Tell It All: Ashford and Simpson's "Come As You Are" Continues BBR's Reissue Series

The husband-and-wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson needs no introduction; the classic R&B and pop songbook has been shaped by the duo's compositions including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," "Let's Go Get Stoned," "California Soul" and "Solid (As a Rock)." Big Break Records has recently been celebrating Ashford (1941-2011) and Simpson (born 1946) in a major way - with a definitive expanded reissue series dedicated to Ashford and Simpson's Warner Bros. albums. Three titles in this non-chronological program have already arrived: 1977's Send It and 1978's Is It Still Good to Ya and Stay Free. On October 30, 1977's So So Satisfied and 1980's A Musical Affair will arrive, but first, this Friday, September 25 brings 1976's Come As You Are.

Come As You Are was the third album from Ashford and Simpson, the artists. (As "Valerie and Nick," they had released a handful of singles in the mid-1960s, and Valerie had previously released two solo albums - the underrated pair of Valerie Simpson and Exposed - on Motown in 1971 and 1972.) Though clearly committed to their performing career, the duo also continued to write and produce other artists for labels including Warner Bros. and their former home of Motown. Famed Motown arranger Paul Riser had contributed to Ashford and Simpson's first two WB albums and would return down the road; for Come As You Are, William Eaton (with one crucial assist from Al Gorgoni) supplied the sleek charts for the crack band of ubiquitous New York session pros including Richard Tee (keyboards), Don Grolnick (keyboards), Eric Gale and Hugh McCracken (guitars), Steve Gadd (drums), Francisco Centeno (bass) and Ralph MacDonald (congas/percussion). Joshie "Jo" Armstead, Ashford and Simpson's early writing partner, and Ray Simpson joined in on background vocals.

Urbane, soulful and sophisticated, Come As You Are sublimely showcased Ashford and Simpson's range as songwriters as well as artists. Funky dancers ("One More Try") took their place on the LP alongside lush ballads ("Believe in Me") and mid-tempo numbers ("It'll Come, It'll Come, It'll Come," "Somebody Told a Lie"). Other songs defied easy categorization, such as the irresistibly soaring, primarily instrumental groover "Caretaker," the lone track with an Al Gorgoni orchestration. The infectiously happy "Tell It All" ("...truth is gonna set yourself free!") and the romantic, optimistic "It Came to Me" both took the album to church - spirited as well as spiritual.

Ashford and Simpson's commercial breakthrough as artists was still a little time away; Come As You Are respectably placed at No. 35 R&B/No. 189 Pop with "It'll Come, It'll Come, It'll Come" making No. 96 R&B and "Somebody Told a Lie" getting to No. 58. Somewhat ironically, the album's biggest hit - the pulsating disco hit "One More Try" (No. 13 Disco) - wasn't written by Nickolas and Valerie, but by Raymond Simpson and Bobby Gene Hall, Jr.! Three bonus tracks have been added to this new edition: the 12-inch disco mix of "One More Try," the single version of "Somebody Told a Lie," and the re-edited dance mix of "One More Try" by Dimitri from Paris.

Christian John Wikane supplies the illuminating new liner notes for the album, drawing on an extensive interview with Valerie Simpson. Reissue producer Wayne A. Dickson has newly remastered, and the album (like all in this series) is handsomely housed in a Super Jewel Box. By the end of October, only Ashford and Simpson's first two Warner Bros. albums - Gimme Something Real (1973) and I Wanna Be Selfish (1974) - remain for BBR to reissue. (And don't forget - the team's first two albums on Capitol, Street Opera and High Rise, have already been reissued by the label.)

Ashford and Simpson's Come As You Are is available this Friday, September 25, in the U.K. with a U.S. release to follow the very next week! (The Amazon U.S. link is currently linking to an older CD edition of the album; we will update as soon as possible.) You can peruse the track listings for BBR's splendid recent quartet of titles from Ashford and Simpson and order all titles below!

Ashford and Simpson, Come As You Are (Warner Bros. BS-2858, 1976 - reissued Big Break CDBBRX0330, 2015) (Amazon U.S. TBD / Amazon U.K. )