MAGGIE BELL Queen Of The Night 1974 UK POLYDOR 1st PRESS - NEAR MINT
£
24
$
32
£ 24
Sold For
May 12, 2017
Sold Date
May 2, 2017
Start Date
2
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
MAGGIE BELL Queen Of The Night 1974 UK POLYDOR 1st PRESS - NEAR MINT
MAGGIE BELLQueen Of The Night
1974 UK POLYDOR (2383 239 SUPER) FIRST PRESSING OF MAGGIE BELL'S FIRST SOLO LP AFTER THE DEMISE OF STONE THE CROWS
A SUPERB RECORD FULL OF DEEPLY SOULFUL BLUES NUMBERS
LOVELY COPY - SEEN LITTLE USE - PLAYS BEAUTIFULLY THROUGHOUT
MATRIX: 2383239 A//2∇420 0 1 32 / 2383239 B//3 420 05 11 1
THE RECORD IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL LIGHTLY TEXTURED MATT COVER "Sleeve printed and made in England by MacNeill Press., London, SE1 ”
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL POLYDOR POLY-LINED INNER SLEEVE
Producer Jerry Wexler puts the earthy vocals of Maggie Bell in a beautiful setting here. She stretches John Prine's "Souvenirs" to the max with Steve Gadd ably assisting by splashing the drums as deep as Bell's vocals.
Her uptempo version of J.J. Cale's "After Midnight" is more captivating than Eric Clapton's; she oozes that Etta James sexuality while Reggie Young throws some tasty guitar into the semi-calypso groove. Bell's identity is unique on much of the material, but a couple of tunes have her paying tribute to some of her sisters.
The title track, "Queen of the Night," is drenched in gorgeous harmonies by the Sweet Inspirations and is pure Genya Ravan, but conversely, the cover of "A Woman Left Lonely," embraced totally by Janis Joplin on Pearl, is a sweet vocal and totally alien to how Joplin ripped the song to shreds so wonderfully. It works on an entirely different level on Queen of the Night -- Bell's voice is an instrument that slips into different styles on a moment's notice. Cornell Dupree's fabulous guitar leads cook in the background -- the frosting on the cake for "As the Years Go Passing By." Intense and beautiful, it is the real sleeper here.
While Merry Clayton was singing backup on Ringo Starr's "Oh My My" and ex-Black Oak Arkansas Ruby Starr would track Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," Bell broke through her Stone the Crows image to cover a range of ideas, giving even David Clayton Thomas some respectability, taking his original "Yesterday's Music" to new heights with a Bonnie Bramlett-style touch of gospel.
From Will Jennings to Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen, Bell's Queen of the Night is a stunningly marvellous mix of blues, pop, soul, and Southern rock. "We Had It All" builds with a smouldering tension that gives Bell a platform for her inspired phrasings. Sager must've been over the top when she first heard this version of "The Other Side." This is music straight from the heart, which concludes with "Trade Winds," piano, drums, and Bell's voice tapering off like the end of a great set at some intimate nightclub.
This is an extraordinary creation worth pulling out when you want to appreciate a fine wine like Queen of the Night
Side One:
Caddo Queen (3:35)
A Woman Left Lonely (3:54)
Souvenirs (5:37)
After Midnight (2:34)
Queen Of The Night (4:02)
Side Two:
Oh My My (3:00)
As The Years Go Passing By (4:21)
Yesterday's Music (3:28)
We Had It All (2:55)
The Other Side (2:59)
Trade Winds (5:11)
LABELS: NEAR MINT
Clean, unmarked label - barely a spindle trace to the seen
VINYL Visual: NEAR MINT
Both sides shine like-new
VINYL Audio: NEAR MINT
Wonderful sound quality - deep, rich and warm and my play-check at volume found little to fault - a touch of static/odd one-off tick noted but I did not clean this copy as it looks so immaculate so any surface sounds will no doubt disappear after a clean/few spins - a superb record which has never truly received the recognition it deserves - very highly recommended indeed
SLEEVE: NEAR MINT
The lightly textured cover is crisp and sharp
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 795 (GS 7.0.7 (795))
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