BARBARA AND ERNIE "Prelude to" RARE ORIGINAL PRESS LP

	£		28
	$		36

Artist : BARBARA AND ERNIE

Title - Prelude to...

Label : Cotillion SD 9044 ORIGINAL US Stereo LP vinyl album

Condition : Ex/Ex

This wonderfully soulful blend of folk, jazz, funk and psychedelia, orchestrated by the legendary Eumir Deodato, makes its long-awaited reappearance on vinyl here. Featuring the cream of America’s early 70s session musicians, as well as guest appearances from jazz titans Keith Jarrett and Joe Beck, it’s a lost classic that has attracted ever-increasing interest from DJs, samplers and discerning collectors in recent years

A folk funk classic from the early 70s -- and a weird little record that has a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The arrangements are quite soulful, almost funky at times -- with a righteous undercurrent that reminds us of Richard Evans or Charles Stepney at Cadet Records. But the vocals -- by singer Barbara Massey -- have a flanged-out quality that's clearly overdubbed, creating a double-voiced sound that's almost a bit like Brasil 66! This mix of modes is really great -- completely unique, and sublime throughout -- with a vibe that was years ahead of its time, and which is finally beginning to get some recognition these many years later. Arrangements are by the pair, but Deodato also had a hand in the record too -- and the core combo of musicians includes Grady Tate on drums, Ralph McDonald on percussion, and Sam Brown on guitar -- alongside more guitars from Ernie and keyboards and piano from Barbara. Tracks include "Searching the Circle", "Do You Know", "For You", "Play With Fire", "My Love & I", "Satisfied", and "Prelude" -- plus a wild remake of "Somebody to Love"!

This record goes for serious money on eBay, partly due to it's drums being sampled by Smif-N-Wessun's "Wrektime", partly due to it's lack of a single reprint, but mostly due to it's rather excellent music.

Probably best categorized as Psyche/Folk/Soul, it's the kind of record that could only have been made at the end of the sixties/beginning of the seventies - the album's truly exquisite harmonies laced with a melancholy edge making it a simply sublime record to play on a chilled summer's day.

Primarily made up of Barbara Massey, a session vocalist for artists such as Cat Stevens, and Ernie Calabria, a guitarist in Harry Belafonte's band in the sixties, the singers were backed up by a fine selection of musicians including legendary jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. Apart from that I'm afraid I know nada about it or the artists themselves, any light that could be sown would be gratefully received.

The first song I have for your blissed out sonic experience is Play With Fire. The track starts with the most somber of folk organs before quickly slipping into an easy, laid back groove. I can not put in words how much I love Barbara's voice, it's got a wonderfully relaxed edge that belies the intensity that she's putting into the vocals. The voice is so soothing and the production so subtle that it takes a moment to fully comprehend the supreme goodness of this record.

The second song, Searching The Circle, kicks off with a cheeky little snare/bass riff before the perfected harmonies kick in. This track is all about the chorus, equal to anything I've ever heard the Rotary Connection do even in their prime. Like Play With Fire, the way the song builds to a crescendo is truly masterful. I don't have the greatest knowledge of the Psyche/Folk/Soul scene but I seriously doubt that there's much else out there as great as this , maybe only the great Minnie Ripperton "Come to my garden" LP

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