Funky16Corners

Felice Taylor – It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It’s Spring) + 2

By Larry, December 25, 2011 2:41 pm

Felice Taylor

~~Listen/Download – Felice Taylor – It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It’s Spring)~~

~~Listen/Download – Felice Taylor – I’m Under the Influence of Love~~

~~Listen/Download – Felice Taylor – Love Theme (Inst)~~

Greetings all.

I’d like to take this opportunity to ease you all into another groovy week here at the Funky16Corners.

I hope all is cool in your part of the universe and that those of you that celebrate had a wonderful Christmas.

Right now, my lovely wife is home with us through the New Year, so we’re all very happy about that.

I picked up the first of today’s selections last year on the same day I got my car towed in Jersey City.

I’m always on the lookout for soul 45s on the Mustang label (known mainly for the Bobby Fuller Four) because of the involvement of none other than Barry White.

When I happened upon this disc by Felice Taylor, though I wasn’t familiar with her music, I did know that she was one of the artists that White had worked with, so I grabbed the record.

Good thing too, because when I got it home I discovered some very nice uptempo Northern soul, with a singer that bore a striking vocal resemblance to Diana Ross.

The California-born Taylor didn’t have an especially long recording career, having started recording as a member of the Sweets (with her sisters Darlene and Norma) in 1965, and then closing out her career three years later in the UK on the President label.

She recorded two 45s with White at Mustang, ‘It May be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It’s Spring) and ‘Under the Influence of Love’, in 1966 and 1967.

‘It May be Winter Outside’ is taken at a brisk but relaxed pace with a sweet, almost baroque opening before dropping down into a danceable beat. The record is a remarkable slice of imitation Motown, up to and especially because of Taylor’s voice.

‘Under the Influence of Love’ is more of a floor filler, with an opening that seems as if it were modeled after ‘Reach Out’ by the Four Tops. It’s with this 45 that the resemblance to Diana Ross is most pronounced, making it perhaps the finest Supremes 45 the group never actually recorded.

I’m also including the instrumental dub from the flipside (entitles ‘Love Theme’) which I’ve played out before.

I find it surprising that records this infectious didn’t make a dent in the charts and I’m thinking that Barry White felt the same way because in 1973 and 1974 he would resurrect both of these songs and re-record them with Love Unlimited.

Taylor would go on to record two 45s for Kent, and then in the UK, two more for the President label, with two-sides of one of them (see picture sleeve above) written and produced by none other than Derv Gordon and Eddy Grant of the Equals.

After that, it would appear that she never recorded again.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll be back later in the week with the 2011 Year In Review mix.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.