RENEE GEYER Bad Side Of The Blues

B sides of 7 inch singles were often a treasure trove of great material - and sometimes they were the depository of songs that were clearly not as good as the A side. Back in the day, before youtube, spotify etc, the B side was often the only way to experience a bit more of an artist, especially if there was no album to purchase, or in my case, the 7 inch single was the first stop and all I could afford until my cash flow improved as a young adult. Flipping the single over and discovering the B side was often a wonderful pursuit, as it was in this case where 'Bad Side Of The Blues' was the Australian flip for 'Say I Love You' - Renee Geyer's best selling single of all time. Issued way ahead of the long player 'So Lucky' - the A side was an Eddy Grant cover, and would go to the Top 5 locally. Hardly a compatible pairing: 'Bad Side Of The Blues' was an album track from Renee's 1979 album 'Winner', and more emblematic of her jazzier/bluesier side. Renee's career had really taken off in 1974 with 'It's A Man's World' - a blistering James Brown cover. A mixture of pop, R&B, rock and jazz outings in the subsequent years, resulted in the catchy rhythms of 'Say I Love You' and the album 'So Lucky' which was recorded in America using The Bump Band and the Shangri-La studios. More pop/rock oriented than earlier recordings, it was an interesting choice to include a track from 3 years earlier and two albums before - 'Bad Side Of The Blues' - was a really impressive vocal performance from Renee and proof positive that she can and did sing it all. When 'Say I Love You' was released in America, 'Good Lovin' (one of the best songs on the new album and a more fitting choice), was the B side. There are UA-camrs that have devoted their channels just to posting B sides. I am not about to do that, but as it is 40 years since 'Say I Love You' began its chart ascent, I wanted to further spruik Renee Geyer and her incredible voice. It is the actual 7 inch vinyl rip that I have used for the audio.

[@tonicoleblues1]

One of the most talented female vocalist who ever lived. I am so sad she has passed and so sad that she was unknown internationally. She deserved to be known by all but her legacy lives on in her incredible music.

[@daveinprogress3]

my sentiments exactly. if you look on my channel there's a two part interview i produced with her back in 1999.

[@tonicoleblues1]

I will definitley check it out!!

[@tenishastairpraisegod7648]

Hey Dave, this is a sad occasion. Australians mourns the loss of Renee Geyer, 🕊️😢💔our family and friends have prayers and condolences.RIP (1953-2023)🙏🏾🕊️🤍

[@daveinprogress3]

thanks Tenisha