1965
I'M TO FAR GONE * BOBBY BLAND * DUKE 393 * USA
It's fortunate, for me at least, that when some folk make a product they want it to be made of good quality materials in the best possible way. I'm not talking about self conscious and soulless expensive items made for Fifth Avenue or Bond Street shops, I'm talking about product that is aimed at the everyday shopper, the product that has something of the labor-of-love about it. Bob McGrath's R&B Indies books are a good example, as was Duke records. Don Robey, proprietor of Duke, must have been one of those people who gave thought to his product. Every aspect of the records themselves have a mark of quality and value about them, the vinyl, the inks and the printing. The recordings themselves are invariably clear, loud and rich in tone, this is all because, instead of cutting corners or just not caring, someone is demanding this quality from the various stages of its production. Of course, this attention to quality is perfectly suited to Bobby Bland's rich voice and his powerful delivery, with these records I can rest assured I'm getting Bobby Bland doing what he does so very well at its optimum. What I'm saying is aren't these records great and at their best don't they give so much for so little?
See also: Yield Not To Temptation * Ain't Nothing You Can Do