Jaime Danehey

This is one of my favorites from the 1965 live album. It’s a cover of a brilliant Ray Charles song from the ’50s, specifically it’s a cover of Ray’s live version of “A Fool for You.” (His studio version is quite a bit more polished, less sad and bluesy.)

Oh man, this is such a good song, I love both live versions. In typical Ike and Tina style, they keep upping the ante in what was already a sad, sad song.

“A Fool for You” starts out slow and bluesy, mostly just piano, drum, and voice, with some horns gradually ebbing in and out. Where Ray’s delivery is worn out and sad, Tina has a little more life to her. It’s one of those passionate, early Tina performances that tear me up. But she’s going to use that extra spirit to pile on the heartbroken hyperbole.

I really like the part of the song where the pace picks up a bit, and the lyrics stop and start between percussion or horn exclamations. The words describe waking up missing the lost love, and putting on a big cry. Note the differences in our two versions:

Ray sings,

I said you even cry so loud
[drums!]
Yeah
[horns]
You give the blues to your neighbor next door
[drums!]
Yeah
[horns]
Ever since you were 5 years old, now baby
[drums!]
Yeah
[horns]
I want you to know that I’ve been a little fool for you little girl
[drums!]
Yeah

Tina sings,

And I KNOW THAT YOU EVEN CRY SO LOU-OU-OUD!
[drum and trumpet!]
Yes you will, mmm
[horns]
That you’ll have the preacher, I said you’ll have the preacher, drinkin’ wine next door
[drums and trumpet!]
Yeah, yeah
[horns]
But I wanna tell you that EVERY SINCE, EVERY SINCE I WAS 2 YEARS OLD!
[drums and trumpet!]
Yes I was, now, mmhm
[horns]
I keep on trying to proo-oove that I’m a little fool for ya baby
[drums and trumpet]
Yes, I am, mmm

Now that’s a fool for love!

This is a live recording, and you can hear some women respond when Tina sings, “I wanna know what makes me be a damn fool for you.” This reminded me of an interesting thing I read in Ike’s autobiography. He said that when he added Tina as the singer in his band, lots of women resented her (’cause Ike was such a heartthrob) and didn’t respond well to their performances due to jealousy. So he purposely gave her songs that would make her seem more sympathetic to female fans. I remember he mentioned their version of “All I Can Do Is Cry” as an example. I think the choice of “A Fool for You” was part of this strategy, too.

Live! The Greatest, Wildest Show of All
The Ike & Tina Turner Show
Soul and Rock That Do Not Stop

Yes, thanks to the excellent stock at Offbeat Music, I finally own the 1965 Ike and Tina live albums. (Originally two separate releases, volumes I and II are combined on one CD, released in 2006 by Warner Bros.)

Now people, when you see a track called “Tight Pants” on an Ike and Tina album, you know you are in for a treat. This is a steady rockin’ number, featuring Ike’s always-solid blues guitar. This song is real fun to sing along to:

Put on your tight pants, baby / Put your toupee on your head, oh yeah / Put on your tight pants, baby / Put your toupee on your head, all right / You CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR / Baby you know you’re gonna knock em dead.

In the first verse Tina exhorts her man to bring his .45 “in case some fool might want to fight.” But Tina, how in the world is he going to carry a gun in those tight pants? Is there a shoulder holster involved? Or maybe he keeps his gun in the car?

Sidenote 1: This CD reprints the original liner notes for Vol. I, written by a California DJ named Curtis (Gene) Price. On the spectrum of crazy DJ-penned liner notes, this is relatively sane. However, it makes me think how much I’d like to go back in time and be a DJ in the ’60s. I’d just sit around with my turntable and typewriter and crank out wacky liner notes. Maybe I’d hang out with Richard Meltzer and make up new, nutso rocknroll slang. Yeah, that’s it. . .

Sidenote 2: Robbie Montgomery, one of the original Ikettes, is featured as a singer on this live album.  Just last weekend I was in St. Louis and discovered that my aunt and uncle and cousins have fallen in love with the food at Sweetie Pie’s, Robbie’s soul food restaurant.  She opened a location on Manchester, in an old ice cream parlor.  I’ll have to try it next time I get out to St. Louis.  They rave about the catfish.

Poor Kent Records, they did not get much good material out of Ike and Tina when they signed them in the early ’60s. At this time Ike, the canny businessman that he was, was maximizing profits by recording all over the place, pumping out songs for several labels. They released two LPs on Kent, both in 1964–one was a live record and the second was The Soul of Ike & Tina. In case you noticed, that is the exact title of their first LP, released on Sue Records in 1961. That is a clue to what you’ll find here.

This is the LP that features the song “Something Came Over Me,” a sequel/rip-off of their earlier hit on Sue, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.” It also features “Am I Fool in Love” a sequel/rip-off of their first hit on Sue, “A Fool in Love.” These songs sound exactly the same, just with some new lyrics. Ike was not too worried about what he was giving to Kent Records.

But don’t get me wrong, I like the 1964 The Soul of Ike & Tina record OK. It’s fun and kinda dance-y, perfectly fine for any fan of their early work.

The song I like best is “Hard Times,” which manages to rip off both “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” and “A Fool in Love,” but is still a good song on its own. Tina does the exact “HEY HEY HEY HEY HEEEEYS!” from “A Fool in Love” in this song, and meanwhile the Ikettes are singing “Maybe it’ll work out fine!” But who cares? Because this song has some great lyrics, and I like the piano part, too.

How can you resist a song that begins with Tina yelling the following?

Come here fella! Just because I don’t say nothin’ about the things you do, don’t you think I’m no fool. ‘Cause just one of my ideas would crack your head wide open!

I adore that last line. Awesome.

The overall storyline of the song has Tina kicking her man to the curb, but with a difference. She’s got this great careless attitude in this song, where she’s making out that she never liked him all that much anyway. . .

But I’ve always known that you was no good / I only took you just to show you I could / But hard times / Achin’ heart / Baby, that’s my name!

When she sings “hard times, achin’ heart, baby that’s my name” she sounds sarcastic, not sad. She is over it!

I’ve known for quite some time / That you were rotten and outta your mind / But I went along just to see would you change / It’s in your blood to be a rotten man.

Ms. Hard Times Achin’ Heart is pretty good at trash talking, huh?

As the convoluted marketing text on the LP sleeve exhorts me, I’m “more than somewhat delighted” with this song. Pity the guy at Kent who had to hype this record, but “Hard Times” is a keeper.

Sometimes listed as “Chances Are.”

It’s my fondest dream that someone would find an Ike and Tina recording of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You.” But in the meantime, “Puppy Love” is the next best thing.

Wait, “Puppy Love”?! I know the title sounds like some kind of Brenda Lee ditty, but instead it’s a slinky, otherworldly number. This is way more Screamin’ Jay than Paul Anka.

The song creeps steadily along with the bass. The drums, guitars, and piano lurk in the background. The Ikettes sing in a spooky, detached harmony. Young Tina’s sound is appropriately mysterious and ominous:

To yooooou it’s just a puppy loooove / You never caaaared how much you broke my heeeart / But ONE DAY you’ll STOP and saaaay / Why did I TREAT little Tina that waaaay / And chances are you’ll be needing little me agaaain

Puppy love has never been so eerie!

This is an extremely interesting Ike and Tina cut. . .unlike anything else I’ve heard from them. (Much more voodoo than “Mojo Queen.”) It was the B-side of the 1962 single, “Tra La La La La.” I don’t know if Ike wrote it or not. . .if you have the 45, look at it and let me know.

Ikettes: Tina!
Tina: Yes, ‘ettes?
Ikettes: Why do you love that guy?

“Tina’s Dilemma” was released as a single in 1963. It’s a crazy little number where the Ikettes and Tina squabble over her man and his cheating ways.

This is probably my favorite Ikettes part, as they persistently poke at Tina about her no-good man, asking questions like “Do you think that he loves you?” They are like a pack of annoying little sisters. Tina sounds exasperated as they keep on badgering her. I imagine this was an entertaining live number.

Ikettes: Tina!
Tina: Now what girls?
Ikettes: Would you believe your man plays around?
Tina: Sure! But what I don’t see don’t hurt me
Ikettes: But Tina?
Tina: (tired) Yeah?
Ikettes: He could mean you no good
Tina: Listen to this: The things he do that I don’t see / Believe me baby it don’t bother me / So leeeeave / Leave my business aloooone, yeah / Because he gives me his lovin’ each and every day / And right by his side is where I’m gonna stay
Ikettes: Tina!
Tina: Oh go on, leave me alone

Identifying the Ikettes is a chancy business, since the line-up changed so often. And of course they aren’t credited on the liner notes I have. I’m guessing that on this recording the Ikettes were probably Delores Johnson, Eloise Hester, Joshie Armstead.  (Or maybe Jessie Smith, Venetta Fields and Robbie Montgomery?)