BIG MAN RECORDS is a premier league UK vinyl label headed up by long-standing man about UK soul, MARK BICKNELL. Big Man has a small but perfectly formed back catalogue of 17 releases and the latest (yes, their 17th) has just won release and it’s a treat for collectors/lovers of classic soul in general and devotees of Carolina-style beach music in particular.
The 45 features two tracks from THE EMBERS. The veteran band (they were formed in 1958 and are still going strong!) virtually invented what has become known as “beach music” – that very infectious hybrid of pop and retro, uptown soul and the two sides of the Big Man release are an aural definition of the sound.
The A side is ‘Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby’- a sweet and soulful dancer with a hint of Chicago soul about it. The B side is a 24 carat Chicago classic – the Embers version of the Jerry Butler/Curtis Mayfield song ‘Aware Of Love’. Butler was first to record the song back in 1961 while Curtis and the Impressions put their lovely version on their ’67 LP, ‘The Fabulous Impressions’. And it must have been the Imps’ version that fired up the Embers (see what we did there!) ‘cos they released their version on 1968 as the B side to a re-issue of ‘Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby’. The record was released on eEe (Embers Entertainment Enterprises) and both sides have won plenty of plays on the scene – probably explaining why original copies are changing hands at just shy of £1,000!
Now thanks to Mark and the Big Man team you can enjoy this double delight at a much more reasonable price! We also believe that the next Big Man 7” will feature two more Embers’ cuts – ‘First Time’/’I Wanna Be (Your Everything)’
As with all Big Man product, these releases are fully licensed and come in custom picture sleeves, with A6 collectors cards in poly sleeves. Learn more @ Bicknellmark@aol.com OR bigmanrecords1@gmail.com
