ALBUM STORY
FIRST TAKE. (Roberta Flack)
First Take, released in 1969, brings together soul, jazz, folk, and gospel through Roberta Flack’s music. Eight songs in which the space between the lines matters.
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Open in Spotify ↗THE DEBUT BEFORE THE BIG HIT.
First Take was released in 1969 as Roberta Flack’s debut album. Its original eight songs bring together different musical traditions through her own singing and piano playing. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face later brought the album to a wide audience, but from the outset, the record had a broader scope than that one ballad. Rhythmic urgency, folk, gospel, and gradual melodic development sit side by side here.
COMPARED TO WHAT AND ANGELITOS NEGROS.
Compared to What opens with a different emphasis from the familiar slow ballad. Flack can deliver a song with sharpness while keeping her phrasing controlled. Angelitos Negros then brings another language and color into the same album. The contrast reveals her interpretive skill: her voice retains its distinct character even as the song’s surroundings change. First Take thus invites more than one expectation of what Roberta Flack sounds like.
THE SPACE WITHIN A MELODY.
Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye brings Leonard Cohen’s song into Flack’s musical world. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, by contrast, draws its strength from the long breath of her delivery. The recording was already on her 1969 debut; the hit followed in 1972, after its use in Play Misty for Me. That distinction keeps the story straight. The quiet performance is part of the original portrait, not an addition made after the fact.
FIRST TAKE ON LP.
Tryin' Times and Ballad of the Sad Young Men further open up the album’s second half. Listen to the vinyl with attention to the space between the lines and the piano’s responses. Those details hold the eight songs together without smoothing over their differences. The product page lists the details of the LP on offer. The cover shown with this story is the original First Take cover; the review focuses on the original album program.
THE RECORD
DISCOGRAPHY.
A selection from Roberta Flack’s repertoire. Follow the album links to the relevant records or stories.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
TRACKLIST.
The tracklist as listed for the linked LP release. Reissues and digital editions may contain additional material.
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01Compared To What
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02Angelitos Negros
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03Our Ages or Our Hearts
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04I Told Jesus
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05Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
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06The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
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07Tryin' Times
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08Ballad of the Sad Young Men
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
When was First Take released?
The debut album was originally released in 1969.
Was The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face only added to the album in 1972?
No. The recording was already on 1969’s First Take. The major hit followed in 1972.
How many songs are on the original album?
The original program contains eight songs, including Compared to What and Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.
Where can I find First Take on vinyl?
The linked SJELF product page has the LP and details of the release on offer.
Read the Roberta Flack Artist Story. On Roberta Flack’s artist page, you’ll find the records and more stories together.
Want to listen to this album on vinyl? View Roberta Flack’s First Take on LP. The product page lists the details and availability of the release on offer.
First Take introduces a musician who can bring her own sense of intimacy to a varied repertoire. The famous ballad is an entry point, but the other seven songs show just how broad Flack’s attention to melody, timing, and meaning really is.
Discover more records and stories on Roberta Flack’s ARTIST PAGE.
