Kafunta in Bloomington, MN

Though it cannot hold a candle to its predecessor,
P.P. Arnold
's second and final
Immediate
album is nevertheless a dramatic offering, its greatest flaws lying more in the conflict between singer and label than in either performance or production. Recorded with
head
Andrew Loog Oldham
at the controls,
Kafunta
is riven by his dream of establishing
Arnold
in the same mass entertainment world as
Cilla Black
and
Lulu
, at the same time as
fights to retain her own
R&B
sensibilities. Occasionally the conflict works well -- the MOR heartbreaker
"Angel of the Morning"
is performed with such a depth of yearning purpose that no other version on earth will ever sound so majestic.
"As Tears Go By,"
too, is powerful,
Oldham
's third attempt at the song (after
Marianne Faithfull
the Rolling Stones
) drawing fresh conclusions from that loveliest of melodies, while Spartan accompaniment plays with the ghost of
"Lady Jane"
behind it.
"God Only Knows,"
driven by a near-martial accompaniment of trumpets and drums, is even more dramatic --
himself has never made any secret of his love for the song, and the attention lavished on this version sends it soaring up any poll of his greatest productions. Similarly, his reinventions of the songs that every singer of the age apparently tackled --
"Yesterday,"
"Eleanor Rigby,"
the Bee Gees
'
"To Love Somebody"
-- are wrapped in breathtaking sheen, with
"Yesterday"
even rivaling
Alma Cogan
's definitive rearrangement in terms of freshness and emotional punch. That
herself is often overwhelmed by the strength of the arrangements (carried out by longtime
conspirator
John Paul Jones
) is neither here nor there; played loud and booming,
has an impressiveness that doesn't simply defy criticism, it dismisses it out of hand. ~ Dave Thompson