Freda Payne
Band members Related acts
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- Freda Payne - vocals
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- none
known
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Genre: soul Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Band of Gold Company: Invictus Catalog: ST 7301 Year: 197o Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 catalog ID: -- Price: $30.00
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You wouldn't think enjoying a massive international hit like 'Band of Gold' would be a bad problem. I'd like to think I could deal with something like that. The problem comes when the song is included on an album that carries the same title. No matter how good the rest of the collection may be, those efforts are going to pale in comparison to the hit. Welcome to Freda Payne's 1970 album "Band of Gold".
By
the time she was signed to Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier
and Eddie Holland's newly formed Invictus Records, Payne had been recording
for eight years. During that period she'd recorded two albums and four
singles across three labels. If you've ever heard those two early
jazz-oriented Payne album's (1962's "After the Lights Go Down Low
and Much More!!!" and 1966's "How Do You Say I Don't
Love You Anymore"), you're likely to be astounded by the
changes on the third album. (The changes remind me of the difference between
Aretha Franklin's sides for Columbia versus he
"Band of Gold" track listing: 1.) Band of Gold (Ron Dunbar - Edythe Wayne) - 2:53 rating: ***** stars My opinion is obviously biased by the fact I grew up hearing 'Band of Gold'. To this day the opening bass and Dennis Coffey's coral sitar notes capture my attention. The tune was credited to Ronald Dunbar (then a producer for Invictus Records), and the mysterious Edythe Wayne. Embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit with Motown Records, Wayne was a pseudonym for former Motown writers/producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozer and Eddie Holland. Ironically when Payne was offered the song she declined, feeling she as too old (then thirty) to carry it off and uncomfortable with the song's plotline.. With Payne continuing to fight against recording the track, the final song was patched together from multiple takes. Today it seems almost comical, but the lyrics created controversy with some listeners reaching the conclusion the husband was gay, or impotent based on his inability to perform on the couple's wedding night.. It turns out that in an effort to shorten the song's running time the initial verse was shortened, eliminating the lyrics that made f clear the new wife was the character who had turned the husband away. Un-credited, Motown's Funk Brothers, including Coffey and a young Ray Parker Jr. on guitar provided the instrumental support. The backing vocals were provided by Telma Hopkins, Pamela Vincent, Joyce Vincent-Wilson and Scherrie Payne (who was a member of the band Glass House who were also signed to Invictus). Hopkins and Vincent-Wilson went on to success as members of Tony Orlando and Dawn. Yes, they were the "Dawn" in the trio.
- 1970's 'Band of Gold' b/w 'The Easiest Way to Fall' (Invictus catalog number Is 9075) # 3 US Billboard pop 45 chart; # 20 Billboard R&B singles chart
There are numerous "live" versions of the song on YouTube. I'm not sure when or where this one was recorded, and while she's clearly lip-synching, it's worth seeing for Payne's '70s outfit and the supporting cage dancers\: Freda Payne - Band Of Gold (Stereo) 2.) I Left Some Dreams Back There (Norma Toney - Ron Dunbar) - 3:17 rating: *** stars 'I Left Some Dreams Back There' was interesting given it found Payne employing her coy, little girl voice. The song was a patented I've-moved-on tale of remembrance that would not have sounded out of place on a Clarence Carter album.. 3.) Deeper and Deeper (Norma Toney - Ron Dunbar - Edythe Wayne) - 2:52 rating: **** stars The album's third and final single, 'Deeper and Deeper' was another Holland-Dozier-Holland composition (under the Edythe Wayne pseudonym). A tasty ballad, this track came the closest to replicating the classic Motown sound. I'm guessing that was done on purpose and probably sent Berry Gordy into a rage.
- 1970's 'Deeper and Deeper' b/w 'Unhooked Generation' (Invictus catalog number Is 9080) # 24 Billboard pop singles chart; # 9 Billboard R&B singles chart Neither the sound or video quality are very good, but YouTube has a clip of Payne lip-synching the song on an un-credited televisions show: Freda Payne - Deeper and Deeper 4.) Rock Me in the Cradle (Ron Dunbar - General Johnson - Gregg Perry) - 3:03 rating: **** stars With a bouncy and highly commercial melody 'Rock Me in the Cradle' was the perfect vehicle for allowing Payne to unleash some of the power in her voice. She made it sound so effortless. The track would have made a great duet with someone like the late Levi Stubbs (of Four Tops fame). 5.) Unhooked Generation (Ron Dunbar - Edythe Wayne) - 2:29 rating: **** stars Opening up with some Dennis Coffey-styled fuzz guitar and powered by Payne's dynamic voice, 'Unhooked Generation' was her first single for Invictus,. The track showcased that special Invictus mix of soul and pop. It was also an early example of don't-need-your-cheating-ass tunes by female soul singers like Bettye Davis, Millie Jackson, Laura Lee, Betty Wright, etc. Great debut which should have been Payne's first major hit. For some reason Invictus also used the song as the flip side to Payne's 'Deeper and Deeper' 45. JVC Force sampled the song for their song 'Strong Island'.
- 1969's 'The Unhooked Generation' b/w 'The Easiest Way To Fall' (Invictus catalog number Is 9073) # 43 Billboard R&B singles 6.) Love on Borrowed Time (William Weatherspoon) - 2:58 rating: *** stars The
"cheating lovers" ballad 'Love on Borrowed Time' sought to meld
Payne's jazz voice with a poppier song. The guitar solo and chorus
were awesome, but the heavy orchestration didn't do the song any favors. (side 2) 1.) Through
the Memory of My Mind (William Weatherspoon) - 2:40
rating: *** stars 2.) This Girl Is a Woman Now (Alan Bernstein - Vic Millrose) - 2:59 rating: ** stars Gary Puckett and the Union Gap previously enjoyed a hit with their "heartbreak" version of the song. Payne's version stayed true the original melody, but managed to make it sound even more MOR-ish than Puckett and company. 3.) The World Don't Owe You a Thing (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 2:58 rating: **** stars Much to Motown chagrin, Holland-Dozier-Holland took their unique sound with them when they set up Invictus and Hot Wax. That mixture of soul and pop moves was perfectly captured on the bouncy 'The World Don't Owe You a Thing'. Add in the uplifting "self-empowerment" message and what wasn't there to like on his tune? A different mix of the song showed as the flip to her first Invictus single - 'The Unhooked Generation'. 4.) Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye (Scherrie Payne) - 3:09 rating: ** stars Written by Freda's younger sister Scherrie Payne (of Supremes fame), 'Now Is the Time to Say Goodbye' was a big supper-club styled ballad. It was pretty, but far too middle of the road the make much of an impression. Easy to picture it on a Motown album where Berry Gordy was trying to attract a large, middle class audience. No idea when, or where it was recorded, but YouTube has a clip of Payne performing the song before an audience. Freda Payne — Now It's Time To Say Goodbye 5.) Happy Heart (Wayne P. Walker) - 2:49 rating: ** stars Petula Clark and Andy Williams had previously enjoyed hits with their covers of the ballad 'Happy Heart'. Admittedly Payne's cover wasn't quite as MOR-ish as those earlier version, but with the heavy orchestration, this one was still pretty easy listening. 6.) The Easiest Way to Fall (Ron Dunbar - Edythe Wayne - Sherrie Lavette) - 2:36 rating: **** stars Sporting a great melody, nice heartbreak lyrics and one of Payne's sweetest vocals, it's hard to believe that a ballad as good as 'The Easiest Way to Fall' was relegated to a "B" side - it showed up as the flip to 'Band of Gold''. Propelled by a killer drum riff, it's easy to see why the track's become a go-to source for rappers like Big Daddy Kane and De La Soul.
© Scott R. Blackerby April, 2022
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Genre: soul Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Reaching Out Company: Invictus Catalog: KZ 32493 Year: 1973 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 catalog ID: 3271 Price: $40.00
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There's no denying Freda Payne's talents. At her best, she had a voice that was instantly recognizable and to my ears, incredibly attractive and appealing. At the same time her albums for Invictus were uniformly frustrating. Produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Ronald Dunbar, 1973's "Reaching Out" was no different. About a third of the album was fantastic; about a third was okay, and the remaining third was made up of lounge act throwaways. So who to blame? While Payne certainly had a role in this one, I'd point to the Holland-Dozier-Dunbar production team for most of the shortcomings. Like their work on many Motown albums, they simply couldn't decide what they wanted to do with Payne. At one extreme tracks like 'Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right', 'Mother Misery's Favorite Child' and 'We Gotta Find a Way Back To Love' were clearly geared towards a younger, radio-friendly audience. All three songs were catchy, underscoring Payne's soul roots. In contrast 'Reaching Out', a cover of The Carpenters' 'Rainy Days and Monday', and 'If You Go Away' were all lounge act schlock ballads that probably wouldn't have even registered with your grandmother. Shame they didn't steer her towards a more soul oriented sound.
With respect to the album cover, about all I can say is forty years onwards the photos remain stunning. I can't imagine the reaction the cover must have created in 1973.
1.) Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - R.Wylie) -3:18 rating: *** stars Payne had a great voice, but on 'Too Wrongs Don't Make a Right' Holland-Dozier-Wylie seemingly decided to turn her into a cross between Diana Ross and Donna Summer. The purring, sex kitten tone of her voice was clearly meant to be scintillating, but to my ears it came off as almost funny. Shame since the song was actually pretty good and had she put a little more "band of gold" energy into it, the song would have been magnificent. I'm guessing you were hearing Nickolas Ashford on the backing chorus. The song was also tapped as a single:
- 1973's 'Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right' b/w 'We Gotta Find a Way Back To Love' (Invictus catalog number ZS7 1255)
2.) Reaching Out (Michael Smith - Ronald Dunbar) - 3:15 rating: ** stars The title track found Payne revealing her full bodied voice (unlike the previous tune). The problem with the ballad 'Reaching Out' was it sounded like something written for a Hallmark movie of the week. Big and bland ballad that couldn't be saved by her wonderful voice. 3.) For No Reason (Michael Smith - Ronald Dunbar) -2:33 rating: ** stars 'For No Reason' was the perfect example of how frustrating this set was. The song was actually quite good, but the combination of a big, overblown arrangement, and Payne's MOR delivery left it flat and bland. 4.) The Man of My Dreams (Michael Smith - Ronald Dunbar) - 4:09 rating: ** stars While Payne sounded good, 'The Man of My Dreams' was another MOR-ish ballad, though not as bland as the title track. Not hard to imagine her singing this one on the Mike Douglas Show, or some prime time variety television show. 5.) Mother Misery's Favorite Child (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland) - 5:02 rating: *** stars Opening up with a killer bass line (James Jameson ?),'Mother Misery's Favorite Child' demonstrated Payne could handle more than MOR-pop. With a hard edged, socially relevant lyric it made for a nice change of pace and one of the album's highlights. Invictus released it as a promo single, but the lyrics were apparently too risque for radio.
- 1973's 'Mother Misery's Favorite Child' b/w 'For No Reason' (Invictus catalog number ZS7 1257)
(side 2) 1.) We Gotta Find a Way Back To Love (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland) - 3:05 rating: **** stars If I had to pick a favorite performance off the album, 'We Gotta Find a Way Back To Love' would win the race by a country mile. Classic slice of Holland-Dozier-Holland material with a melody you couldn't shake loose and one of Payne's best vocals. Shame it wasn't longer. Easy to see why its been sampled a number of times - A Tribe Called Quest 'Find a Way' comes to mind. 2.) Mood for Love (Greg Perry - Angelo Bond - General Johnson) - 3:03 rating: *** stars I won't even try to convince you that 'Mood for Love' was a great song. It wasn't, but Payne's vocal was awesome. Not sure I can quantify it, but she reached back to the same characteristics that made 'Band of Gold' and 'Bring the Boys Back Home' such winners. 3.) Rainy Days and Monday (Roger Nicholas - Paul Williams) - 4:36 rating: ** stars I can't say I have any great affection for the slice of saccharine, mid-'70s pop, but if I had to listen to a version, I'd stick with the Karen Carpenter original. Payne actually did an okay job until she got to the end of the song and decided to turn it into a lame slice of lounge act aural gymnastics. 4.) If You Go Away (Rod McKuen - Jacques Brel) - 6:22 rating: * stars Seriously, why would anyone agree to record a McKuen - Brel composition? Opening with martial drums, breathy vocals, semi-spoken interludes, even a little bit of French lyrics, and an arrangement sounded like something from a soon-to-close Broadway show, 'If You Go Away' was simply horrible. And naturally it was the longest song on the album. Where's that Richard Harris album when you need it? 5.) Right Back Where I Started From (Michael Smith - Ronald Dunbar) - 3:40 rating: **** stars Capturing that unique Invictus/Hot Wax sound, 'If You Go Away' was the album's best ballad with a nice refrain and Payne finally cutting loose on the vocals.
© Scott R. Blackerby April, 2022
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Genre: soul Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Contact Company: Invictus Catalog: SMAS 7307 Year: 1971 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold, fold out sleeve; small cut out hole in front cover Available: 1 catalog ID: 4308 Price: $20.00
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While it sports a
knock-you-to-the-floor, three panel cover of the attractive Ms Payne, 1971's "Contact"
was a disappointment to my ears. This time around
producers/writers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland seem to
have decided that Payne's future lay in a more MOR oriented sound.
Mind you, tracks such as 'Suddenly It's Yesterday' and 'The Road We Didn't
Take' were okay, but Payne's sweet voice was largely wasted on the surprisingly
anonymous material. Why in the world would anyone bother
trying to make her sound like a second rate Diana Ross - aka the
over-the-top ''I'm Not Getting Any Better'? Adding to the problem,
much of the album suffered from gross over-orchestrated. On tracks
such as 'You've Got To Love Somebody (Let Me In)' Payne was all but drowned
out by strings and waves of backing singers. That said, Invictus
stable of writers was simply too talented to churn out an album without a
couple of first rate songs. In this case 'You Brought the Joy' was a
great up tempo dance number, while 'Bring the Boys Home' may be the best
anti-war song ever written. Direct, to the point and boasting a
wonderful melody, Payne and company deserved considerable credit for being
willing to sacrifice airplay and sales by tapping the latter as a single -
'Bring the Boys Home' b/w 'I Shall Not Be Moved' (Invictus catalog number IS
9092). 1.) I'm Not Getting Any Better (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland) - 6:45 rating: ** stars Geez, why in the world would Holland-Dozier-Holland elect to burden Payne with a second-rate take on Richard Harris' 'MacArthur Park' ... Simply hideous MOR pop that was more suited to late inning The Fifth Dimension. A complete disservice to Payne's considerable talents. And it seemed to go on and on and on ... 2.) Suddenly It's Yesterday (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 4:24 rating: *** stars If you could sit through the horrible MOR-ish orchestrated intro, 'Suddenly It's Yesterday' got a lot better when Payne started singing. Yeah, the backing singers were intrusive and thoroughly irritating, but lukily Payne managed to overpowered them when it mattered the most. 3.) You Brought the Joy (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 3:00 4.) Bring the Boys Home (Angelo Bond - Greg Perry - General Johnson) - 3:22 5.) You've Got To
Love Somebody (Let Me In) (W. Weatherspoon - R. Miner) - 3:01 (side 2) 1.) Prelude (instrumental) (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 0:53 2.) The Road We Didn't Take (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 4:17 3.) Odds and Ends (General Johnson - Greg Perry) - 3:50 4,( Cherish What Is Dear To You (While It's Near To You) (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - A. Bond) - 3:56 5.) I Shall Not Be Moved (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier) - 2:43 6.) Mama's Gone (General Johnson - Greg Perry - Ronald Dunbar) - 3:23
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Genre: soul Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Payne & Pleasure Company: ABC Dunhill Catalog: DSX- Year: 1971 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6244 Price: $15.00
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I guess this will show a certain bias, but to my ears Freda Payne had one of the best voices in popular music. She simultaneously managed to sound soulful and classy (I can only imagine that contemporaries like Millie Jackson and Dionne Warwick would have killed to have been blessed with her chops - to say nothing of her devastating good lucks). All of those talents were aptly displayed on 1974's "Payne & Pleasure". (Compared to some of the stuff you see in this day and age the cover on this one was downright tame, but it still made for pleasant viewing ... Besides, I'd rather spend time looking at Ms. Payne as opposed to some band of dweebs in leather pants any day of the week.) Unfortunately as a non-writer, the album also demonstrated just how dependent Payne was on advice from producers and selecting material that suited her skills.
With the collapse of Invictus Records, Freda Payne found herself signed to ABC Dunhill (which would shortly collapse itself). Teamed with producer McKinley Jackson, "Payne & Pleasure" wasn't a major departure from her earlier work. Tracks like 'It's Yours To Have', 'Didn't I Tell You' and 'Run For Your Life' offered up a likeable mixture of soul and pop moves that sounded very much like the Invictus signature sound ('course producer Jackson had been a big part of that label's sound). Unfortunately, rather than sticking with that approach, the second side of the album seemingly sought to broaden Payne's audience to an older, more mainstream audience. Like those hideous Motown albums that forced classic soul acts like The Supremes and The Temptations to cover lame MOR and Broadway tracks, a similar fate struck Payne. Starting with the MOR ballad 'Shadow On The Wall' things only got worse with the next three performances - a Paul Williams song, followed by a Marvin Hamlisch number, and then a lame Leon Russell cover. Payne's performances on these tracks weren't bad, but there was simply no way to recover from these fatal covers. Bottom line is this one remains a major puzzle to me. How could anyone manage to record one side of material that was so good (I'd give it four stars) and a second side that was sooooo bad (I'd be charitable giving it one star) ? Split the difference and you end up with two stars.
"Payne & Pleasure" track listing: 1.) It's Yours To Have (R. Dozer - McKinley Jackson) - 2:50 rating: **** stars With an infection melody and a wonderful vocal, 'It's Yours To Have' opened the album with a song that would have sounded right at home on one of Payne's Invictus albums. Like the best of the Invictus catalog the song melded an infectious, heavily orchestrated melody with some surprisingly gritty vocals. Released as the leadoff single, it's hard to believe this one didn't do better on the charts.
- 1974's ' It's Yours To Have' b/w 'Run For Your Life' (ABC Dunhill catalog number D-15108) 2.) Didn't I Tell You (R. Dozer - A. King) - 3:15 rating: **** stars 'Didn't I Tell You' slowed things down, but wrapped the results in an even stronger hook. This one was a perfect example of Payne's ability to simultaneously sound sultry, soulful, and in prime payback form. Shouldn't have ticked her off ... One of my favorites songs on the album; for goodness skae, one of my favorite Payne performances ever. 3.) I Get Carried Away (R. Dozer - A. King) - 4:19 rating: ** stars A pretty, but rather pedestrian ballad, 'I Get Carried Away' would have been stronger had Jackson scaled back the backing orchestration. For some reason, this was tapped as a single. Shame since there were several far better choices.
1974's ' I Get Carried Away' b/w 'Shadows On the Wall' (ABC Dunhill catalog number 12079) 4.) Run For Your Life (McKinley Jackson - B. Perkins) - 3:32 rating: **** stars I'm a sucker for soul songs that incorporate gimmicks and 'Run For Your Life' managed to meld a 'Shaft'-styled sense of urgency and arrangement with an Indian war dance beat. Payne's in-your-face vocal was simply fantastic and the only thing wrong with the song was that it faded out too soon. 5.) Don't Wanna Be Left Out (R. Dozer - McKinley Jackson) - 5:40 rating: **** stars 'Don't Wanna Be Left Out' opened with an extended orchestral arrangement which led you to wonder if this was actually an instrumental. It the morphed into another big ballad, but Payne actually managed to transform the song into a driving up-tempo number. Most other singers would have simply drown in the arrangement.
1.) Shadow On The Wall (McKinley Jackson - B. Perkins) - 5:09 rating: ** stars Penned by producer Jackson, 'Shadow On The Wall' was another pretty, but forgettable ballad. 'Course compared to the rest of side two, it was fantastic. 2.) I Won't Last A Day (Paul Williams - B. Nichols) - 4:27 rating: ** stars The first couple of times I heard this version of Paul Williams' 'I Won't Last A Day' I thought it was being sung by Lulu. To be honest, Payne gave it her best shot, but the song was just way too MOR to salvage. 3.) The Way We Were (Marvin Hamlisch - Peter Allen - M. Bergman) - 3:52 rating: * star C'mon, as if opening up with a pretty harpsichord segment was going to save 'The Way We Were' ... bad song and once again there simply wasn't anything Payne could have done to fix this one. Pure elevator music. Dreadful. 4.) A Song For You (Leon Russell) - 5:40 rating: * star Congratulations for winning the lame song trifecta with this cover of Leon Russell's 'A Song For You' ... By the time Payne kicked the song into gear, it was simply too late to recover. Part of the problem may have to do with the fact Donny Hathaway's cover is simply the classic version of the song.
© Scott R. Blackerby April, 2022
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catalog for Atlantic Records.) With Payne standing as one of the
label's first signings, 'Band of Gold' was the label's fifth single and
promptly became the label's first top-10 pop hit. As you'd expect,
Invictus wasted no time capitalizing on
Payne's success, quickly issuing an album to support the single -"Band
of Gold". Produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland the LP
marked the label's second release and promptly hit # 60 on the US Billboard
pop charts. Relying heavily on Invictus' talented stable of songwriters,
after the title track, about half of the album featured highly commercial
pop-soul tracks like 'Rock Me in the Cradle', 'The
World Don't Owe You a Thing' and 'The Easiest Way to Fall'.
Feeling relaxed and kind of "hip" this kind of material was
perfect for Payne's clear, powerful and just plain sultry voice.
Recalling her earlier recording and far less impressive were MOR-tinged big
ballads seemingly geared to middle class audiences. Payne certainly
had the vocal chops, turning in nice performances on songs like 'This
Girl Is a Woman Now',
her remake of 'Happy Heart' and a cover of sister Scherrie Payne's 'Now
Is the Time to Say Goodbye' put those
efforts just sounded old-school compared to the hits. The sad thing is
five of the album's songs were truly awesome, but the title track simply
sucked all of the air out of the collection and today it's the only one
people have heard, let alone remember. Shame.
