A tale of a 45-that-never-was.
Thanks to Mojo‘s Southern Soul CD compilation for alerting me to Irma Thomas‘s version of a Burt Bacharach–Hal David composition, “Long After Tonight Is All Over” that I assumed to have been originally a single release [note: Jimmy Radcliffe‘s 1964 recording for Musicor is the first to hit the marketplace]. Except I have been searching vinyl discographies in vain just now, befuddled as to why I am unable to find a 7-inch single of the Irma Thomas version. Eventually, it dawns on me that Thomas’s 1964 recording sat in mothballs until its release on CD in 1992:
Irma Thomas
“Long After Tonight Is All Over” (1964)
In fact, both Bacharach-David compositions that Thomas had recorded for Imperial (the other being “Live Again“) went unissued at the time.
“Long After Tonight Is All Over” would also be covered by several UK artists — Dusty Springfield, Christine Quaite, and Julie Rogers — as well as San Francisco 60s girl group, The Paris Sisters.
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Jimmy Radcliffe & Dusty Springfield:
The Steve Luigi Remix
Check out this clever mash-up of Jimmy Radcliffe and Dusty Springfield as a “duet.”