The first of two albums that former
Ikette P.P. Arnold recorded for
Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, and titled -- of course -- for her role within that organization,
The First Lady of Immediate not only represents one of the most phenomenal voices of the age, but also stands as testament to the creative melting pot that was the label's credo. Recorded over the course of a full year,
The First Lady of Immediate draws from a succession of sessions, dating back to
Arnold's first dates with
Oldham himself ("Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "Life Is but Nothin'," her first single for the label). Next up, chronologically speaking, come recordings overseen by
Mick Jagger ("Though It Hurts Me Badly" and "Treat Me Like a Lady") and
the Small Faces ("[If You Think You're] Groovy"), before a lavishly orchestrated "First Cut Is the Deepest" spins out of a fruitful partnership with producer
Mike Hurst and provides the album with what remains its best-known track. Despite such jumbled origins, the album holds together well. "Groovy," in particular, is a no-nonsense R&B pressure cooker, leaving one to wonder why
the Small Faces (who provide instrumental duties on the track) never got around to releasing a version of their own.
Spector/Mann/Weill's "Born to Be Together," meanwhile, is an absolute
Oldham classic, bedecking
Arnold's soulful voice with a full-blooded production that leaves the original sounding like a jellyfish. Unfortunately, the distribution problems that marred so many of Immediate's greatest releases raised their head once again. Not one of
Arnold's singles made more than a mere murmur on the chart of the day, a fate that, in turn, reduced the album to little more than a discographical afterthought. Similarly, the mercenary repackaging that has since so blighted Immediate's memory skips so blithely over
Arnold's long-players that many fans aren't even aware they exist. They do, and you should hear them immediately.