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Features Disc of the day
Gladys Knight And The Pips
Visions
(Columbia, 1981, Superbird 2010)
One of the great interpretive voices rises above the '80s. Sleeve by Magritte.
Reissue labels Big Break Records and Superbird have done considerable service in the past couple of months by reissuing, between them, three Knight/Pips albums and reminding us that, contrary to imperfect memory and the prejudices of the time, the singing on these records was not at all diminished by the limitations of style imposed by dance sounds of the '80s. Although perhaps not as transcendent as the singing on her great Motown (1967-73) and Buddah (1973-78) records, her delivery of Touch, Visions and About Love is not so very significantly poorer. Just different, for different times.
Hearing an expressive, truthful soul singer such as Knight grappling with disco, synths and the unmalleable plinky-plonk preferences of 1980s studio sound provides a masterclass in how a singer adapts to the limitations of the music's terrain. In disco, the parameters of the music generally demanded either an anonymous, less engaging voice that blended in with the overall essence of the track - a exercise in teamwork - or it forced greater invention from the most gifted lead singers in order to invest the music with a power and conviction that lifted the melody and arrangement beyond the insistent tramlines of its thudding 4/4 rhythm. This is the basis of all imperishable soul records. Consequently, a weight of synths that might crush singers less confident of their command of a song is no barrier to Gladys across these three albums. In particular, her ebullience makes Visions a very "up" album from the effervescence of opener When You're Far Away through Save The Overtime (For Me) to Oh La De Da, co-written by Sam Dees and not to be confused with the similarly titled song by The Staple Singers.
Produced by various teams but half the tracks bearing the imprint of Gladys and her brother Bubba with Dees, the album also boasts ballads that are more positive than lachrymose (gorgeous lead and harmonies on Heaven Sent, grandstanding on Hero). A pleasure to rediscover, but not actually a surprise, bearing in mind the identity of the singer.
Geoff Brown
Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 18/05/2010
Further Listening
Dionne Warwick – How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (Arista, 1983)
Aretha Franklin – Jump To It (Arista, 1982)
Jocelyn Brown – Somebody Else’s Guy (Fourth & Broadway, 1984)
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