ESTELLE BROWN, "STICK CLOSE" C/W "YOU GOT JUST WHAT YOU ASKED FOR," UNITED ARTISTS UA 727 (REL. 7/1964)

In 1964, Estelle Brown was a member of The Sweet Inspirations, a female quartet who had yet to make their own records. They were an in-demand background group for any number of bands and artists; an East Coast equivalent to The Blossoms in LA. When the group got together, sisters Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick were part of it, alongside Cissy Houston. When the Warwick sisters began their solo careers, new members were found. Estelle Brown replaced Dee Dee Warwick and her voice, alongside Houston’s and others, are heard on countless New York pop, rock and r&b sessions.

They were known as “The Group” in NY, and always on-call for session work. Someone took note of Ms. Brown’s voice—perhaps producer/songwriter Jerry Ragovoy, who worked with New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas on the West Coast and may have sensed a new star in the making. United Artists signed on for a single to see what might happen. If they wound up with their own Dionne Warwick, it’d be a good thing for all parties concerned.

Ragovoy penned one of his typical deep-soul heart songs for the intended A-side. Relegated to the B was a tremendous song by Otis Blackwell and his songwriting partner of the 1960s Winfield Scott. “Stick Close” was first recorded by Gerri Granger for Bigtop Records, the vinyl outlet of Hill and Range Songs, which had connections with Elvis Presley Music and was Otis Blackwell’s main publisher. Again put on the B side, Ms. Granger’s version is good, but Garry Sherman’s arrangement for Brown’s rendition blows it out of the water. This is one of my favorite records—so full of energy and good vibes (and flutes) that it brings me joy every time I hear it. 

As the teaser for our new podcast episode, which offers 23 songs by Otis Blackwell, sung by himself and other artists, I hope it will brighten your day and weekend. We need all the brightness and contrast we can summon in the Photoshop of our daily lives. Please check out the new podcast, which is found in the post right below this one!

I’d wager the other Sweet Inspirations sing background on “Stick Close.” Estelle sings with humor and fervor as she warns her boyfriend to steer clear of other women “with larceny in their heart.” To a Latin beat-fest with a seductive swing, this song does what so many Otis Blackwell songs achieve: simple beauty with three chords. Blackwell was a fan of country music in his youth, and from it he learned the effect of the IV a V chords in songwriting. These chords are whole tone apart; in the key of C they are F and G. That whole-note leap creates a musical tension; it’s a lift and a descent, and Blackwell was a master of manipulating that effect in both directions.

The vibe of producer Bert Berns’ productions for The Drifters, among others, flavors this light, adorable recording. And those flutes! When they come on for a short instrumental break, they make a 10 record into an 11. This is another of my long-time favorites. I’ve wanted a copy of this single for over 30 years, and an opportunity I couldn’t resist appeared late last month. It’s a vinyl promo pressing; United Artists’ retail copies are almost always on styrene and they seldom sound good. Here we get the whole sonic deal on a performance and song of a lifetime!

By 1964, Cash Box's last page of reviews each week was a dumping ground for records that, likely, came into their offices too late to get a full assessment. I've discovered dozens of magnificent singles from my study of the weekly dump page. Alas, the reviews are curt and dispassionate and an insult to many great songs and performances.

“You Got Just What You Asked For” is a 180; a lowdown, introspective soul ballad that sounds, in part, like a deeply dejected “Que Sera Sera.” Her fellow Inspirations deliver a taunting Greek chorus as our narrator goes on a self-teardown. I know the soul snobs adore this side, and it clicks all the deep soul boxes, but jeez—what a grim, self-hating song. The snaky slow pace makes the self-inflicted wounds cut deeper. I’m not a fan of this school of song lyrics.

Estelle and the Inspirations’ performances are spot-on but, compared to the epiphanic effect of “Stick Close,” which accentuates the positive while acknowledging but not giving into the negative, it’s a total downer. And this comes from a lifelong sufferer of depression.

This would be Estelle Brown’s only solo record. After the Inspirations’ stellar stand on Van Morrison’s pop hit “Brown-Eyed Girl,” which caught the ear of Elvis Presley, the singers worked with Th’ King. In the meantime, they began their proper recording career with Atlantic Records in 1967. Their debut 45 contained a moving version of “I Don’t Want to Go on Without You,” Bert Berns’ heart-wrenching ballad first recorded by The Drifters; a year later, they made the Top 40 with “Sweet Inspiration,” by which time they began an eight-year stint as Elvis’ on-stage and in-studio backup.

Estelle Brown was interviewed about this period of her career, and the article’s worth a gander:

https://theforumnews.com/article-5592-estelle-brown-and-elvis.html

Tomorrow: a Saturday Club classic! Sometimes the folks at Motown did some…well…what’s the word? Hmm. Let’s say…unusual. Yeah. In early 1964, producer Andre Williams and a white group nicknamed The Hornets put together a tongue-in-cheek deconstruction of The Beatles’ first big American hit. The UK soul snobs hate, hate, hate this record, but I consider it an unsung gem of deadpan satire. The flip’s a pretty-good garage-y item, as well. A very scarce (some might wish non-existent) VIP release from February ’64.