Ann Sexton + Clarence Reid: Flipping the Record posted by O.W.

Ann Sexton: You're Losing Me
From 7" (B-side of "(Seventy Seven, 1973). Also on Anthology.

Clarence Reid: Down the Road of Love
From 7" (B-side of "Masterpiece") (Alston, 1972?)

I was idly looking through my 45s, including a few songs that ended up on Soul Sides Vol. 1 and realized: "hey, did I ever bother to listen to what's on the B-side? Much to my embarrassment, I realized I probably needle-dropped on the flips quickly and then promptly forgot about them. Oops, my bad.

The flipside of Sexton's slow burning "You're Gonna Miss Me" is a more uptempo funk track though I've I find it amusing how similar the two titles are...though they should be flipped: "You're Losing Me" should have been the A (the warning), followed by "You're Gonna Miss Me" (the outcome). I still prefer "You're Gonna Miss Me" but all things said, this is one of the rare 7"s where both sides cook.

More intriguing to me was discovering the b-side of Reid's "Masterpiece." "Down the Road of Love" is better associated with Betty Wright (though Reid helped pen it) and as far as I can tell, Reid's take on his own song only appears on this 7". Dare I say: I find it superior to Wright's better-known version; not only does Reid bring a rich, vocal quality to the song but the overall arrangement is stronger here. It's a powerful ballad and especially considering Reid's alter ego as the X-rated Blowfly, this felt wholly heartfelt and poignant as a performance.