Last night I stumbled onto the Ace Records' double LP set of pop, rock, AND soul hit maker, Dan Penn's, Fame label demos; the collection is, um, aptly titled Dan Penn The Fame Recordings. Y'all, I was so STUNNED by the quality of the music, just two songs in, I had to SIT my sorry ass DOWN so I could properly soak it all in. Godamn! Of course, Dan Penn ain't just anyone—he was part of the famous Muscle Shoals crew and co-wrote heavies like Aretha's first Atlantic label B-side, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," Percy Sledge's “Out of Left Field," James and Bobby Purify's “I’m Your Puppet,” plus a million other killer soul, pop, and country songs. So, obviously, he was one of the major players of ALL music produced in the South durning the '60s and '70s. However, for me, the most striking thing about these tracks was a handful of these demo versions rival the actual versions which found proper release. Like, Penn's versatile and deeply soulful voice, along with the studio band's execution, sends these demos to another level and, perhaps, could have been hits themselves!

Sheesh, Slog Out, I can't recommend this collection enough. The set is 24 tracks, all recorded at the Fame Studios from 1964 to 1966, and was first issued on compact disc in 2012, with the LP set, following in 2013. The single side, "Just As I Am," is the only proper side to have been released.