George HaffendenYou’d be forgiven for thinking that we here at TFSR are either oblivious to the obvious or have lost it on reading the song title of our latest ‘Rare Cut’ feature. The O’Jays of course had a massive worldwide hit with a song entitled ‘Used To Be My Girl’ of the So Full of Love album released in 1978. That, of course, would not qualify it as a rare cut.
Fear not reader, for we have found an absolutely delightful ‘60s O’Jays track that deserves attention, and quite frankly a lot of love. Details about the song ‘Be My Girl’ are a little hard to come by: the song seems to feature the first configuration of the group, back when they were Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bill Isles, and Bobby Massey; it was released on Bell Records, just before the group became a trio (with Massey and Isles leaving) and joined Philadelphia International Records; and that it was written by Levert and Williams, and produced by George Kerr. The song was also the B-Side to ‘I Dig Your Act’.
The song is, thankfully, available to purchase on iTunes here and available to stream on Spotify below, being featured on the compilation album Masters of Soul: George Kerr – Singles & Rarities, Vol 1. Kerr was himself a recording artist, but as this compilation proves, he was an astute and talented producer (we also recommend checking out the singles he recorded with former Supreme Florence Ballard, also on the compilation).
This early recording from the O’Jay’s is stunning: it’s like The O’Jays meet The Temptations meet The Impressions. The harmonies are incredible, and Walter Williams’ lead vocal is sensational. The lyric is simple but catchy; a little romantic ditty written in a similar vein to the early Motown recordings. The production is equally stunning, complete with a simple string and tasty string arrangement. It is quite simply beautiful.
We’d love to know more about this song; if you have any information or know about the song, please get in contact with us using our contact form, or dropping us an email to haff@thefunkandsoulrevue.com