Sweet Linda Divine aka Linda Tillery
Listen/Download Sweet Linda Divine – Same Time, Same Place
Listen/Download Mable John – Same Time, Same Place
Greetings all
Every once in a great while, I wrap my ears around a record that genuinely blows me away. One of those records that you automatically want to share with anyone that’ll listen (which is why we’re here, right?).
Less than a month ago, a friend on Facebook posted Taj Mahal’s cover of Homer Banks ‘A Lot of Love’ (not the record we’re here to talk about, but stay tuned).
I had no idea that the cover – of one of my favorite records – existed, and thought it was very cool, indeed.
I was unable to (immediately) put my hands on a copy of the 45 (it tends to change hands for a couple of bucks), but I discovered that the song had been included on an old CBS loss-leader/record club release called ‘Somethin’ Else Again’.
The very definition of ‘budget’ – with two LPs jammed into a single sleeve – the set consisted of Columbia and associated acts from 1969/1970, many familiar names, as well as a couple I’d never heard of (always the ones to check out).
So, after recording the Taj Mahal tune, I moved on to ‘Same Time, Same Place’ by Sweet Linda Divine (actually listed on the jacket as ‘Linda Divine’).
To say that I was knocked back on my heels would be an understatement.
Here we had a masterful soul ballad performance, with a stunning, elegant arrangement (no credits provided…).
I slapped the tune on my iPod and listened to it at least dozen times that first night.
The next day, I set out into the wilds of the interwebs to see what I could discover about Linda Divine.
As it turns out, I already knew the singer, but under a different name.
‘Linda Divine’ was in fact Linda Tillery, the former lead singer of the late 60s San Francisco Bay-area band the Loading Zone!
Tillery recorded one album for Columbia in 1970, billed as ‘Sweet Linda Divine’, produced by Al Kooper and arranged by Kooper and Charlie Calello.
Not only that, but the song was also a cover of a tune written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and originally recorded in 1967 by Mable John on the mighty Stax label (I’m also posting her version, to compare and contrast, and because you can never hear too much Mable John).
Fortunately, I was able to score a copy of the Sweet Linda Divine 45, and discovering (happily) that the 45 edit of the song was almost a minute-and-a-half longer than the version included on ‘Somethin’ Else Again’.
Though the Mable John original is a solid slice of Memphis soul, the Sweet Linda Divine version is a remarkable re-imagining of the song.
This has to do with two important differences, the first being Tillery’s voice, and the second the arrangement by Kooper and Calello.
You all know that I already hold Mable John in high esteem, her original recording of ‘Your Good Thing (Is About To End)’ being one of my favorite soul 45s.
That said, Linda Tillery uses her mighty instrument to take the embers of the original build them into a soulful blaze.
Starting with the bare bones of the original Stax arrangement (see the descending guitar line, and the way, later in the song it’s doubled by the harp), Kooper and Calello add dramatic string accents, along with Kooper’s gospel-flavored piano, the organ and horns.
The part that gets me every time, and it’s something of a subtle stroke of genius, is the addition of a sweeping chord change in the transition to the chorus that doesn’t exist in the original. It gives the song a striking lift, in a way that affects me physically.
I find myself going back to the recording over and over again, just to hear it take that one specific turn, which goes right to the pleasure centers of my brain.
It is a moment that takes an already powerful and sublime exercise in soul, and elevates it even further.
Tillery takes the lyric – one of the great backstreet cheating songs, up there with ‘Dark End of the Street’ – and delivers it as if she’s telling you her own story. The point where things drop down, and Tillery delivers her soliloquy, it feels as if you’ve become party to an intimate communication. It’s also yet another testament to the power of the Hayes/Porter collaboration.
After Tillery says ‘Now listen to this…’ there’s a moment of pure silence that is in itself a master stroke. It’s almost as if you can imagine the singer holding up her hand to the crowd to bring things to a halt, and then continuing once she has the floor.
‘Same Time, Same Place’, really is a remarkable, ‘lost’ classic*. It is the kind of record that ought to be held up as a brilliant example of the power of soul to transmit authentic emotion.
Tillery went on to be an important force in women’s music, working as a session musician (she is also an accomplished drummer/percussionist) and with the Olivia label through the 70s.
She is still active today playing jazz and blues, and working with her group the Cultural Heritage Choir.
I hope that this one hits you the way it does me, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.
Keep the faith
Larry
*Props once again to Sir Shambling, one of the few instances I was able to locate where someone had already tapped into the majesty of this record.
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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).
PS Head over to Iron Leg too.
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