Mary Love – Lay This Burden Down
Mary Love
Listen/Download – Mary Love – Lay This Burden Down
Greetings all.
Welcome to another week here at your intertubes home for funk and soul.
The record I bring you today is a very heavy one indeed.
I have to begin by giving thanks to my man Derek See, who introduced me to this wonder a while back on Derek’s Daily 45.
‘Lay This Burden Down’ by Mary Love is one of those records that grabbed me from the very first listen and would not let me go until I tracked down a copy of my own.
It is a masterpiece of what came to be known as Northern Soul, and is that perfect intersection of song, singer and production.
This is one of those records that seems like it was birthed whole by the gods on a soulful Olympus and cast down onto the dance floor to entrance mere mortals.
Where other records merely boom, ‘Lay This Burden Down’ absolutely thunders.
Produced by Richard Parker and written by him as well (under the pseudonym D. Peoples) ‘Lay This Burden Down’ was recorded in 1966, the fourth of Mary Love’s six 45s (under her own name) for the Modern label between 1965 and 1967.
Love was possessed of a rich, powerful voice that fit well inside Arthur Wright’s stunning arrangement.
A remarkable example of the power of dynamics, ‘Lay This Burden Down’ opens with bass and heavily reverbed piano building the tempo, soon joined by rhythm guitar and vibes. When the horns come in on the chorus, you know that you’re hearing something special.
Parker’s production surges with power and volume, packing a serious dance floor punch, yet managing to give the instrumental components enough space to breathe.
It’s like a collision between Motown and the Wall of Sound, which manages in the end to transcend both.
It’s that good.
Love hit the R&B charts twice, in 1966 and 1968 (though not with this one), then left recording for a number of years before returning with a gospel influence modern soul sound in the 80s. She made a number of appearances in the UK, before her death in 2013.
I hope you dig it as much as I do.
See you on Wednesday.
Keep the faith
Larry
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