William Bell

Listen/Download – William Bell – You Don’t Miss Your Water MP3

Listen/Download – Otis Clay – You Don’t Miss Your Water MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so I will remind you once again not to forget to hook yourselves up with the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which hits the airwaves of the interwebs with the best in soul, funk, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl, each and every Friday in iTunes (where you should subscribe) , TuneIn, Stitcher, Mixcloud and at Funky16Corners.com

We end the week with an absolutely, 100% certified soul classic from the pen (and mouth) of one of the greatest Southern soul men, the mighty William Bell.

I have known this song since the very earliest days of filling my ears with soul music, having heard it on a long forgotten compilation more than 30 years ago.

Since then, I have accumulated several other versions (including killers by Otises Redding and Clay among others).

William Bell was brought to Stax Records by the legendary Chips Moman, who produced this, Bell’s own composition and debut 45, in 1961.

Though ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ was not a hit (though it had some small regional success in the South and California) at the time of it’s release, it went on to a position as a cornerstone of both the early Stax sound specifically, and of Southern soul in general.

It is one of those great soul records that seems as if it were constructed entirely from bits and pieces of gospel music, yet transcends the holiness vibe completely, becoming something that is better heard late at night escaping from an AM radio speaker.

The arrangement is uncomplicated, yet on repeated listens there are bits and pieces where certain parts of the band stand up, especially the piano, the ghostly organ solo that trades lines with Bell, and the lingering cymbal that drifts off into the ether at the very end of the song.

Bell’s vocal is simply a masterpiece. It has a confessional feel, as if he’s conversing with the listener, and though he never soars into the rafters, there are moments where the pure emotion of his voice is a thing of beauty. His opening line, ‘In the beginning…’ is amazing in its simplicity and directness, coming across like the first page of a book, or the title card of a movie. It forces you to stop and listen.

Though Bell’s original is indisputably amazing, you also need to hear Otis Clay’s version, which might be the greatest version of the song.

Recorded in Muscle Shoals in 1968, at the beginning of a brief run of 45s that Clay recorded for Cotillion, between his long runs at One-Derful and Hi, ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ is a testament to Clay’s mighty voice, and the power of a great singer seeing an opportunity to take an already great song into the stratosphere.

The arrangement is still fairly spare – with the guitar taking the place of the acoustic piano, a more prominent horn section and some very nice electric piano in place of the organ, but Clay’s vocal is spectacular, wrenching every bit of emotion out of the lyrics, conveying a palpable sense of regret.

I wouldn’t feel as if I’d done my job if I didn’t include it today.

So dig them both, and I’ll see you all next week.
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Keep the faith

Larry

 

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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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.