In response to DaddyPig but also just to indulge myself with one of the great under-the-radar doo-wop-turned-soul vocal groups, here are three Little Anthony & The Imperials tracks plus a substitute for one that's got away.
1] Gonna Fix You Good (Every Time You're Bad).
This was my nomination for the revenge theme, and it's probably closer to an "I 'ate you, Butler!" shake of the fist (see the Inspector Blakey reference in my last post) than a revenge fantasy that'll have anyone sleeping with one eye open. Be that as it may, this rattles along with an unforgettable call-and-response vocal and is quite glorious. It also sets up the theme (DP alluded to this on the mothership) of Little Ant as a chronic dumpee. The next two tracks do nothing to dispel this image.
2] Hurts So Bad
Tumultuous break-up melodrama. Little Ant's voice here is arguably never better that when it gets to soaring here.
3] Better Use Your Head
There's are Imperial moments for all manner of R&B/soul moods and this is your Northern Soul selection. She's leaving him yet again and at least he's come up with a case for his defence ("you will never find another love like me your whole life through"). You just know he'll be hurting so bad, on the outside looking in, going out of his head in a world of darkness soon enough.
4] David Ruffin - World Of Darkness
I've namechecked a few other essential Little Ant tracks above and would also mention Ten Commandments of Love (the doo-wop Imperial selection), I'm Hypnotized (Little Ant morphs into Davey Jones from The Monkees) and I'm Falling In Love With You (simply because he actually seems like he'll get the girl in that one).
One of my favourites is the 1970 single World Of Darkness. I adored it on friends' compilations back when I lived mainly in other people's houses but can't track it down online. There's nothing whatsoever the matter with David Ruffin's version - it sounds like a David Ruffin track and that clearly is a very good thing. But The Imperials channel the Jackson 5 at their most exhilarating in their version, so I'd urge you to join the search for it.
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14 comments:
Morning May1366.
Off-topic [Bloomin'eck, DsD, it's the FIRST flippin' comment! - Ed.]
but your email address is being flagged by my browser as dangerous!! Is that what happens to others about mine?
Sorry about that; I promise to have a listen later to make up for it.
Beyond me, DsD - I didn't even realise my email appeared on the site! Doesn't seem to be a problem with yours but, like I say, I'm largely clueless.
Didn't appear on the site, May; I'm one of the ones who gets all comments copied as emails. For some reason though, this week I've also started to get original posts copied to my Inbox - that's where your email address appeared. Maybe the techies at Hotmail just don't like Little Anthony !!
I see, so it's a case of:
I'm on the outside logging in
And I wanna be and I wanna be and I wanna be
Back in the Inbox of your love
You've got messages that are new
But mine just ain't getting through
Maybe I should try Yahoo-oo
OK, you've properly started something now so I've had to finish it:
I'm on the outside logging in
And I wanna be and I wanna be
Back in the Inbox
There with you
You've got messages that are new
But mine just ain't getting through
Maybe I should try Yahoo-oo
I’m on the outside logging in
I don’t wanna be I don’t wanna be
Dumped in the Junk mail
Getting shown
Next to ads for Viagra
Phishing scams from Africa
Or offers from Expedia-a-a
I never should have sent you that
I never should have sent you that
Large jpg showing me
Pissed up on Dave’s stag last year
I thought you’d find it amuuusing
You had to be there (had to be there)
I’m on the outside logging in
Gotta find a way gotta find a way
Back to your Safe list once again
Won’t you take another look
Or I’ll add you on Facebook
On the outside logging in
Won’t you take another look
Or I’ll add you on Facebook
On the outside logging in…
Hi, I've been getting new posts sent to my inbox too since last weekend, but it didn't go straight to junk on gmail (which I use for the 'Spill), it was just flagged as possibly dodgy (it won't show the images), but not quite "watch out, psycho-stalker will serenade you from your balcony".
I am loving the songs though!
These tracks have just put a spark into a misty morning here. (your post is fine in Yahoo 'spill e-mails)
Now nilpferds 'Revenge of the horn' went straight to spam. (it's now complementing my misty morning)
thank you both.
Cheers shane- even my own inbox decided "Revenge of the horn" was spam, you can't argue with that..
Back on-topic having fulfilled my promise to you, May1366.
This kind of stuff is not my normal cup of tea [Erm, DsD, you don't drink tea! What are you trying to say? - DsM], but I did really liked the David Ruffin, funnily enough.
Ah well.
PS - So do you want Ashley in for Levy when he eventually extricates himself from his Geordie mess?
Yeah, same here, not the usual thing for me, so it made a very interesting and refreshing playlist.
Cheers,
Whereas this is very much my kind of thing ! I hadn't heard the northern soul floor-filler side of Little A. before; not for the first time I'm regretting that I neglected my back-flip practice in my younger days.
Really very nice to listen to this after catching up on a rather tetchy day on the blog itself. Thanks for taking the trouble to post it.
Thanks for the comments, guys. As tragic as a summary of my life as this is, I'm just happy that this post has given me the opportunity to come up with a Hotmail-related re-working of Little Ant's I'm On The Outside Looking In. What I can usefully do with such a thing I have no idea.
DsD - there's absolutely no shame or scandal in preferring David Ruffin to anyone or anything. Preferring Mike Ashley to Daniel Levy, though? That's just crazy talk!
Mr Hotspur, you have spoken for a generation who have all at one time been locked out, denied access, or frustrated by technology as inconsistent as Ronnie Rosenthal.
Unfortunately, speaking for a generation doesn't always give you a cash return...
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