Im obsessed with Brenda Reid from The Exciters voice!!

[geoff85]

I think Dusty Springfield is quoted as saying when she first heard Brenda's voice on tell him she was stopped in her tracks and decided she was going to travel to America and pursue soul, and thank god she did. The Exciters are for the most part overlooked in comparison to many of the girl groups of their day and fellow Brill Building contemporaries Brenda for me is so unique her voice has a Frankie Lymon quality to it that really symbolizes youthful yearning and angst but at the same time it really has a kinda street edge to it as opposed to say a Dionne Warwick or Sheila Ross from the Royalettes. In many of my fave Exciters recording Brenda is literally pushing her voice to the edge where she is at the edge of cracking but she does just enough and not too much.

The Bacharach/David composed Its love that really counts (prod by Lieber/Stoller) really showcases her unique attributes as a singer I referenced above. There are a couple versions of this song by Dionne and even the Shirelles but The Exciters version for me blows them out the water. I am not a huge fan of Lieber/Stoller outside a few of their more popular hits but I always love what they do to Bacharach songs(see look in my eyes Maria by Jay and the Americans). But back to Brenda she is something aint she?

[geoff85]

omg the feedback on here is overwhelming me. Here is another Brenda Reid( Exciters)fave. Prob one of my fave Lieber/Stoller produced songs behind Look in my eyes Maria.

[Hank]

Just listened to a few songs in the car and I'm right with you Geoff.
She is a knockout !

[geoff85]

Just listened to a few songs in the car and I'm right with you Geoff.
She is a knockout !

She is distinct amongst many Brill Building singers in that she doesnt sound pristine and polished like Dionne Warwick or Sheila Ross from Royalettes)not really Brill but still). She is giving you the raw gritty street version of teen angst. This is the Jamaica/Hollis Queens version not the Broadway or Park Avenue version.. She is literally singing at the edge of her range and you can hear her voice slightly crack in many records. The producers are genius for keeping the vocals and not trying to over edit and over refine. She is one of the supreme archictecsts of what I call the soulful wail. Always remember Brenda Reid's voice literally is responsible for Dusty Springfield. I think that sums it up.

May I ask what you were listening to of theirs?

[geoff85]

just the way she sings the word power should get her inducted into the hall of fame.

[Hank]

I was going through the Remember Us? album.

I particularly enjoyed the slower ones: So Long, Goodnight and Drama of Love.

Also gave the Brenda & Herb (she and her husband) album - IN HEAT AGAIN ! a spin.

Mid 70's disco. The angst may have gone but she could still blow !

[geoff85]

I was going through the Remember Us? album.

I particularly enjoyed the slower ones: So Long, Goodnight and Drama of Love.

Also gave the Brenda & Herb (she and her husband) album - IN HEAT AGAIN ! a spin.

Mid 70's disco. The angst may have gone but she could still blow !

Interesting!!! Im a sucher for their faster songs I think Lieber/Stoller did some of his best work with them as opposed to that weird yakity yak wanna be rock n roll kinda stuff.Hes got the power, say it with love, and remember me sound like artistic leaps forward for the early sixties. I cant imagine songs sounding like that before then and not so much after either. They effortlessly bridge the doo wop era, Brill Building sound, and Black soul. Brenda sings like a fiery dragon. Its like shes coming to get her man from outta another womans arms or going to torch the house with them both in there.. Those are the notes I hear in her voice. Its a pity she didnt get her dues.

Have you heard this quasi disco treasure from Brenda and Herb? Their son Cory Rooney is a great r&b producer I grew up listening to but I knew nothing of hsi amazing parents until recently.

[Henry Dee]

Hi All,
Oh, I love her! Brenda‘s voice is electrifying and she is just the sweetest person EVER!
Yes, I love The Exciters on “It‘s Love That Really Counts“. All of their records are fantastic and one that just came to mind is a song The Exciters did for The RCA Victor label in 1968 entitled “Take One Step (I‘ll Take Two)“. I cannot understand how this record didn't hit the top of the charts.

Hope everyone here is doing great!
Henry

[geoff85]

Hi All,
Oh, I love her! Brenda‘s voice is electrifying and she is just the sweetest person EVER!
Yes, I love The Exciters on “It‘s Love That Really Counts“. All of their records are fantastic and one that just came to mind is a song The Exciters did for The RCA Victor label in 1968 entitled “Take One Step (I‘ll Take Two)“. I cannot understand how this record didn't hit the top of the charts.

Hope everyone here is doing great!
Henry

Thank you Henry for sharing that. It's a beautiful song and i added it to my 60s playlist. Brenda really is just awesome isnt she? She really is unsung not unlike many of the artists of her day.

Always good to hear feedback on here. Im getting worried this bored is dying(sadly probably literally more than figuratively). No one responds to much on here anymore. As a millennial there are not too many ppl in my life that care about this stuff. I guess ill just keep doin my part to keep good music alive as long. Come back now ya hear?