Freda Payne  - Band of Gold  - Sanctuary Records CMRCD 044

It is a sad fact of life that if one were to mention the name Freda Payne to most music fans the song that would instantly spring to mind would be the million selling ‘Band of Gold’ which hit the top of the pop charts in September 1970, and number 3 in America. Whilst it remains Freda’s biggest success to date it does not reflect the true artistry of this lady whose albums for Holland Dozier & Holland’s label Invictus during the 1970’s are a pure pleasure to listen to, and now seem to be on everyone’s wants list at soul music record fairs.

Thanks to the team at Sanctuary records we get another dose of Invictus magic in the form of this CD which appears to be a straight re-issue of her greatest hits a few years ago. The CD contains all the 45’s including the aforementioned ‘Band of Gold’ (check out the original studio take of this great track on Sequel NEMCD) which is the one I personally use, as well as her version of ‘I Shall Not Be Moved’ which was issued on the same label as a  45 for the Barrino Brothers in 1972. One of the highlights of this set is her pleading ‘Bring The Boys Home’ a single from 1972 in the wake of the US war in Vietnam. The semi-dance track ‘You Brought the Joy’ still attracts specialist attention on the radio as does ‘Cherish What Is Dear To You’

One interesting point when you look through the extensive sleeve notes is the amount of songwriters involved in Freda’s songs. In addition to HDH you have Weatherspoon and Dean (from Motown) as well as Dunbar/Wayne from Hotwax, and names such as Greg Perry, Popcorn Wylie, and Norman Johnson to name a few. Most of these artists have recorded under their own names too for this label.

Other notable songs worth checking out are ‘Deeper and Deeper’ and ‘Unhooked Generation’ which was an early 45 release on the label, and the superb ‘For No Reason’. New fans to this ladies music will not be disappointed with the twenty four songs included here which captivate the sound of Detroit at the change of the decade at a time when many thought that the HDH sound had gone forever after they departed from Motown some three years earlier. They came back with a vengeance and for four years gave of some of the finest American soul music you could wish for thanks to the magical song writing talents of the aforementioned artists together with a magic house band that were featured on almost all of the labels output.

‘Band of Gold’ was only the beginning of better things to come.

Personal rating 9/10
Available October 2000
Expect to pay around £9.99 in the UK