Metaphors - Come On Back (To Me) / You Have Everything (That A Man Can Have) [CD]

An extremely rare 45 single stands as the only release from a talented young soul music vocal group named The Metaphors. "Come On Back (To Me)" b/w "You Have Everything (That A Man Can Have)" was originally released in 1972 on the New York City-based RAD records label in a limited run. The original vinyl is so rare that a copy sells for close to $1000 in rare groove circles. The American rapper Prodigy, one half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, sampled the "B" side of the single on his 2012 release, "Black Devil" a track from The Bumpy Johnson Album - which might have first spurred collectors to search for the original 45, thus driving up the price. According to Phil Valentine, the songwriter and lead vocalist on the track who was only 18 years old when they recorded it, both songs on the single were recorded first on a 12 track, then bumped up to a 16 track. The songs were both supposed to have a final mix and a do-over for the vocals, but their manager at the time (Ronald Alexander Davis, who produced the tracks) ran out of money to finish - so he created the RAD label to release it on vinyl. The resulting single is a quick-mix, originally intended for presentation as a demo to the Buddha record label. The members of The Metaphors consisted of Valentine, Donald Jefferson, Tom Weathers, Jerome McCloud and Jimmy Ingram. The backing band was led by Ingram, who played keyboards and arranged, and consisted of Sly Boone on guitar, Geroy Grant on electric bass, and drummer Clyde McCray. Ingram went on to have a long career in the world of Philly Soul as part of the family band INGRAM, and is still active as a songwriter, arranger, saxophonist, and keyboard player. The Metaphors are no more, but their sole 45 has earned them their rightful place in the history of soul music - and this exclusive release ensures that their legacy will live on for generations to come.