The seven tracks PP Arnold is proudest to have been part of
Musical tastes change with the shifting of the sands, and certain genres haven’t stood the test of time quite as well as others. One sound that has seemingly never gone out of style, though, is the timeless tones of soul music, which is perhaps why an artist as superbly soulful as PP Arnold still commands the utmost respect throughout the musical world, spanning the spectrum from The KLF to Rod Stewart.
Building upon her family history as gospel vocalists, Arnold began her illustrious musical journey back in the 1960s – an age in which soul music reigned supreme over the pop charts. Her first major role would be as a backing vocalist for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, touring across the length and breadth of the United States. It was in the UK, however, that she first made her mark as a solo artist.
While on tour with the Turners in London, Arnold forged a friendship with a young Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones, who convinced her to wave goodbye to Ike and Tina and stay in England, where the era of musical rebellion was just beginning to bloom.
After deciding to stay in London for the foreseeable future, Arnold signed a deal with Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records, the label that best typified the youthful spirit of rebellion in the air of the city during its most swinging period.
As well as recording and releasing a litany of legendary soul tracks during her time with Immediate, soundtracking the mod nightclubs of Soho and even making an impact on the northern soul scene blossoming further up the country, Arnold always maintained a penchant for collaboration, too.
Alongside her own solo career, Arnold was always keen to pitch in with the rest of Immediate’s roster, and The Small Faces were a particular favourite. Chances are, if you can think of an Immediate-era hit from Steve Marriott and the gang, Arnold provided its backing vocals. Even if she never amassed the same degree of mainstream success as the likes of ‘Itchycoo Park’ or ‘Tin Soldier’ within her solo work, she provided an essential element of those beloved hits with her backing vocals.
Her collaborations certainly didn’t end with those mod rock masters, though. In fact, back in 2018, the vocalist spoke to Under The Radar to discuss some of her favourite collaborative projects, and her list reads like a whistle-stop tour of a truly incredible career.
Unsurprisingly, the list kicks off with the likes of Ike and Tina Turner and The Small Faces, reflecting the early triumphs of Arnold’s career, but she was also keen to remind everyone that her career has not been entirely limited to the 1960s. Alongside 1980s electronic outfits Beatmasters and The KLF, and an often forgotten project with Roger Waters, Arnold has also lent her talents to various outfits that took inspiration from the modernist sounds of the 1960s, namely Paul Weller and Ocean Colour Scene.
Each one of Arnold’s selected seven collaborations offers an entirely new side to her extensive and enduring vocal talents, reflecting one of the greatest soul careers in British musical history. And, as anybody who has had the pleasure of seeing Arnold perform in recent years can certainly attest, she’s certainly still got it.
The seven collaborations PP Arnold is most proud of:
- Ike and Tina Turner – ‘River Deep Mountain High’
- The Small Faces – ‘Tin Soldier’
- The Beatmasters – ‘Burn It Up’
- Ocean Colour Scene – ‘It’s A Beautiful Thing’
- Roger Waters – ‘Perfect Sense’
- Paul Weller – ‘Woo Se Mama’
- KLF – ‘3am Eternal’
