Give Me Your Love..

The Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love (Original Version) (1973, Motown)
The Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love (Danny Krivit Re-edit)

The Sisters Love - The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall) (1970, A&M) | LINK TWO

The people at Soul Jazz Records have done it again. After having their Tom Moulton Mix compilation on my changer constantly for several months, they release this collection compiling many of the singles released by The Sisters Love (mostly on A&M and Motown from 1968-1973). So far, this is the first time any of their material has been assembled together in one place, let alone on CD.. After hearing about them on various forums, but never actually hearing them, I decided to take a chance and buy this thing. So far, the featured track "Give Me Your Love" from 1973 has become one of my absolute favourite proto-disco tracks ever.. The intro with that rolling drum lick, the sly driving beat, that breakdown complete with simmering bassline give it all the elements of a sweet, funky early disco classic.. A reworking of the Curtis Mayfield track, the Sisters' version was, ironically enough, released as the B-side to a song called "I Can Never Make A Better Man Than You." Neither track would get much attention until some years later when the B-side was rediscovered, as legend goes, by Danny Krivit. Krivit would make an extended 8 minute re-edit of the track in the early '80s; that re-edit becoming something of an exclusive and favourite among some of New York's biggest disco DJs. Unfortunately, the Soul Jazz Compilation doesn't include Krivit's re-edit, nevertheless it's still available elsewhere on his own compilation, "Edits by Mr. K" (2003, Strut).

To clarify, the Sisters Love weren't actually sisters themselves, but were a group originally comprised of several former Raelettes, including Merry Clayton. After an unfulfilling period on A&M as their only black act, they would make the move to Motown.. It seems their fortunes weren't much better at Motown, as they would end up being one of those many Motown acts that remained largely under the radar, but almost legendary among soul afficionados.. During their active years they put out a string of singles, as well as many unreleased songs at Motown. Despite working with some of Motown's best talent of the time (namely Willie Hutch and Gloria Jones), they would never actually get an album release, and in classic girl-group style, they would also go through several line-up changes during their time. Given that they were largely absent from the charts, it's a bit hard to keep track of all the changes, but according to the liner notes of the compilation, the lineup during their Motown period comprised of Lillie Fort, Gwendolyn Berry, Jeannie Long and former Ikette Vermettya Royster (AKA Vermetta Royster) as their lead singer.. Ms. Royster was, in my estimation, probably one of the more unique female vocalists at Motown during this time.. To really hear Vermettya in full-effect, take a listen to "The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall)." No, not disco, and actually one of their A&M singles, it's nonetheless a stirring, soulful single with Vermettya sounding something like Betty Davis on the verge of a breakdown. What can I say? I have a weakness for the soul shouters..

LINKS:
THE SISTERS LOVE @ DISCOGS
SOULFUL DETROIT FORUM ARCHIVES: THE SISTERS LOVE
PANPOT.CA - THE SISTERS LOVE - GIVE ME YOUR LOVE (CD REVIEW)
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: THE SISTERS LOVE - GIVE ME YOUR LOVE (CD REVIEW) (OCTOBER 16, 2006)

PURCHASE:
THE SISTERS LOVE - GIVE ME YOUR LOVE CD @ CDUNIVERSE
THE SISTERS LOVE - GIVE ME YOUR LOVE CD @ AMAZON.COM
THE SISTERS LOVE - GIVE ME YOUR LOVE CD @ AMAZON.CO.UK
DANNY KRIVIT - EDITS BY MR. K CD @ AMAZON.COM (INCLUDES RE-EDIT OF "GIVE ME YOUR LOVE")

CATEGORIES: MINI DELIVERIES