaggs, neither of which equal the beautiful, sighing resignation of Toussaint's impeccable vocal performance. Then, there are the songs that weren't covered, but should have been, like the nearly anthemic "Back in Baby's Arm," the rolling, catchy "Basic Lady," the stately "You Will Not Lose," or the steady-grooving end-of-the-night "When the Party's Over." Then, there are the songs that perhaps only Toussaint could sing, given their complex yet nimble grooves: witness how "Country John" seems like a simple, straight-ahead New Orleans raver but really switches tempo and rhythm over the course of the song, or how the monumental "Last Train" builds from its spare, funky opening to a multi-layered conclusion boasting one of Toussaint's best horn arrangements and vocal hooks. These disparate sounds may not be tied together by the interludes, as they were intended, but they nevertheless hold together because they're strong songs all bearing Toussaint's unmistakable imprint. They're so good that they nearly knock the "near" of off the near-masterpiece status for Southern Nights, and they're the reason why the album should be a part of any serious soul collection
Side One:
Last Train (2:59)
Worldwide (2:23)
Filler (0:24)
Back In Baby's Arms (4:45)
Country John (3:40)
Filler (1:07)
Basic Lady (2:29)
Filler (0:28)
Side Two:
Southern Nights (3:35)
You Will Not Lose (3:25)
Filler (0:16)
What Do You Want The Girl To Do? (3:36)
When The Party 's Over (2:33)
Cruel Way To Go Down (3:25)
Filler (0:27)
LABELS: NEAR MINT
Clean, unmarked labels
VINYL Visual: EXCELLENT
Both surfaces sine like-new with nothing but a few harmless light marks/hairlines
VINYL Audio: EXCELLENT+
Plays beautifully throughout with little to fault - an odd one-off tick noted - nothing really - sounds great
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
Crisp and sharp - some light ring - nothing major - fine example
POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: FREE (2nd class standard)
UK: £9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm)
EUROPE: Airmail: £15.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £18.00 (International Signed For delivery)
Combined Post: for items purchased within any 10 day period @£3 for each additional LP
Guarantee: all records are unconditionally guaranteed (including sealed and/or unplayed) and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Thanks 783 (GS 7.0.5 (783))
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