Side 1 stamped ST-A-69163-H AT/GP. GP is George Piros, Atlantic’s mastering engineer through the label’s best years — his cuts are sought after rather than incidental, so this is a desirable lacquer rather than an arbitrary pressing.
Her debut. Sits alongside the Aretha Spirit in the Dark as the second Atlantic soul original in the collection, two years earlier — and the two make a useful pair, since Piros cut for both.
Side two opens with “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Both are haunting, and I had never paid attention to them before.
I could hear her inhaling, the click of her tongue, the gentle drums and the sparse bass, all separated and clear. I wonder whether it would have sounded as good on the old system. I now know what opening means.