Resuming our discussion about Neville cover songs, let’s move on now to the songs that Aaron has covered. As far as I can ascertain, only one of the songs that Aaron recorded prior to 1969 had been recorded previously by another artist. Most of the songs recorded during the 1960s were composed by others, which technically makes Aaron’s recordings “covers,” but (as has always been our focus) we are more interested in examining songs where Aaron was not the first to RECORD a particular song!

In 1960, four tracks by Aaron were issued as singles on the Minit Records label:

“Over You” (Minit 612) https://youtu.be/_Ln1Q0gz6aQ was written by Allen Toussaint [using the pseudonym Naomi Neville, as he did on all of Aaron’s Minit tracks] and Allen Orange

“Every Day” (Minit 612) was written by Aaron

“Get Out Of My Life” (Minit 618) https://youtu.be/3sX1tklhP64 was written by Toussaint

“Show Me The Way” (Minit 618) was co-written by Al Braggs (and an uncertain second individual.) BMI’s catalog shows that Aaron is the song’s composer, which has made me realize that BMI’s information is not 100% reliable.

Al Braggs was a member of The Five Notes (along with Jesse Floyd, Billie Fred Thomas and brothers Cal and Robert Lee Valentine. The quintet recorded and released its recording of “Show Me The Way” back in 1955. (You can find more information about The Five Notes here: http://doo-wop.blogg.org/five-notes-2-c26505094)

As you can see from the record labels pictured, the second composer was listed as “Dunaway” on the original 45 and as “P. Lack” on Aaron’s single.)

Here is The Five Notes’ version: https://youtu.be/vMqhWa5Fm-U

Here’s Aaron’s recording: https://youtu.be/UrMxtm-5Gp0

In 1961, four more sides were released on Minit:

“Don’t Cry” (Minit 624) https://youtu.be/41IxGS9KTLE was written by Allen Orange

“Reality” (sometimes called “Even Though”) (Minit 624) https://youtu.be/MyJhd7tkTLo

“Let’s Live” (Minit 631) https://youtu.be/mEmuhaxCiUA and

“I Found Another Love” (Minit 631) https://youtu.be/xCia3Q6rvJ4 were all penned by Allen Toussaint [still using the Naomi Neville pseudonym]

I have never found versions of any of these songs, recorded prior to Aaron’s recordings!

Minit released four more recordings by Aaron in 1962. I can find no indication that any of the first three had been recorded previously. (I’m still uncertain about the fourth song.)

“I’m Waitin’ At The Station” (Minit 639) https://youtu.be/frRHtAXXsPk and

“How Many Times” (Minit 639) https://youtu.be/KwcOgjnfWPU were composed by Naomi Neville [aka Allen Toussaint.]

BMI says that “Sweet Little Mama” (Minit 650) https://youtu.be/O2sCfmoDb9c was written by Toussaint, The record label on the original 45 credits the track to “A. Neville.” (I can’t say which is correct, but I’m starting to SERIOUSLY question BMI as a trustworthy source of copyright information.)

“Humdinger” (Minit 650) https://youtu.be/UXJMdDa0z_k is credited to “A. Neville” on the record label and to Aaron in BMI’s database. I posted about “Humdinger” a short time ago and now that I have seen for myself that the BMI site is REALLY unreliable, I have even more doubts about what I “know” about this track. Can anyone out there confirm that it was Aaron who wrote this song and not Art? (I have encountered sources, which indicate that Art was the composer… Of course, the “A. Neville” writer’s credit on the 45 label is of no help either.) Either way, Aaron’s recording of the song was released before Art’s version was, but I’m not sure who recorded it first. Read my previous post about this song here: https://www.facebook.com/…/a.10284…/2406714269406064/

Bringing us up to 1963… Again, four sides by Aaron were released this year! Two were on Minit and the other two were on another of Joe Banashak’s record labels. Banashak, a very important player in New Orleans’s record industry in the ‘60s, was a founder of both Minit and Instant Records (labels which would release several of Art and Aaron’s earliest recordings) as well as the Bandy label and Airecords (among others.) As Banashak was also a key player in A-1 Distributors, it is likely that Airecords is actually A1Records!

“Wrong Number (I Am Sorry, Goodbye)” (Minit 657) https://youtu.be/kjHlM9OqrzM and

“How Could I Help But Love You” (Minit 657) https://youtu.be/w3UVI8B67wg were both composed by Naomi Neville [Allen Toussaint].

“For Every Boy There’s A Girl” (A1records 333) https://youtu.be/0uDx_6nqAj0 was written by Poppa Funk.

“I’ve Done It Again (Once Again)” (A1records 333) https://youtu.be/_wJZeuyPsnI was another Naomi Neville composition.

The latter two songs would be re-released a bit later on the Instant label with some additional editing and overdubs.

Toussaint’s Naomi Neville pseudonym has nothing to do with the Neville family whose music is studied on this site. Naomi Neville was Toussaint’s mother’s maiden name. She was NOT related to OUR Nevilles!

Two more songs were recorded by Aaron for Minit records…

“Hey Little Alice” https://youtu.be/FZaU5H9BuHg was written by Aaron and was recorded in May of 1961. This track was first released in the mid-70s on “The Best Of Art And Aaron Neville” compilation (Bandy Records ‎ LP-70013)

“The Ticks Of The Clock” https://youtu.be/QwEwPgHvEOk was written by Allen Toussaint. It was recorded in June of 1961 and first appeared in 1989 on a European collection of Aaron’s Minit recordings (on vinyl and CD.)

BRINGING US UP TO 1966: All of Aaron’s Minit Records singles had been recorded in 1960 and 1961. By 1963, Minit Records was starting to falter. The real creative genius behind the label’s releases (Allen Toussaint) had been drafted into the military. [From the liner notes to “The Minit Records Story” 2-cd set…] “Imperial Records, which distributed Minit, was sold to Liberty Records by its owner, Lew Chudd. Without a producer and without a distributor, Banashak filed for bankruptcy. Minit Records was sold to Liberty as well.”

Around the same time, multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger George Davis was forming his own production company with saxophonist Alvin “Red” Tyler and Warren Parker. [From the All Music Guide….] “Davis’ childhood friend Aaron Neville was their first signee. Songwriting partner Lee Diamond gave Davis a song idea, basically a title, for him to work on. The idea developed into ‘Tell It Like It Is,’ recorded by Neville. Davis shopped the song to record labels in New Orleans and New York, but it was rejected, which prompted Davis and his partners to start the Par-Lo label.”

As a side note, Davis was involved with a much earlier Neville recording. He was one of the sax players on the Hawketts’ “Mardi Gras Mambo.” For more info about Davis, check out these sources:

https://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/…/goodbye-george…

https://www.allmusic.com/…/george-davis…/biography

http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/George%20Davis.html

(Available only with OffBeat digital subscription…. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/george-davis-1938-2008/)

“Tell It Like It Is” (Parlo 101) https://youtu.be/RgoscpHvtQY

“Why Worry” (Parlo 101) https://youtu.be/mOuTXzKQu1M

1967, found the Instant Records label, dusting off one of Aaron’s earlier singles (the one released on A1Records) and re-releasing it with altered versions of the two songs. In this Neville fan’s opinion, the added instrumentation on these two tracks does not improve the songs in any way. They were both just fine the way they were!

“For Every Boy There’s A Girl” https://youtu.be/8r8MoWe8OQk

“I’ve Done It Again (Once Again)” https://youtu.be/TYDJlBEqdjc

1967 also saw two more singles on the Par-Lo label.

Par-Lo 103 includes the songs:

“She Took You For A Ride” https://youtu.be/xoC-2qhzdjY (George Davis, Lee Diamond)

and “Space Man” https://youtu.be/rXN0gfBbVg4 (Fred Caliste). Despite having been written by an “outsider,” I can’t find any previous recording of this track, so Aaron’s recording seems to be the first. (Sadly, I couldn’t find any info about Mr Caliste other than his obituary. https://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx… )

Par-Lo 105 features:

“Those Three Words” https://youtu.be/SvR5tllxM2c (George Davis, with lyrics by Cyril Neville)

and

“A Hard Nut To Crack” https://youtu.be/Xye_4k4Wsxc (George Davis, Lee Diamond)

There was a Par-Lo 104 single but it appears to have been scrapped and replaced with 105 after some promo copies were pressed. That disc featured “You Think You’re So Smart” and “A Hard Nut To Crack.” The b-side would be included on 105 but the a-side was replaced by “Those Three Words.” When the “Tell It Like It Is” LP was compiled later that year, “You Think You’re So Smart” was included but “Those Three Words” was not.

Par-Lo 102 was a single featuring performances by George Davis and Red Tyler.

Par-Lo 102… “Bet You’re Surprised” and “Hold On, Help Is On The Way” (both composed by Red Tyler, George Davis, and Warren Parker)… No Nevilles were involved with these two tracks, but they were still included on the “Tell It Like It Is” LP. According to the original album liner notes: “The versatility of the brilliant, young George Davis was such a determining factor in the production of this package that we have allowed him to showcase some of his talents on two of the enclosed tracks. The second voice you hear is that of ‘Red’ Tyler, the formidable ‘old man’ of the establishment. We are certain that you will enjoy these instrumentals as much as the Aaron Neville vocals.”

In the Nevilles’ collective autobiography “The Brothers,” Cyril said that, “When “Tell” hit, George Davis started working on a follow-up. I had some lyrics that he encouraged me to complete. ‘Go on, little brother,’ he urged. That felt great. I was honored to be collaborating with the great George Davis. We put together three songs, Aaron sang them all, but when the album came out, they stripped off the vocals and left them as instrumentals. There went my writing credits.”

Clearly, one of these collaborations was the non-LP track, “Those Three Words.” https://youtu.be/SvR5tllxM2c

Compare that song to “Bet You’re Surprised” and you’ll find that the two songs are one and the same (except that “Bet You’re Surprised” is lacking Cyril’s lyrics as sung by Aaron.)

“Bet You’re Surprised” https://youtu.be/xqqe40KZhWw

“Hold On, Help Is On The Way” https://youtu.be/sngb8sztAjE

More info about this single can be found here:

https://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/…/goodbye-george…

All of these singles on Par-Lo led to the release of the “Tell It Like It Is” LP later in 1967. The album was made up of five of the six single sides by Aaron that had been released up till that point, one side of the quickly deleted Par-Lo 104 single, the two instrumental tracks by George Davis and three previously-unavailable tracks.

The only single track NOT included on the LP was “Those Three Words” (although the 1988 CD reissue of the album by Ace Records in the UK added this song as a bonus track. Sadly, the master tapes for that song were lost at that time, so the track was lifted from somewhat noisy vinyl.) Varese Sarabande reissued the album on vinyl in 2016 and also included the song as a bonus track (along with the stereo version of the title track.) I don’t know if the master tape of “Those Three Words” had been found or if this release also used a needle-drop as a source for this track.

“TELL IT LIKE IT IS” (LP) (Par-Lo 1)

“Tell It Like It Is” (Par-Lo 101) https://youtu.be/RgoscpHvtQY

“Why Worry” (Par-Lo 101) https://youtu.be/mOuTXzKQu1M

“She Took You For A Ride” (Par-Lo 103) https://youtu.be/xoC-2qhzdjY

“A Hard Nut To Crack” (Par-Lo 104* & 105) https://youtu.be/Xye_4k4Wsxc

“You Think You’re So Smart” (Par-Lo 104*) https://youtu.be/N9IWsAYZhc0

“Jailhouse” https://youtu.be/Ta_FZbmH7Ds

“Bet You’re Surprised” (Par-Lo 102) https://youtu.be/xqqe40KZhWw

“Love, Love, Love” https://youtu.be/vjn1Ltr-MJU

“Since You’re Gone” https://youtu.be/uyGdZXvy-WY

“Space Man” (Par-Lo 103) https://youtu.be/rXN0gfBbVg4

“Hold On, Help Is On The Way” (Par-Lo 102) https://youtu.be/sngb8sztAjE

There is some disagreement re the release date of this single. Some sources say late 1967, others say 1968. I could swear that I once read something about the Safari Records label, but I can’t remember where. The only single released on the label was this one.

“Forever More” https://youtu.be/nSU3JbmJawQ was written by George Davis, which explains why this 45 sounds a great deal like the Par-Lo recordings.

“Ape Man” https://youtu.be/p5hdhGoA_s0 was written by Warren Jones and Thaddeus Foley (credited as Thanddens Fuley on the record’s label.) I have been unable to find any biographical information about Foley and the info I located about Jones was limited to what was published in his obituaries

http://www.offbeat.com/art…/obituary-warren-b-porgy-jones/

https://www.nola.com/…/article_ed2ee1b2-2965-5a67-956a…

As we mentioned before, Minit Records started on a rapid downhill slide after Allen Toussaint began military service in 1963. When Toussaint was discharged in 1965, he severed ties with Minit founder Joe Banashak and formed Sansu Enterprises in partnership with Marshall Sehorn. By 1973, their productions were doing well enough to enable them to build a state-of-the-art recording facility of their own, Sea-Saint!

After the Par-Lo debacle, Aaron again joined forces with Toussaint in the late 60s. Between the late 60s and late 70s, Aaron’s recordings were leased to larger record labels such as Bell, Mercury, Island and Polydor.

In 1969, three singles were released by Bell Records (which later became Arista Records.)

Bell 746 features:

“You Can Give But You Can’t Take” https://youtu.be/dCnopVY9TcQ

and

“Where Is My Baby” https://youtu.be/xgh3KQdcwEc

Be aware that most releases of the latter track are missing the strings that can be heard on the original single version! (The true single version can be found on the “Treacherous: A History Of The Neville Brothers” compilation!)

Bell 781 features

“Speak To Me” https://youtu.be/aWcFOG1KEMQ

and

“You Don’t Love Me Anymore” https://youtu.be/dqNyQQYwTcM

Both of these songs (plus the two earlier tracks released on Bell) were written by Toussaint and (as far as I can tell) Aaron was the first to record them!

Aaron’s final 1969 release was Bell 834 and featured the Leo Nocentelli composition, “She’s On My Mind” https://youtu.be/3Gsrp697K4o (which had never been recorded before as far as I can tell) and the Allen Toussaint-penned “All These Things” https://youtu.be/BhNtP1S9eNo which had been made famous by big brother Art back in 1962.

Here’s Art’s original recording so the two versions can be compared easily: https://youtu.be/V9ANJTKT_Ks

1972 saw a move to Mercury Records. The first single out of the gate (Mercury 73310) paired two cover songs. “Baby I’m A Want You” https://youtu.be/WrnXPBO5faQ written by David Gates and first recorded by Gates’s band, Bread in October of 1971 https://youtu.be/XJQe–G4OXs

On the flip side was a recording of the Neville Brothers staple, “Mojo Hannah” https://youtu.be/4bJlNZ3IjXc * (which was written by Clarence Paul and Andre Williams.) There have been several well-known recordings of this song made over the years (by Marvin Gaye, Little Esther Phillips, The Neville Brothers, and Tammi Lynn among others), but the first version was released by Henry Lumpkin in March of 1962 on Motown Records https://youtu.be/D_ZXKxizbTk

* Note that Aaron’s recording of “Mojo Hannah” linked above is NOT the true single version. Unfortunately, I can’t find the correct version online. (The single is about a half minute shorter than the one linked above and features horn parts not found on this one.) The version on Hip-O Records’s “Aaron Neville ‎– Ultimate Collection” from 2001 is the actual single version.

The Toussaint composition “Hercules” was first released by brother Aaron in August of 1973 on Mercury Records (Mercury 73387.) I always assumed that the song was a “hit” back in its day; surprisingly, the track saw no chart action at all. It has been covered several times since then and sampled on at least 35 Hip-Hop and/or Rap songs.

That song’s flip-side is a beautiful reading of “Going Home” a song that Aaron would re-record later in his career for the “Believe” LP in 2003. It was written by William Arms Fisher and copyrighted December 7, 1922. It would actually be more precise to say that the song was ADAPTED by Fisher as its melody was taken from ‘The Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”, Op. 95, B. 178’ (popularly known as the New World Symphony) by Antonin Dvorak (which was published in December 1893.)

I have no idea when the first recording of Dvorak’s symphony was made but the first recording of “Going Home” is believed to be the one by Reinald Werrenrath from May 1923 https://youtu.be/kxxW0k2cQUg

If you’re interested in hearing the portion of the New World Symphony from which the song was derived, skip to about 50 seconds into this performance to hear the familiar melody… https://youtu.be/qKQ1hiP96-M

1976 brought Aaron’s first and only release on Island Records (Island 6332): a remake of “Tell It Like It Is” https://youtu.be/iVuAPzm28gk with the Frank Hogan composition, “Been So Wrong” https://youtu.be/BK8qFM6y2fg on the flip side. (This 45 was released only in Europe; it was not released in the USA.)

The remake of “Tell It Like It Is” is noticeably different from the original. The original runs about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The remake runs a bit over 3 minutes. The piano arpeggio at the very beginning is much slower in the original version. In the original version, the guitar plays a very simple rhythm, accenting beats two and four while the guitar in the remake plays a significantly more rhythmic figure throughout the song. Despite the very obvious differences between the two, the remake is still passed off as the original version quite often!

I haven’t been able to find an earlier recording of “Been So Wrong.” Nor have I been able to find any information about its composer. Someone named Frank Hogan sang backup on one of Lee Dorsey’s LPs. Perhaps these two Frank Hogans are one and the same?

NOTE: The composer credits on the original 45 labels erroneously indicate that Aaron composed both songs.

The final Sansu Enterprises single release paired Joe South’s “The Greatest Love” with Allen Toussaint’s “Performance” and was released in 1977 on the Polydor Records label (Polydor 144426.) This happens to be one of my all-time favorite Aaron 45s. Two awesome tracks which Rhino Records saw fit to include on its “Treacherous – A History of the Neville Brothers” compilation. Both tracks can be heard here: https://youtu.be/IHZMcOrAYNg

Even though Joe South DID record his own composition, it was actually recorded and released by Billy Joe Royal first (in November 1967.) https://youtu.be/7DrA3hY40EU

Toussaint often wrote songs with a specific singer in mind and I always assumed (incorrectly) that “Performance” was written specifically for Aaron. In actuality, the first release was by Joe Cocker on his “I Can Stand A Little Rain” album from 1974! https://youtu.be/QMDRWu05o2o

SANSU TRACKS WHICH REMAINED IN THE VAULTS…. Between 1969-77, Aaron recorded another 16+ songs, all of which remained unreleased (until the 1980s and 90s, when record companies started digging through their vaults looking for lost gems.) Some of these songs appear to be the first (or only) time the songs were recorded, while others are obviously covers. In some instances, recordings of the same songs exist but (because we don’t have actual recording dates for these songs, it’s not always easy to determine if Aaron’s recording was made first or if it was a cover.

Let’s start with the songs that appear to have been recorded exclusively by Aaron. (If you know of other recordings of these songs, please let me know!)

“Make Me Strong” (Toussaint) https://youtu.be/QcA9PKrEg_Q

“My Greatest Gift” (Toussaint) https://youtu.be/kI2LpP92T2Q

“Nadie” (Toussaint) https://youtu.be/-HqMX-NnMlM

“Have Faith” (?) https://youtu.be/3R3qrpUM93E

1969-77… Among the many unissued tracks, recorded by Aaron during his years at Sansu was a cover of “Waiting For A Bus” https://youtu.be/kGz6u0w2uYw, which was written (and first recorded) by Warren Lee Taylor (who recorded using his full name and also as Warren Lee.) Here is the 1966 Warren Lee recording of “Waiting For A Bus (To Go Home)” https://youtu.be/PY_4NmCacqQ

1969-77… Another unissued song from the Sansu era was a cover of Carole King & Gerry Goffin’s “One Fine Day” (which was made famous by the Chiffons by way of their May 1963 recording https://youtu.be/X_OakLg_sPw – the first recording of the song!) Aaron’s version is very different from the original, being performed as a ballad, rather than a rock ‘n’ roll tune! (Here’s Aaron’s recording: https://youtu.be/lxCm1c2Kpy0

The 1945 motion picture “Love Letters” was nominated for four Academy Awards, including one for its musical score. That movie’s theme song (also titled “Love Letters”) was written by Victor Young and Edward Heyman and was performed by Dick Haymes for the film’s soundtrack https://youtu.be/oehv8TjbXHQ. The song has been covered hundreds of times since 1945 by such artists as: Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Sammy Davis, The Marvelettes, Ike & Tima Turner, Elvis Presley, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt & Elton John, Aretha Franklin and dozens more. Aaron’s Sansu-era recording of the song remained unissued until the 1990s. https://youtu.be/kzxIkHKCbLg

Another song that has been covered a lot (nearly 500 times as a matter of fact) is the Arthur Hamilton composition, “Cry Me a River.” Aaron recorded the song for his “Nature Boy: The Standards Album” (2003) but had also recorded it some time between the late 60s and mid-70s. Here that early version here: https://youtu.be/-xU7lCr2x8k

The first recording of the song (and which is considered by many to be the definitive version) was recorded by Julie London (released in October of 1955) https://youtu.be/7fdynmsMomw

Another track that Aaron recorded twice (during the Sansu era and later for the “Tattooed Heart” LP)… Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times.” The “Tattooed Heart” recording was performed as a slow ballad, very much like the earliest recordings of the song; the Sansu version was more upbeat sounding! https://youtu.be/bgzdJLCJ15Q

“For the Good Times” has been recorded hundreds of times over the years, the first released recording was by Bill Nash in 1968 https://youtu.be/sHDCwc8bwFw

One of my favorite tracks from this 69-77 era, “Struttin’ on Sunday” was written by Larry John McNally and Andrew Kastner. McNally recorded the song, but I’m unsure exactly when he made his recording, so his version might have been before Aaron’s recording or afterward. It might even be a demo recording. I get the impression that McNally’s version remained unissued till more recent years as well. You can hear his recording here: https://youtu.be/6n-S1zJxXPg

And here is Aaron’s version of the song: https://youtu.be/G-RsGS516dI

As an aside, Aaron would go on to record another song, written by McNally and Kastner (along with Max Carl)… “Somewhere Somebody” (on the “Warm Your Heart” LP.)

Aaron recorded the song “Wildflower” during these sessions. https://youtu.be/9t-hR1QHzTU We discussed the original recording a couple months back when we were looking at cover songs performed by the Brothers. See that discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/…/a.10284…/2318227734921385/…

WHOA WHOA WHOA….

“Feelings” https://youtu.be/Ns7LlD4nPg4 (by Brazilian singer, Morris Albert) (1974) reached number 6 in the US Billboard Top 100 and number 2 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (1975/76.) Despite this chart success, Rolling Stone magazine’s readers voted it number 9 in their list of the ten WORST songs of the 1970s! It has always been a “love it or hate it” kind of song. And one of Aaron’s unissued Sansu tracks was a recording of that song: https://youtu.be/ohPsEOBRC7Q

While Morris Albert was (initially) credited with having written the song, he had actually stolen the melody from a French song (“Pour Toi”) written by Louis Gasté, (with lyrics by Marie-Hélène Bourquin and Albert Simonin.) After some legal action, the song is now credited to Albert/Gasté.

“Pour Toi” was featured in the motion picture, “Le feu aux poudres” and was first recorded by Line Renaud in 1956. https://youtu.be/Rh0Q1CX9tkY

Aaron also recorded “Honey” https://youtu.be/8VdY-iaQWg0 during this era. The song was written by Bobby Russell and [most famously] recorded by Bobby Goldsboro (in February 1968)… Goldsboro’s recording was a massive hit, which sold a million copies in the first three weeks. It spent five weeks at No. 1 the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, and three weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. It also topped Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary chart. And, as was proved by “Feelings,” being a hit doesn’t mean that a song will endure over time. Rolling Stone magazine readers ranked it as the second-worst song of the 1960s.

While Goldsboro’s version is by far the best known, it was actually not the first. Bob Shane (one of the founding members of the Kingston Trio) released his recording earlier the same month. https://youtu.be/44uuDiRORbY

(Unfortunately, Aaron’s recording sounds very rough and far from finished. It’s still interesting to hear!)