AL GREEN: CLASSIC OR DUD?

But them bonus tracks is special. Green Is Blues includes not only "I Want to Hold Your Hand" but also two originals and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee"; Gets Next to You has a nice long version of "Ride Sally Ride" and a couple more.

Mitchell's Royal Recording studio is still there in S. Memphis. Last time I visited the Big "S" Grill made a very good barbecue sandwich, good jukebox, and there's always Josie's Tamales near there if you need tamales, not to mention Blue Suede Shoe Shine...

also, as others have mentioned here, there's a wealth of great stuff by other Hi artists like Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, Otis Clay & Syl Johnson if you want more of that sound - what a band! Al Jackson and the Grimes bros, Willie Mitchell production... oh, oh, and Jess Hill is otm about the "Love Ritual" collection - "Up Above My Head is my favourite Al track maybe... sorry, it's just so fucking good... I'm about to fall off my chair again.

Like Stax/Volt etc., Hi's output was so prolific that a lot of horn and string charts, melodies, lyrical ideas, etc. got recycled. I have absolutely no problem with that whatever. It's actually a good way to determine what a given singer brings to the table.

I actually really like the later Hi stuff, from the late '70s, which both is slightly hampered by and benefits from a certain slackness, or quietude. Examples would be Ann Peebles's If This Is Heaven, Syl Johnson's Total Explosion, Al Green's Have a Good Time, etc.

O.V. Wright is sort of a force of nature; his Hi stuff sounds more like his pre-Hi stuff than you'd expect. He doesn't go "uptown" as much as other Hi artists of the period. "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha" is a great balance though.

Crosspost w/Fritz!

I don't really know, not having ventured into it... though the oft-maligned "The Belle Album" - the transitional one - is quite good.

I was re-reading some Xgau reviews the other day and came across something he said about Green and the rhythm-section thing happening on those classic Hi records. Xgau says something about the "thick 3rd-beat" emphasis of the drumming and as far as I can tell that's a classic howler--Xgau can't count. He's hearing the second beat as the third beat for some reason--he's counting the eighth notes as quarter notes.

search Hi Rhythm's On the Loose, reissued a couple years ago w/some photo instead of whatever the original cover art was. they're not kidding--it's really loose, like about-to-fall-apart loose, and extremely charming for it

I love Al Green btw.

Ace Al Green track, the one I love above all: "Love is Real." The way he says "Say something..."

-- M Matos

Man, all I said was that I can count. Maybe that's a shockah where you come from.

I will leave that sentance as it stands for Dan's pleasure, but you know what I mean.

The thing that is interesting is the obvious connection between what Mitchell did and what Gamble and Huff did in Philly...and both scene's obvious role in the beginnings of disco music.

Jackson's drum sound on Stax records sounds quite a bit different than his sound on Hi records (at least in their respective golden ages). Hmm.

By "Mitchell drum sound" I meant the signature production style, not Grimes' playing, which is not in question.

Al Green obviously still has it when he cares to put out, it's a sin no one can extract a decent album from him.

Two killer Hi cuts: 'I Don't Know Why" OV Wright
"I Still Love You," Ann Peebles

Al Jackson, RIP

a new Al Green Q&A:
http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1216/article11995.asp

interview outtakes on gay marriage:
http://babelogue.citypages.com:8080/pscholtes/2004/03/19

some other links for y'all:
The Al Green Ticket Debate
Al Green & Willie together again... should i get my hopes up?
http://www.memphisflyer.com/MFSearch/full_results.asp?xt_from=1&aID=5116
http://www.algreenmusic.com/

This is exquisite shagging music, too, I must say. It doesn't matter which girl you bring home, from whatever walk of life and music, she'll always accept Al or Anne, in my limited experience.

Even the b-sides/rarities are gems. I love the "Flipside To Al Green" collection so much.

a lot of his albums are severely underrated. i scored Al Green Is Love for 5 bucks recently at a pretty expensive record store.

beat guitar sound, best drum sound

best

Love Ritual: Rare and Previously Unreleased 1968-1976 is a great one too. He left plenty of choice rarities in the can.

I just wish there was a definitive concert film, but you can at least piece together a great video compilation of his TV performances. (The live Tokyo album ain't bad, but it's not the great live album he has in him.)

Midnight Special YT channel just uploaded some clips from '73 & '74

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVMijYHnbGw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evv1xwK5UYA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc1wS61RgEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4UNv13S58

ty these are greaat

oh dear

great revive

"Jesus is Waiting" is almost enough to make me want to accept the Lord.

He was so great in the '70s, it's a shame there hasn't been a definitive live release put together, either an album or a DVD/Blu-ray. (The Tokyo album didn't quite do him justice.) It's all out there is pieces though, like in those clips.

I don't think I have seen the 1984 Robert Mugge directed live "Gospel According to Al Green" film doc

Awesome revive

Can't help but notice the front row of the audience is all women.

it's a shame there hasn't been a definitive live release put together

in my opinion, the videos make the experience; his moves are everything. when it comes to audio, i'm extremely fine listening to the studio recordings, which are some of the best sounding records ever.

Can't help but notice the front row of the audience is all women.

― Maggot Bairn (Tom D.), Friday, March 17, 2023 9:44 PM (eighteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

uh yeah did you see the man singing on stage? god at his peak he was just unbelievably hot.

xp to jimbeaux you made my heart skip a beat thinking that one of these midnight specials was a "jesus is waiting" performance but alas

sorry to be crass but al green setting the tempo by clapping before the band kicks in on "love and happiness" is on some "fuck me right goddamn now" shit

all about the foreplay

new single, cover of "Perfect Day"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5NT_079_X0

Whoa.

He sounds great!

His voice is great but I am not sure about the arrangement . Need to listen again

His voice is still in great shape, but he doesn't really sell these particular lyrics (he doesn't even attempt the note of doomed heartbreak Lou achieves in his vocals on the original, and Al Green can definitely do heartbreak if he wants to), and like 90% of everything Green has recorded away from Willie Mitchell, the production/arrangement seems to have no idea how to compliment his gorgeous voice.

Yeah, he floats above the melody.

Lou put Belle by Al Green in his top 10

https://www.clashmusic.com/news/lou-reed-once-named-his-10-favourite-albums/

He was well known as a big Al Green fan.

there is something problematic with the verses being in a higher register than the chorus. maybe it's something a non-singer can pull off better than a singer.

the "You're going to reap just what you sow" outro has a very different vibe coming from the Rev. Green

Al has always been Christian obviously, but I love this one from his “Christian” albums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo-rWMAfbNs