The newly relaunched SoulMusic.com salutes this soulful classic with a limited edition 2CD/1LP set that features a remastered version of the original album on both vinyl and CD along with a disc of rare and unreleased recordings. Produced in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, the set will come packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book.
The set includes liner notes by SoulMusic.com founder David Nathan and an introduction by pianist-vocalist Les McCann, who was instrumental in getting Flack signed to Atlantic Records. He recalls the first time he saw Flack perform at a club in Washington D.C.: “What I heard touched me on a level that I have never heard since…When my time on this earth is over, in my heart, I want to carry Roberta’s voice back home so the Angels can hear.”
In February 1969, Flack recorded First Take quickly, reportedly only needing 10 hours to complete all eight songs. Among the album’s highlights are two songs co-written by Donny Hathaway (“Our Ages Or Our Hearts” and “Tryin’ Times.”) In coming years, she would record a series of hit duets with Hathaway, including “Where Is The Love” and “The Closer I Get To You.” The deluxe edition of First Take also features three bonus tracks: the b-side “Trade Winds,” as well the single edit versions of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Compared To What.”
The second disc opens with a live version of “All The Way,” a track that was originally released in 1968 on the Les McCann album, Les Is More. It’s followed by 12 unreleased demos that Flack recorded over two days in November 1968 with Joel Dorn, who would produce her first four solo albums. Among those is “Groove Me,” an original song that Flack wrote, but never released.
On the other demos, she covers a range of genres, including her take on traditional songs (“Frankie And Johnny”), blues standards (“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out”), folk (“The Song Is Love), pop (“To Sir With Love”) and R&B (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”)
01. Compared To What (2020 Remaster) (5:17)
02. Angelitos Negros (2020 Remaster) (6:57)
03. Our Ages Or Our Hearts (2020 Remaster) (6:11)
04. I Told Jesus (2020 Remaster) (6:10)
05. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye (2020 Remaster) (4:09)
06. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (2020 Remaster) (5:23)
07. Tryin' Times (2020 Remaster) (5:09)
08. Ballad of the Sad Young Men (2020 Remaster) (7:06)
09. Compared To What (Single Edit) (Single Edit; 2020 Remaster) (4:41)
10. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Single Edit) (2020 Remaster) (4:20)
11. Trade Winds (2020 Remaster) (5:43)
12. All the Way (Live; 2020 Remaster 44.1 kHz) (8:40)
13. This Could Be The Start Of Something (1:20)
14. Groove Me (4:19)
15. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (6:22)
16. Hush-A-Bye (5:32)
17. Afro Blue (9:13)
18. It's Way Past Suppertime (3:56)
19. Frankie and Johnny (7:15)
20. On the Street Where You Live (2:44)
21. The House Song (5:52)
22. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (3:25)
23. The Song Is Love (5:20)
24. To Sir With Love (8:25)
