The Magnificent Four – You’ve Got Me
Of all the songs it was my pleasure to play on Sunday for the Wardell Quezergue tribute, it is this one that sticks in my mind the most of all. I’m always amazed at the extraordinary quality of “previoulsy unissued” tracks. This is something that was likely recorded in 1971 and might have been heard only a few times until it was finally reissued on this 2006 collection by Grapevine, the title of which refers back to the chorus of this sweet soul song. In some ways I can understand why a song like this wouldn’t have been issued in the 1970s. It doesn’t sound quite like a finished song. More like a demo, with a largely stripped down sound out of step with many of the lush orchestrations already making their way into the sweet soul sound of the time. Additionally, the quality is not top notch, it’s clear that the source had begun to deteriorate over the years, but still thank God this song made it through the years and someone had the good sense to release it even with the imperfections.
There are so many things to love in this song, that stripped down sound and that slight bounce to the beat, the flat out fantastic lyrics and singing. I keep thinking that this must be a cover, no song this good, could be an original and be almost completely lost to time, but I can’t find another song with that “Strung Out, Wrapped Up, Chained & Bound” chorus. Beyond the fantastic chorus, there’s just a great sentiment throughout and when the lead sings the line, “You’re just the missing piece of the puzzle to make my life complete” with that falsetto on “complete,” my heart just melts.
One of the biggest drawbacks of getting music digitally these days is the lack of all the information from liner notes and the like, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s not a lot of info about this group. The sound reminds me of the Penny & the Quarters lost soul gem “You & Me” that Numero unearthed and Ryan Gosling immortalized in Blue Valentine. That kind of exposure eventually led to Numero tracking down the group’s members. I doubt there will be a similar story for the Magnificent Four, but I still wanted to do my part and bring this exceptional bit of sweet soul to as many people as I can for as long as I can.