Track Listing

1. I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')
2. Evidence
3. I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)
4. The Best Thing You Ever Had
5. Someone You Use
6. That's How Strong My Love Is
7. Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man
8. He Called Me Baby
9. Sweet Feeling
10. Do Your Duty
11. Love Chain
12. Stand By Your Man
13. Heart On A String
14. Too Hurt To Cry
15. You Don't Love Me No More
16. Mr And Mrs Untrue
17. How Can I Put Out The Flame (When You Keep The Fire Burning)
18. To Hear You Say You're Mine
19. Sure As Sin
20. What Would Become Of Me
21. In The Ghetto
22. Get It When I Want It
23. Freedom Is Just Beyond The Door
24. I'll Drop Everything And Come Running
25. The Thanks I Get For Loving You
26. I'm Gonna Hold On (To What I Got This Time)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50420 in Music
• Released on: 2004-01-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
This twenty six track compilation brings together songs from the early days of disco diva, Candi Staton's career. The album features tracks recorded at Rick Hall's Muscle Shoals studios and showcases her early Southern Soul sound, a mix ofcountry, R&B, and the blues. Included are the Grammy nominated covers 'Stand By Your Man' and 'In The Ghetto'.

Customer Reviews

Candi's classic years
Candi Staton is perhaps best known today for a couple of big disco tunes, Young Hearts Run Free and You Got The Love, but before those she had enjoyed a big run of southern soul hits, all recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals AL with producer Rick Hall. They have the classic gritty Muscle Shoals sound with big, fat lithe horns and female choruses, and dissect the seamier side of life with titles like I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool), Mr And Mrs Untrue and Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man.

Candi had grown up singing, first in the church choir as a schoolgirl, and in gospel groups from the age of eight onwards, later touring with Aretha, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke and others, and had no difficulty whatsoever in switching to the rhythm and blues and country soul she recorded for Fame. Her naturally sweet voice was deliberately given a hoarser edge by Rick Hall through over singing to get the soulful effect he desired. Country music was as big in Alabama as soul so it was unsurprising that Candi should have hits with her heartfelt interpretations of Stand By Your Man and In The Ghetto.

This collection gathers most of the best of the classic recordings she made with the Muscle Shoals crew between 1969 and 1973, and which had been overlooked for far too long. They are not presented in chronological order and the notes are very hazy as to what was recorded when, and which of them were singles and which were album cuts. Eight A-sides and nine B-sides are actually included, with all but one A-side (Love Chain, from 1973) and three B-sides (tracks 13, 19 and 26) also duplicated on her first three albums.

In fact, the first two albums are present in full. I'm Just A Prisoner (1969) can be recreated by programming tracks 5, 3, 15, 2, 9, 10, 6, 1, 7 and 22; while Stand By Your Man (1971) comprised tracks 12, 17, 1 (again), 16, 14, 8, 9 (again), 18, 20 and 23. Her third album, Candi Staton (1972) is represented by tracks 21, 4, 24, 15 (again - unless a new version) and 25.

THE GLORY DAYS OF CANDI STATON
I've waited all of my adult life for Candi's Fame material (1969-1973) to be reissued and now it finally has been.....This cd has been digitally remastered and includes great liner notes by Tim Tooher...From the opening song of "I'm Just a Prisoner," a jumping juke joint rocker, to the last track of the delicious ballad "I'm Gonna Hold On (to What I Got This Time)" all 26 songs are flawless..Particularly riveting are the impassioned vocals and the southern-fried Muscle Shoals band on the rocking blues of "Sweet Feeling," "Heart on a String" and "Get it When I want it."

There's the sweetness in Candi's voice on the tender, but dramatic ballads "How Can I Put Out the Flame (When You Keep the Fire Burning)," "Sure As Sin" and Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is."

The cd also features Candi's biggest Fame hits such as her earth-shaking boogie on "Stand By Your Man" and her Grammy nominated "In the Ghetto." There's also the chart scorchers such as "Evidence," "Mr. & Mrs. Untrue" and "Love Chain." candi's smoky songs about unrequited love, adultery and the sweet blues is intoxicating and an unearthed treasure. I highly recommend this cd to anyone who likes classic soul, blues and passionate singing. This is A+++++++ Recently saw Candi on Jools Holland's Hootenany and she still has the sass and swagger that made these recordings so great and so precious.

Candi Staton-What is there left to say?
Honest John Records have really done a great service to all devotees of femme Southern Soul,by getting this wonderful material on CD in the UK.Actually, unlike other reviewers I rather liked and bought the 45 of Young Hearts...,but I always felt there was another side to Ms Staton and here it is.The press plaudits are all deserved.
Nearly every track a winner, from up tempo to 'down home' material her winsome slightly nasal voice never ''over-souls' and the Fame Studios back up band is on top form.Wonderful baying horns,marvellous guitar infills etc etc,empathy and sympathy perfection.Dare I say even better than Stax?No mention of who they are, that I can find ,on the liner notes.Ever since Ray Charles 'went country' in 1962 I was a fierce critic of this crossover music.Candi (and Joe Simon come to that) have changed my point of view.Stand By Your Man and Mr and Mrs Untrue , being great examples of the genre.
This CD on the car player has made my business trips around the country a pleasure.But beware you don't run in to the back of a truck while you are in soul ecstasy!.