Aaron Neville, "How Could I Help But Love You" c/w "Wrong Number (I'm Sorry, Goodbye)," Minit 657 (rel. 11/1962)
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As I near the completion of my collection of the original 600-series run of New Orleans’ Minit Records, from 1959 to 1963, a few of the records have proved real stumpers—either due to their rarity or their popularity with DJs and other social influencers. The latter tends to exaggerate the asking price of these single far out of proportion to their quantity. As well, with much of Minit only available on styrene pressings, one cannot be too careful about record condition. Styrene, that Styrofoam derivative, is brittle and fickle. If a record is played a couple of times with a blunt stylus, it’s ruined. Its loud parts distort and blast and a general muzziness infects its surface. I have a few of the really scarce Minits that I hope to upgrade someday but feel lucky just to have at all. I played a waiting game with today’s single—Aaron Neville’s seventh and final Minit single released in late 1962. It is his best Minit coupling and is a prime specimen of the label’s signature sound, as masterminded by bandleader-composer-arranger Allen Toussaint and producer Cosimo Matassa. I’m flipping the order of the songs as I think it makes a better presentation. I watched a nice copy sit untouched on eBay. Its seller lowered the price a few times and got it into my financial comfort zone. I refuse to bid on records like this because there’s always someone ready and willing to trounce me at the last moment. I much prefer a set or negotiable price minus the suspense and wasted time of an auction. “How Could I Help but Love You?” is a minor-key mood piece, with guitarist Roy Montrell strumming chords against a sultry Latin-flavored backdrop. Aaron’s solo voice is joined by whomever was hanging around the studio that day (a group that may include Irma Thomas and Benny Spellman) as vocal chorus. Tight brass and reeds play in unison for the instrumental break, then we return to the chorus, with its background banshees. Back to solo Aaron and guitar for the haunting long fade-out. It’s a beautiful song and performance made special by its rag-tag approach. The lack of smoothness is a virtue; it summons emotions that would have been annulled by a slicker attempt. This is one of my top three Minit Records faves, and others share that esteem; hence the forbidding prices this single asks and receives.
Two more well-written and well-sung songs. I would not have ever connected Randy Newman's vocal "style" to Aaron Neville's "style" but "Wrong Number" could have been a song Newman might have sung in a parallel universe. Jus' sayin'.
ReplyDeleteRandy Newman's blackface vocal style, plus all his chord changes, were cribbed from New Orleans music. Not a fan, save for some of his early songwriting attempts before he went the Al Jolson route.
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