The Invincibles

Listen/Download – The Invincibles – Heart Full of Love MP3

Greetings all.

I come to you mid week with one of my all time favorite soul ballads.

I first encountered the Invincibles’ ‘Heart Full of Love’ when I picked it up at a yard sale years ago, never having heard it, but taking a chance on the group name/song title/label combo.

When I got the record home and gave it a spin I was blown away.

There are soul ballads, and then there are records that sound like they were pressed from pure human emotion.

This is one of the latter.

The obvious touchstone here is the work of Curtis Mayfield, though perhaps a step further removed from the heavily Impressions-influenced Van Dykes ‘No Man Is An Island’ which came out the following year.

Though I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of Mayfield-worship at work here, I would also bet that some of the similarity is due to common sources, those being group harmony of both the secular and religious variety.

Gospel is one of the most important root sources of soul, but how visible those roots are vary from performer to performer, but there’s no mistaking that ‘Heart Full of Love’ could have been created in the amen corner.

When I found out that ‘Heart Full of Love’ was a Top 40 R&B hit in the Spring of 1965, I could scarcely believe that a record this raw, this intimate could have had that kind of mass appeal, but in many ways (aside from the obvious one) 1965 was a very different time. Radio audiences were capable of accepting a slower, quieter sound into their heads.

The arrangement is deceptively spare. While the only instruments you focus on are the guitar and drums, there are chimes, and even beautifully subtle horns in the mix, and the production by Hal Winn and Joseph Hooven (owners of the Sure Shot, Double Shot and Whiz labels) is perfection.

The Invincibles – Dave Richardson, Lester Johnson, Clifton Knight – (who recorded in Los Angeles but appear to have come from Louisiana) wrote the song, and the falsetto lead, and group harmonies are wonderful. The group would record a string of 45s for a few different labels in the 60s, including WB, Loma, Double Shot, and Rampart and even placed another tune, ‘I Can’t Win’ in the R&B Top 40 in 1966.

Though individual tracks have appeared on compilations, as far as I can tell the Invincibles catalog has not been collected in one place for reissue.

I hope you dig the cut, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

One Response to “The Invincibles – Heart Full of Love”

1. sut says:

   February 1, 2017 at 1:42 pm

   absolute classic this one