More Than One ‘Side’ to Irma Thomas

Let’s clear up some things about Irma Thomas.

The New Orleans R&B; singer, who first gained national attention in the ‘60s, isn’t the daughter of Southern R&B; hitmaker Rufus Thomas, and therefore not the sister of his daughter, singer Carla Thomas.

She also wasn’t the one-hit wonder that some rock fans may imagine today, even though her exquisite recording of “Time Is on My Side”--which inspired the Rolling Stones’ version of the song--did overshadow everything else she did.

In fact, “Time Is on My Side” wasn’t even one of her six R&B; hits in the ‘60s. The track was the flip side of the single “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand),” which reached No. 52 on the R&B; charts in 1964.

Dawn Eden’s liner notes for “The Best of Irma Thomas, Volume 1,” a just-released retrospective, don’t tell us how the Stones happened to hear Thomas’ version of the song, but Eden does suggest that Thomas was “disappointed and resentful” that the Stones’ version outsold her own record. “Time Is on My Side” was the Stones’ first Top 10 single in the United States. Three of their singles had made the charts, but none higher than “Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)” at No. 24.

Thomas’ “Time Is on My Side” is one of 23 songs contained in the new album from Minit/Imperial Records, which arrives at a time when the veteran singer is back in the news. Earlier this year, her “Live--Simply the Best” album on Rounder Records was nominated for a Grammy in the contemporary blues category.

While the retrospective collection is uneven, the highlights are quite appealing, including the Spector-accented “Breakaway,” written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley, as well as numerous outstanding Allen Toussaint tunes, including “It’s Raining” and “Take a Look.”

In addition, the album contains four previously unreleased tracks, including the feminist declaration “Think Again” and a sprightly remake of the Chantels’ “Maybe.”

Classic Cole: Fans of Natalie Cole’s Grammy-winning “Unforgettable” album finally have the chance to hear Nat King Cole’s original versions of the same songs. Though most of the tracks have been available on various CD Cole collections, Capitol’s “The Unforgettable Nat King Cole” is the first time they have been pulled together in a single set.

More Beatles: “The Beatles Compact Disc EP Collection,” due June 30 from Capitol, will consist of 15 four-song CDs, each disc corresponding to one of the Beatles EPs released on vinyl in Britain in the ‘60s. It’ll sell for around $100.