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Tracklist (Vinyl)
A1 | | Out On The Streets Again | | 4:08 | A2 | | Mama Told Me | | 2:28 | A3 | | You Give Me What I Want | | 3:38 | A4 | | Come A Little Closer | | 3:28 | A5 | | Let's Burn Down The Cornfield | | 3:37 | B1 | | Power Play | | 3:22 | B2 | | Feeling Uneasy | | 2:47 | See more tracksB3 | | St.Louis Blues | | 4:31 | B4 | | Gon'na Have Some Fun Tonight | | 3:05 | B5 | | Sooki Sooki | | |
* Items below may differ depending on the release.
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Review Etta James possesses one of the R&B voices, and she has been pushing it past its limits since her classic sides for Modern"Roll With Me Henry," "Crazy Feeling" and her teenage years as an opening act for Little Richard. Her masterful Sixties recordings for Chess, preserved on the essential Peaches, became more and more infrequent as drugs took their toll. Last year she bounced back with Etta James, singing as superbly and soulfully as ever, and gave several of Randy Newman's quirky compositions their most memorable… Read More performances. Closer finds her working with the same producer, Gabriel Mekler, and once again her churchy, sobbing style is well showcased. In fact, its dimensions have never been more fully revealed. On the entirely wordless "Feeling Uneasy," she moans and scats her way through a series of rich changes, throwing in breathtaking descending arpeggios here, laying into a chord and spreading it out there, pouring out a torrent of sound. This one ranks with Aretha's recent "Oh Baby" as a masterpiece of secularized spirit-singing. But Etta's truth, like Aretha's, has always been at the mercy of the producers and arrangers she works with, and Gabriel Mekler's eclecticism imparts a curious tension to Come a Little Closer. When Mekler is good, as he is when he inserts an out-of-tempo transitional figure into the opening minutes of "Mama Told Me," or when he takes his time building the sultry band track up to Etta's entrance on "Out on the Street, Again," he is superb. When he is bad as when synthesizer and percussion overwhelm Etta on "You Give Me What I Want"a lot of talent goes to waste. On Closer's second side, a kind of suite, he tries everything from a "St. Louis Blues" redolent of Bessie Smith to a heavy-handed Pointer Sisters cop on "Gonna Have Some Fun Tonight" to a reworking of John Kay's "Power Play." Etta plays freely with the blues and comes closer than anyone could have imagined to making it sound fresh, but you can only ride a war-horse so far and her victory over the tune is essentially Pyrrhic. "Come a Little Closer" and "Out on the Street, Again" are first class pop more modest in intent and more successful. Another Randy Newman opus, "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield," is spare and powerful. Closer is excruciatingly uneven and at times miraculously satisfying. Etta's heretofore unsuspected abilities as a jazz singer are worthy of further exploration, hopefully in a context that isn't quite as hokey. There are a couple of possible hit singles. And there is one hell of a voice. (RS 167) BOB PALMER |
Etta James Discography
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Spain, Folio, 10419, 1997 |
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CD |
VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)/NEAR MINT (NM OR M-) |
VINYL-POOH Spain
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$4.82 |
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ETTA JAMES |
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Come A Little Closer
1996 Remaster With Bonus Tracks . Origianlly Released 1974, Featuring Musicians Chuck Rainey, Ken 'spider' Rice, Danny Kortchmar, Ken Marco, Lowell George, Wah Wah Watson, Bobby... |
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CD |
NM/NM |
Vinyl Exchange United Kingdom
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$12.68 |
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ETTA JAMES |
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Come A Little Closer
In Gatefold Sleeve With Booklet Uk Or As Description, Chess, Mcd 91509 |
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CD |
EX/EX |
Rock Revelations United Kingdom
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$25.37 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Factory Sealed Reissue Remastered With Security Strip Cd Is Out Of Print With 12 Tracks Us, Chess, Chd9363, 1996 |
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CD |
MINT (M) |
Forever Young United States
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$49.98 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Playgraded: Strong Vg+. Us, Chess, Ch91509, 1984 |
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LP |
VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)/VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) |
mion.berlin Germany
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$29.40 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer 2 copies |
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LP |
NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)/VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) |
Flashback United Kingdom
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$34.24 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Chess; Ch 50041,france 1974, Laminated Sleeve, (our Ref: 2014350c) - Visit Our London Shops In Islington, Shoreditch And Crouch End. France, Chess, 50041, 1974 |
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LP |
NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)/VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) |
Flashback United Kingdom
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$34.24 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Chess; Ch 50041,france 1974, Laminated Sleeve, (our Ref: 2014350c) - Visit Our London Shops In Islington, Shoreditch And Crouch End. France, Chess, 50041, 1974 |
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LP |
NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)/VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) |
Flashback United Kingdom
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$34.24 |
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Etta James |
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Come A Little Closer
Chess Ch 60029, 1974, Sealed!, Cutout Corner |
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LP |
M-/M |
Brothers Records United States
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$400.00 |
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JAMES,ETTA |
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Come A Little Closer
Cut In Cover Usa, Chess, 60029 |
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LP |
VG-/VG+ |
Beverly Records United States
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$27.50 |
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James,etta |
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Come A Little Closer
Still In Shrink Wrap (opened); Cut Lower Right Corner Us, Chess, Ch 60029, 1974 |
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LP |
VG+ COVER / VG+ LP |
Bad Cat Records United States
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$30.00 |
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JAMES ETTA |
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Come Little Closer
Cassette 10 Songs Artist: James |
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Cassette |
NEW |
Horizons United States
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$15.00 |
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Etta James |
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Come What May / By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Us, Modern Records (2), 45x1022, 1957-08 |
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7" |
GOOD PLUS (G+)/GENERIC |
Times Square United States
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$10.00 |
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JAMES,ETTA |
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Come What May / By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Slight Warp On Edge Usa, Modern, 1022 |
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7" |
G |
Beverly Records United States
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$6.60 |
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JAMES,ETTA |
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Come What May (by The Light Of The Silvery M)
Vey Early And Rare Etta James! 1957 R&b Stroller 1022 Modern |
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7" |
VG/VG |
John Manship United Kingdom
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$12.33 |
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