Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures – Part 2
Pains of Love
The New Birth
It’s Been a Long Time, 1973
And This Is Love
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Neither One of Us, 1973
My Man’s Gone Now
Nina Simone
Nina Simone Sings The Blues, 1967
Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)
Frankie Beverley And The Butlers
The Sound Of Philadelphia, 197?
This is a response/continuation of a post on Captain’s Crate, one of my favorite mp3 blogs. The post is called “Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures” and the four songs posted are about “The kind [of anguish] that can reduce a grown man to pathetic teary desperation.”
“The Pains of Love” by The New Birth was the song that immediately came to mind and gave me the idea to do a Part 2 on this theme. I love how this guy’s woman left him and he’s giving her a lecture on the pain that she’s going to be in. He’s just projecting away, “Why am I hurting this way?…you will say.” He ends the songs whispering “You’ll be lost, you’re gonna need me…”
The Gladys Knight song was sampled on “It Takes More” by Goapele. This one is definitely over the top. It’s basically a list of things objects/memories like “drinking too much pink champagne” that remind her of her former man. There are few interesting items like “how you used to cheat at checkers” and “a TV Guide.”
The Nina Simone song is a slow burner but builds to an intense ending. I actually recorded this from “The Best of Nina Simone” on RCA but wanted to give the original album info.
I found this pre-Maze Frankie Beverly track on The Sound Of Philadelphia compilation. It’s originally from this 7″. Not sure if there is an album or not. I love how he slow he says “now the pain keeps getting deeper” at :52, its as if the pain is affecting his speech.
Anyone up for doing a Part 3 on this theme? Send me a link if so.
Songs are available for two weeks.
