This is the first LP by PP Arnold, quite rightly named The
First Lady of Immediate. Pat Arnold arrived in England as an Ikette with the
Ike & Tina Turner Revue as a support act for the
Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Ian Stewart persuaded her to
leave the Revue with the intention of setting up a solo career.
Through the Rolling Stones connections, she signed to Andrew Loog-Oldham's Immediate label. She then met up with artists who
would have a huge impact on her life. Immediate operated like a
family with everyone helping each other. This LP is a great
example of how it worked.
The LP contains the first four singles that Pat released as a solo artist as
well as three of the b-sides. These are all great tracks that show Pat's
powerful and soulful voice.
The single (If You Think You're) Groovy was written by Steve Marriott and
Ronnie Lane and saw her backed by Small Faces. This was an excellent debut and
one wonders why the East End Fab Four did not record it themselves.
First Cut is the Deepest is, arguably, Pat's best-known track. It was written
by Cat Stevens and, although there have been many cover versions including Rod
Stewart and Sheryl Crow, this must be the definitive version.
Billy Nicholls' Would You Believe could be viewed as one of the great
lost tracks of the 1960s and could even be better well-known today. Billy's own
version had various obvious backing from the Small Faces with Steve
Marriott's backing vocals almost eclipsing the lead! PP Arnold's version
certainly does great justice to the song.
Though it Hurts Me Badly was produced by Mick Jagger. In her live
shows Pat relates the story of the song and Mick Jagger's role. Read her
autobiography for more about this.
The whole LP is an excellent introduction to PP Arnold's amazing voice. She
can switch from rock to pop to bluesier tracks. The decision to go solo was
certainly the correct one. With another great LP Kafunta on the way PP Arnold
was destined for stardom. However, Immediate Records was not financially strong
and superb artists like PP Arnold did not get the career she deserved.
Nevertheless, this is her best album and an essential piece of late 1960s pop.
Immediate
Original release: 1968
Reissue: 10 May 2024 (Also available on CD)
Essential Tracks
- First Cut is the Deepest
- (If You Think You're) Groovy
- Speak To Me