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Silver Spoons And Coffee Cups 2:59 ░░ 02. It's Hard To Get Along 2:58 ░░ 03. In The Ghetto 2:46 ░░ 04. I Got A Whole Lot Of Lovin' 2:29 ░░ 05. Wounded Man 2:56 ░░ 06. Time And Space 2:45 ░░ 07. Straight Down To Heaven 3:47 ░░ 08. When 2:19 ░░ 09. After The Lights Go Down Low 2:31 ░░ 10. San Francisco Is A Lonely Town 3:20 ░░ 11. Rainbow Road 3:01 ░░ ░░ ░░ ╔═══════════════╗ ░░ ║ N O T E S ║░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░ ╚═══════════════╝▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ░░ ░░ His plaintive baritone equally conversant with R&B and country phrasing, ░░ Joe Simon married the two genres with startling success during the late ░░ 60's, adapting Nashville material to the soul sound and repeatedly coming ░░ up a winner. Simon began recording in the Bay Area, but a switch in ░░ recording sites (first to Muscle Shoals for Vee-Jay and then to Nashville ░░ after signing with disc jockey John Richbourg's Sound Stage 7 label in ░░ 1966) heightened his national appeal. ░░ ░░ With easy access to prime country-oriented material, Simon soon found his ░░ true calling, scoring major hits with "Nine Pound Steel," "(You Keep Me) ░░ Hangin' On," and the number one R&B smash "The Chokin' Kind," penned by ░░ Music Row tunesmith Harlan Howard. Still dabbling in country covers after ░░ switching to the Spring imprint in 1970, Simon was even more successful ░░ when assigned to Philadelphia wizards Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who ░░ produced the moody "Drowning in the Sea of Love" the next year. ░░ ░░ Simon tried his hand at disco in 1975 with the sizzling "Get Down, Get ░░ Down (Get on the Floor)" and "Music in My Bones," two of the most ░░ palatable artifacts of the era. Simon eventually retired from active ░░ performing to devote his life to the church; in the 1990s, he recorded a ░░ gospel album called This Story Must Be Told. Joe Simon died at his home ░░ in Illinois on December 13, 2021 at the age of 78. ░░ ░░ The hard-working Simon cut three albums in 1969 (admittedly, this was ░░ back in the day when a pop album rarely ran over 35 minutes, but that's ░░ still an impressive amount of material in the space of twelve months), ░░ and if Better Than Ever found Simon running a bit short on top-shelf ░░ material, as a vocalist he was still hitting his targets dead center. ░░ Unfortunately, Simon and his producers weren't able to scare up any ░░ Harlan Howard compositions for this set (which always showed off Simon's ░░ subtle but deeply affecting vocal style to his best advantage). ░░ ░░ The album's take on Mac Davis' "In the Ghetto" never quite gets into ░░ gear, but otherwise Simon's performances range from strong to stellar on ░░ this set, and the production shows a touch more polish than on Simon's ░░ earlier sessions which mirrors the strength of his voice without ░░ overpowering it. "Straight Down to Heaven," "Wounded Man," and " "Silver ░░ Spoons and Coffee Cups" are outstanding examples of Southern soul at its ░░ most beautifully sorrowful, "When" is a topical "peace and brotherhood" ░░ number which has worn better than most, and "Rainbow Road" (written by ░░ Dan Penn and Donnie Fritts) is a simply masterful example of Simon making ░░ the most of a thick slice of country soul (even if Arthur Alexander's ░░ later recording topped it). Not quite top-shelf Joe Simon, Better Than ░░ Ever is still good enough to please anyone who loves Southern soul at its ░░ best. ░░ ░░█ ░░███ ░█ ░░░░██ █▓█ ████░ ░░░░░██ y o o v e e y o o █████ █████ ░░░░░░██ g o t t h e ▒████░ ██▒▒██ ░░░░░░░█ ░ ██▓██ ▓█▒██ ░░░░░░░█ ███ ███ ███ ███ ███ ████ ▒▓███ ▒███ ░░░░░░░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ █░█ █░█ ░███████ ████░ ░███ ░░░░░░░█ ░███░███░█ █░███░███ █████████▒ █████ ██ ░░░░░░░█ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░░░█ ██████████████ █████ █ ░░░░░░██ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ ██████████████████ ████▓ ░░░░░██ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ ████████████████████▒ ░░░░██ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ ▓██████▒▒▒▒███████░ ░░░██ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ ▓█████▒███████████ ░░░█ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ █████▒▒░████████ ░░░█ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░█ ██▓██▒██▓███▒ ░░░█ ░█ ░█ █░█ █░█ ░░░█ ██████████ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ░░░█ ░█ ░█ █░███░█ ░███ ▒███████ /─────────────────────────\ ░░░██ ███ ░| learned from vets |░ ░░░░██ ████ ░| and they |░ ░░░░░██ █████ ░| ain't pet doctors |░ ░░░░░░███ ████▒ \─────────────────────────/ ░░░░░░░▓▓█████████████▒ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ https://www.deezer.com/us/album/93348282