Shake/ A Change Is Gonna Come

This classic single shows both sides of Sam Cooke's genius: A joyous party dancer on the A side, and a soaring, gospel-inspired soul number on the flip. Like many such things, "A Change Is Gonna Come," recorded shortly before his tragic death in November 1964, sounds like he knew what was about to come. By the way, it's the B side ("A Change") that ranks at #32 in Dave Marsh's list of the 1,001 greatest singles ever made. Not that the A side is a loser... it shows up at #355. A doubly great single! Incidentally, this single has an edited version of the 3:11 original cut from Cooke's "Ain't That Good News" album. I don't know the back story, but basically, the single is missing a verse advising against going downtown and "hanging around," an obvious reference to the race segregation and discrimination that existed in 1963 when Cooke wrote and recorded this classic. The edited version was subsequently added to Cooke's followup "Shake" album. Note: This copy comes in a vintage RCA Victor Records factory sleeve. The A label grades a strong EX, with just a couple of stray marks not easily seen against the black background; the B label is Near Mint, with hardly any ringwear at all. The vinyl looks a strong EX — basically Mint-ish looking with a few stray scuffs that you hope won't affect the audio. On the A side, that promise is fulfilled, and you have very radio/nightclub-playable Near Mint audio for "Shake;" unfortunately, the soft passages on "A Change.." are less forgiving, though the audio is still very beautiful and moving, grading a strong EX, reflecting occasional light surface noise that's noticeable, but not masking the basically powerful, Near Mint audio that wants to dominate: You still feel the thrill of the climax, musically and lyrically, toward the end of the recording.