Lookin’ for a Love: Bobby Womack’s Singles Compiled on New 2CD Set

July 11, 2013 By Mike Duquette — 8 Comments

Everything's Gonna Be AlrightOften unfairly slighted in the pantheon of great soul musicians in the 1970s, a new U.K. compilation gives Bobby Womack his due, anthologizing every one of his single sides from the first nine years of his solo career.

Womack and his brothers, Friendly, Curtis, Harry and Cecil, started from the small clubs of Cleveland before being discovered by Sam Cooke, who signed them to his SAR label. The classic “Lookin’ for a Love,” which he produced, earned them a spot on James Brown’s tour; a follow-up, “It’s All Over Now,” co-written by Bobby, was the first chart-topper for The Rolling Stones in their native England and a Top 40 hit in America.

He took on session work after leaving The Valentinos, playing on Aretha Franklin’s Atlantic albums and writing for Wilson Pickett. This string of successes led Minit Records to sign Womack, where he stayed until moving to Liberty and United Artists in the 1970s. While many of his sides were soulful covers of standards (“Fly Me to the Moon,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”) and contemporary pop-rock (“California Dreamin’,” “Everybody’s Talkin’,” “Sweet Caroline”), Womack would enjoy success with originals like “That’s the Way I Feel About ‘Cha,” “Harry Hippie,” “Across 110th Street” (from the iconic soul soundtrack album of the same name), “Nobody Wants You When You’re Down and Out” and even a remake of “Lookin’ for a Love.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNjSBkGUOTU]

Womack’s career cooled in the years since, after the enormous success of “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” in 1981, but in true soul survivor fashion, the iconic singer-songwriter-guitarist came back in 2012 with The Bravest Man in the Universe, his first album of all-new material in nearly a decade, produced by Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame.

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright: The American Singles 1967-1976, released on the Charly label, looks to be a nice introduction to an underrated force in R&B. This set is available now; pre-order links and the full track list are after the jump.

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright: The American Singles 1967-1976 (Charly (U.K.), 2013)

(Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Disc 1

  1. Baby I Can’t Stand It
  2. Trust Me
  3. Somebody Special
  4. Broadway Walk
  5. What is This
  6. What You Gonna Do (When Your Love is Gone)
  7. Fly Me to the Moon (in Other Words)
  8. Take Me
  9. California Dreamin’
  10. Baby! You Ought to Think It Over
  11. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
  12. Love, The Time is Now
  13. It’s Gonna Rain
  14. Thank You
  15. How I Miss You Baby
  16. Tried and Convicted
  17. More Than I Can Stand
  18. Arkansas State Prison
  19. I’m Gonna Forget About You
  20. Don’t Look Back
  21. Something
  22. Everybody’s Talkin’
  23. The Preacher (Part 1)
  24. The Preacher (Part 2)/More Than I Can Stand
  25. Communication
  26. Fire and Rain
  27. That’s the Way I Feel About ‘Cha

Disc 2

  1. Come L’Amore
  2. Woman’s Gotta Have It
  3. (If You Don’t Want My Love) Give It Back
  4. Harry Hippie
  5. Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)
  6. Across 110th Street
  7. Hang On in There
  8. Nobody Wants You When You’re Down and Out
  9. I’m Through Trying to Prove My Love to You
  10. Lookin’ for a Love
  11. Let It Hang Out
  12. You’re Welcome, Stop On By
  13. I Don’t Want to Be Hurt by Ya Love Again
  14. I Don’t Know
  15. Yes, Jesus Loves Me
  16. Check It Out
  17. Interlude No. 2
  18. It’s All Over Now (Duet with Bill Withers)
  19. Git It
  20. Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
  21. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
  22. Daylight
  23. Trust in Me

Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 released as Minit 32024, 1967
Disc 1, Tracks 3-4 released as Minit 32030, 1967
Disc 1, Tracks 5-6 released as Minit 32037, 1968
Disc 1, Tracks 7-8 released as Minit 32048, 1968
Disc 1, Tracks 9-10 released as Minit 32055, 1969
Disc 1, Tracks 11-12 released as Minit 32059, 1969
Disc 1, Tracks 13-14 released as Minit 32071, 1969
Disc 1, Tracks 15-16 released as Minit 32081, 1969
Disc 1, Tracks 17-18 released as Minit 32093, 1970
Disc 1, Tracks 19-20 released as Liberty 56186, 1970
Disc 1, Tracks 21-22 released as Liberty 56206, 1970
Disc 1, Tracks 23-24 released as United Artists 50773, 1970
Disc 1, Tracks 25-26 released as United Artists 50816, 1970
Disc 1, Track 27 and Disc 2, Track 1 released as United Artists 50847, 1971
Disc 2, Tracks 2-3 released as United Artists 50902, 1972
Disc 2, Tracks 4-5 released as United Artists 50946, 1972
Disc 2, Tracks 6-7 released as United Artists UA-XW196-W, 1973
Disc 2, Tracks 8-9 released as United Artists UA-XW255-W, 1973
Disc 2, Tracks 10-11 released as United Artists UA-XW375-W, 1974
Disc 2, Tracks 12-13 released as United Artists UA-XW439-W, 1974
Disc 2, Tracks 14-15 released as United Artists UA-XW561-X, 1974
Disc 2, Tracks 16-17 released as United Artists UA-XW621-X, 1975
Disc 2, Tracks 18-19 released as United Artists UA-XW674-Y, 1975
Disc 2, Tracks 20-21 released as United Artists UA-XW735-Y, 1975
Disc 2, Tracks 22-23 released as United Artists UA-XW763-Y, 1975

Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
Tags:
Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

You Might Also Like

tommy
Won’t Get Fooled Again: Four Who Classics Revisited by Analogue Productions on Vinyl, SACD, Reel-to-Reel
Yes Roosevelt Stadium
Release Round-Up: Week of July 17
Grateful Dead Merriweather 1985
Around and Around: Grateful Dead Celebrate “Summer Magic 1985” with Massive Box Set, Standalone Concert Release
Bowie Shel Talmy CD
Baby Loves That Way: David Bowie’s Early Singles, Unreleased Material with Shel Talmy Gathered for New Album

8 thoughts on “Lookin’ for a Love: Bobby Womack’s Singles Compiled on New 2CD Set”

  2. Chief Brody

    I never really cared for the sound quality of “Midnight Mover,” but the sheer number of tracks on it made it one of the better BW comps available for a long time. This, though, to me, might trump it. I’ve heard some early, favorable comments about the sound, and the tracklisting is hard to argue with unless you’re an absolute diehard fan. And, even then, it’s pretty impressive. And while they’re not perfect, I’ve generally liked Charly’s mastering approach. My copy should be here in a week or so. I have high hopes. It got five stars at allmusic.com from their lead writer, with whom I used to work, if that means anything.

    Bottom line, though, is, Bobby Womack needs a BOX SET. And a good one!!!!

    Reply
    1. Chief Brody

      Indeed there was–in 1987, it seems! I was completely unaware of that set. Thanks for the heads-up. I wasn’t even buying CDs in ’87. Interesting. Well, I guess my point was, we need a box set in THIS day and age, not some rare, costly collectible from the mists of time. Bobby’s been pretty prolific, so it would have to be sizable. I don’t think a 3- or even 4-disc set, however jam-packed, could really do the man justice. But, until a day like that comes, this new Charly set fills a nice hole in his discography. It’s far better than nothing, that’s for sure!

      Reply
    2. Randy Anthony

      Yikes! Nah, I want a well curated, fully annotated 4-CD box that surveys his whole career – puts it in historical perspective while providing me with the best of the best.

      Is that so wrong?

      Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.