Genre: rock
Rating: 2 stars **
Title: Yancey
Company: GRT
Catalog:
GRT 8012
Year: 1976
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: cut top left corner; gatefold sleeve; white label promo copy
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5573
Price: $10.00
Before you ask, no, the cover had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to purchase this album ... Of course I'd been a long time fan of Ms. Yancey when I stumbled across the album. Okay, okay - guilty as accused. I know nothing about Celia Yancey and haven't been able to find anything of value on the web, or in any of the music references I own. I couldn't even find a review of her album.
So here's a quote from the LP:
"Yancey isn't for everyone. She's outspoken and real and too special for some. She's the difference between Hojo Cola and Scotch-on-the-rocks. She's an August high, as elusive as smoke, and she cries at the drop of a word. But at times she gets distant and at times she's a clown, and she puts down the world when it's puttin' her on. She's a cold beer on Saturday, a woman, a child. She's mellow and misunderstood. She's complex ... cause like you she's human."
I can't comment on most of those statements, but I'd concur with the first sentence. Produced by former Stax marketing executive Ewell Roussell and Ron Capone, 1976's "Yancey" certainly wasn't going to be for everyone. Backed by an all-star cast of Stax and Memphis studio pros including Steve Cropper and Jim Dickinson, the album featured a mixture of Yancey originals and covers. Musically the set was pretty diverse bouncing across various genres including stabs at southern soul ('Roll um Easy'), country-tinged efforts ('Fallen Angel'), and even an odd disco track ('Honey Bee (Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh)'). The big surprise and attraction here was Yancey's voice (okay there may have been a couple of non-musical attractions). I've always liked female artists with gruff voices (Madeline Bell, Bonnie Bramlett, Kim Carnes, Janis Joplin, etc.), but nothing prepared me for her voice. If you thought those other ladies had rugged voices, prepare yourself for Yancey. The woman sounded like she'd been smoking a dozen packs a day and gargling with gravel ! A simply amazing instrument. Again, her raw delivery wasn't going to please everyone, but the funny thing was that she could tone it down, cutting out the rugged edge and sing with a much more commercial sound - checkout the ballad 'Wake Me Up Before You Leave' which would have been a dandy top-40 single. GRT also tapped the album for a pair of instantly obscure singles:
- 1976's 'Honey Bee (Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh)' b/w 'Honey Bee (Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh)' (GRT catalog number GRT 087)
- 1976's 'Makin' Music For Money' b/w 'Honey Bee (Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh)' (GRT catalog number GRT 792)
"Yancey" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Makin' Music For Money (A. Harvey) - 3:11
2.) Sha La La La La La (I Guess It Was Meant To Be) (Celia Yancey - Eewll Roussell - B. Taylor) - 3:16
3.) Honey Bee (Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh) (Celia Yancey - K. Woodley) - 7:13
4.) Race Horse (Neil Aspero II) - 3:04
(side
2)
1.) Southern Lady (M.
Hazlewood) - 3:08
2.) Wake Me Up Before You Leave (G. Parks) - 3:13
3.) If Love Is For The (Celia Yancey - J. Lancaster) - 3:29
4.) Roll Um Easy (Lowell George) - 2:55
5.) Fallen Angel (Celia Yancey - Jim Dickinson - M.L. Dickinson) - 3:10
The album did nothing in the States, but in one of those weird marketing quirks it was also released in Germany by the Bellahphon label (catalog number BLPS 19250) where it actually generated some sales I'm certain it had nothing to do with Yancey's platform heels or mile long legs). Bellaphon also released a pair of German singles:
- 1976's 'Making Music for Money' b/w 'Race Horse' (Bellaphon catalog number BF 18480)
- 1976's 'Southern Lady' b/w 'Honey Bee' (Bellaphon catalog number BF 18497)
I've never seen, or heard it so I'm not sure it's the same artist, but there's also a 45 on Monument credited to Yancey:
- ''It's So Easy' b/w 'Together Forever' (Monument catalog number 3873)
Love to know what happened to Ms. Yancey ...
Asking, Roll Um Easy, Fallen Angel