Lost Cher Recordings

Someone has posted (audio only) some TV performances by Cher and pointed out this odd fact - Cher sang the same song on the last (taped) episode of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour that she did on the debut of her own series. The tune is 'All in Love is Fair,' a Stevie Wonder cover. First the 1974 performance from her last show with Sonny (until they reunited on TV a year later).

This version from Cher in 1975 has pretty much the same arrangement but sports a slightly fuller orchestrations and Cher is toning down that ersatz southern accent she sings with.

I'm guessing there was about a 6 month period between these performances. Girl had pipes! Cher grew considerably as an artist in the first couple of years away from Sonny and actually recorded at least one fine album, Stars, which has never been released on CD.

This cover of a Velvet Underground tune is from Stars, her first album for Geffen in 1975. The first time I heard it I hated it, despised the entire album in fact, but it grew on me and became one of my favorites, at least for the time.

Of course, the song is a bit absurd, the idea of Cher sitting on cornerstones, "counting time in quarter tones" is a bit of a stretch.