EVERYBODY’S TALKING!

For their latest single, SOUL JUNCTION RECORDS rekindle their long standing relationship with Arkansas-born soul man JESSE JAMES. Real soul collectors will know that Jesse was born James McClelland and the stage name came early in his career when  an MC  couldn’t pronounce the given name and “Jesse James” stuck ever since. Long in the tooth soul fans also might remember Jesse’s biggest US success – 1975’s ‘If You Want A Love Affair’,  but there’s plenty more goodies in the man’s back catalogue and over the years Soul Junction have reissued plenty of them… even issuing a whole album on him… 2012’s ‘Let Me Show You’.

The new SJ single on JJ pairs two wonderful oldies. The A side is our man’s version of Harry Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talking At Me’. Penned by Fred Neil, it was, of course, featured in the ‘Midnight Cowboy’ movie and though there have been many covers of the song, I’ll guarantee you won’t  have heard one like Jesse’s. It’s an up-tempo piano driven affair that might remind you a little of how the great Billy Stewart delivered new takes on familiar standards and oldies. This new ‘Everybody’s Talking At Me’ is previously unissued  and comes from self- financed sessions that Jesse recorded at the Searra Sound Studios in Berkley C.A during 1971.

The 45’s B side is a modern soul scene favourite … ‘You’re More Than A Friend Of Mine’ which first gained a release on  JJ’s 1990 ‘Looking Back’ album (Gunsmoke Records). Now it’s available for the first time on 7”. Despite the 1990 date though, the track was cut in the mid-70s  and produced by late songwriter /producer Ron Carson. You might remember that Carson also wrote and produced the aforementioned ‘If You Want A Love Affair’. For all kinds of complicated reasons this lovely ‘You’re More Than A Friend Of Mine’ was never actually released till that 1990 Gunsmoke album. That one now is hard to find – so enjoy the track in this upcoming SJ version and though it’s labelled “B” side, it’s every bit as good as the version of ‘Everybody’s Talking At Me’ on the flip. In effect, here you have a proper double A sider! As ever learn more  @ https://souljunctionrecords.co.uk/

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