I have noticed that the version of Bobby Bland's terrific, "I ain't myself any more" that appears on the 1980s Kent LP, "The Soulful Side of Bobby Bland" is significantly different to the 7" on Duke.

The LP version is tougher, sparser, different and, I think, better.

There's no acknowledgement that it is a different take on the sleevenotes. Was its inclusion deliberate or a happy accident?

Anyone know what I am going on about? Or care...?

I think this is quite a common theme with a few of the early Kent albums. Off the top of my head Garland Green's "Ain't That Good Enough", Maxine Brown's "Let Me Give You My Loving" and others (possibly Johnny Maestro on Scepter) are all quite different from the released 45s.

When requesting tapes from often long defunct record companies I'm guessing it was often pot luck as to which version turned up. Written records of recording sessions and notes in the archives may have been incomplete or missing entirely.

Remember that these were all in the relatively early days of creating exhaustive re-issues of vintage soul music. Just getting anything re-issued from mater tape would have been a thrill and it would have been a bit further down the line that the idea of specifically looking for alternative versions (and indeed completely unfamiliar material) gained currency.

All of the Bobby Bland, GG and MB versions mentioned happen to be brilliant so in these cases it was a happy accident.

Maybe Ady will let us know about a few horror stories where this was not always the case.

Hi, I first heard the track you mentioned during the 80's from that superb Kent Album. "I ain't myself anymore' was one of the stand outs for me, along with the incredible "Dear Bobby". A few years leter I managed to get a copy of 'IAMA' on a duke demo. On playing the record it sounded as though the bass was too prominent and rather spongy.

I may be wrong as I don't have the Kent Lp to hand to compare, but I was sure they are both the same take, with the Kent version being a better mix of the 45 release? Then again, maybe the demo's were a poor mix which was later corrected on the issue? I agree with GarethX regarding the availability of the original master tapes when reissuing stuff but I think this makes record collecting more enjoyable. The Johnny Meastro track is a great example of this as it always sounded better at a venue when played from the original 45' with the falsetto break in the middle, which is missing from the reissue/CD cut. The reverse is true for 'let me give you my lovin' - although I prefer my copy on wand the (unreleased?) version via kent is every bit as good.

Take care,

Dave