Stop And Think/ I

This is a new, unplayed promo copy from the Louise Neal 45 Collection, in its original Liberty factory sleeve. This is one of Dee's very first singles, when she started out with a string of fine but hard-to-find releases in a Northern Soul style. She even signed to Motown (Tamla) briefly in 1970. Oddly, none of these singles gained her much attention in her native U.K., at least as far as the Top 40 chart is concerned. Both sides of this single are mid-tempo Northern Soul numbers that build to satisfying intensity. I think "I" was the originally intended A side, but I refuse to believe that either Dee or her record company thought that a song called "I" could ever get any airplay. I mean, how would you request it if you didn't know who the singer was (the most likely scenario for a call-in radio request in those days)? "I'd like to hear I!" "Please play I!" "Play that song where the singer says 'I' a lot!" As Monty Python's John Cleese once said to the conniving merchant of his dead parrot, "It just don't work!"

U.S. rock fans probably remember Kiki Dee only from her chart-topper duet with Elton John from 1976, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." But she did do other stuff, too, including her great 1976 hit, "I've Got The Music In Me," which climbed to #12 in the States. :-) Note: This beautiful promo 45 has no notable flaws, grading Mint across the board (Labels, Vinyl (styrene), Audio).