Forgotten Treasure: The Marriotts “Tell It Like It Is” (1969)

It’s hard to believe that a piece of music, especially in this day and age, can be discovered but without any knowledge as to where it originated. The Marriotts‘ Tell It LIke It Is is one of these rarities – no information about the artist can be found on discogs.com nor on YouTube, not even from hardcore soul enthusiasts around the world (prove me wrong!).

The only thing that anybody recognizes for sure is the tune itself, first recorded by Aaron Neville in 1965; that version was apparently ranked #381 on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004. But who are The Marriotts, and why don’t more people know of their brilliant cover? I for one would love to find out because this 7″ single is a favourite in my collection, yet at the same time, I enjoy the mystery of not knowing anything about it. No encrypted information, no tags, no source files, just sweet, sweet music and the satisfaction of realizing that I am, holding in my hand, an imprint of a long lost recording session from almost 45 years ago. What a thrill!

OG version by Aaron Neville

Joanne Lam

Joanne Lam was born in Hong Kong, raised in Vancouver, studied in Montreal, and has lived in Sweden twice on two separate occasions. Some may describe her as a grumpy old person in disguise. Despite her senile soul, Joanne is a joyful cellist, a hardcore reader, an enthusiastic vagabond and a voracious crate digger.