Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner’s band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists called the Ikettes. The Ike & Tina Turner Revue was regarded as “one of the most potent live acts on the R&B circuit”.
The duo had a string of R&B hits with their early recordings “A Fool In Love”, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”, “I Idolize You”, “Poor Fool”, and “Tra La La La La”. The release of “River Deep – Mountain High” in 1966, followed by a tour of the UK with the Rolling Stones, increased their popularity in Europe. Their later works are noted for interpretive soul-infused re-arrangements of rock songs such as “Come Together”, “Honky Tonk Woman”, and “Proud Mary”, the latter of which won them a Grammy Award in 1972.[2] Ike & Tina Turner received the first Golden European Record Award for their international hit “Nutbush City Limits” in 1974. They released dozens of albums; their most successful being Workin’ Together and Live at Carnegie Hall. Pitchfork listed their album River Deep – Mountain High among the best of its era.
Ike & Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. They have two singles inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, “River Deep – Mountain High” and “Proud Mary”. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 2 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
So Fine is a studio album by the R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released on Pompeii Records in 1968.
So Fine was the first album released on the Pompeii label. It features a remake of Ike and Tina’s debut single “A Fool In Love.” The duo also cover “Shake a Tail Feather” by The Five Du-Tones and “So Fine” by Johnny Otis. Three songs on the album “Bet’cha Can’t Kiss Me (Just One Time),” “It Sho Ain’t Me,” and “Too Hot To Hold” were written by Mack Rice.
Of the five singles released from the album only “So Fine” charted. Released by the Pompeii subsidiary, Innis Records, it reached No. 50 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and No. 117 on Bubbling Under The Hot 100 in 1968.
Some reviews from 1968:
Billboard (July 13, 1968): “This exciting fare, for Ike and Tina know how to infuse their soul performances with drive and spirit. In addition to the title song, ‘So Fine,’ there are ‘You’re So Fine,’ the classic ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Business,’ ‘We Need an Understanding’ and others. The backgrounds are by the Ikettes.
Cash Box (July 20, 1968): “Singing with zest and energy, Ike and Tina Turner render a solid set of potent ditties. Among the offerings, in addition to the title tune, are ‘Shake A Tail Feather,’ ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Business,’ and ‘A Fool In Love.’ The vital performance turned in by the duo augurs good things to come for this stirring package.”
Record World (August 10, 1968): “This couple found a groove a few years back and they’ve been working it—like an endless gold lode—since then. Their new single ‘We Need an Understanding’ is here with other sizzling numbers. Could be a very big package.” (wikipedia)
In the late ’60s, Ike & Tina Turner were churning out such a rapid succession of albums on various labels that it’s hard even for dedicated fans to keep them straight. So Fine is typical of these LPs in that a certain minimum satisfying level of quality soul is guaranteed by virtue of the duo’s talents. But at the same time, there’s also the sense that they’re grinding out recordings too quickly to consistently present the outstanding original material and interpretations of which they were capable at their best. Tina’s vocals are reliably passionate, but the songs and arrangements are fairly average, at times even generic soul, mixing a few Ike Turner originals (including a remake of their early hit “A Fool in Love”) with covers of well-known staples like “Shake a Tail Feather” and “So Fine.” (Speaking of which, it was surely careless to cover “So Fine” and, just two tracks later, add a cover of the entirely different song “You’re so Fine,” which in this context sounded downright redundant.) The best cut here is “It Sho Ain’t Me,” which has a more slow-burning bluesy feel (and Stax-y feel, with its horn, organ, and churchy backup vocals) than much of its surroundings, but nothing here ranks among the pair’s best work. (by Richie Unterberger)
Personnel:
Ike Turner (guitar, vocals)
Tina Turner (vocals)
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a bunch of unknown studio musicians
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The Iketes (background vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Bet’cha Can’t Kiss Me (Just One Time) (M.Rice) 2.50
02. Ain’t Nobody’s Business (I. Turner) 2.03
03. It Sho Ain’t Me (M.Rice) 3.05
04. Too Hot To Hold (M.Rice) 2.05
05. A Fool In Love (I.Turner) 2.52
06. I Better Get Ta Steppin’ (I.Turner/Harris 2.45
07. Shake A Tail Feather (Hayes/V.Rice/Williams) 2.16
08. So Fine (Otis) 2.40
09. We Need An Understanding (I.Turner/Northern) 2.44
10. You’re So Fine (Finnie/Schofield) 2.26
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Ike & Tina Turner made really good music, but we should never forget … a man who beats his wife is a fucking asshole !!!
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