Barbara Lynn - It's Better To Have It

This live performance of Barbara Lynn's 1964 single It's Better To Have It is from only a couple of years later, in February 1966, but it shows.

Barbara Lynn's vocal styling and the instrumental groove are pretty much as they were in '64, but the live version has added a soulful brass section in place of the poppier backing vocals of the single. The fresh influence of the Stax-Volt sound, by this time familiar on records by the likes of Otis Redding, is evident in this fine performance.

I don't know whether Barbara Lynn recorded the song again in this style, but she should have, because it fits the song like a glove, and a stylish glove at that.

Enjoy this clip while you can: last time around it was removed from YouTube, where it was coupled with a very cool version of Ray Charles's What'd I Say from the same TV soul show, THE!!!! BEAT, hosted by Nashville disc jockey Bill "Hoss" Allen (aka "Hossman"). See my earlier post.

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Further reading:
1. THE!!!! BEAT appearances listed at The Video Beat! (Vols. 1 & 2: links to further volumes).
2. THE!!!! BEAT at Wikipedia.
3. Bill "Hoss" Allen at Wikipedia.
4. Mick Patrick's definitive account of Barbara Lynn at Cha Cha Charming.
5. Red Kelly's post on Barbara Lynn at The B Side.