AL GREEN: CLASSIC OR DUD?

http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/music/green-76.php

esp the first two paragraphs

i can't think of another artist/band for whom my love (and yeah it goes beyond a deep and abiding affection or respect or whutever) is so unexamined, so basic and (dare i say it) pure.

I really like Otis Clay's Hi singles, like "Let Me Be the One."

More later.

Kind of a surprise: I'm reviewing the reissues of those first Al Green albums on Hi, and Green Is Blue actually stacks up pretty well. Bonus track of him singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is OMG killa fire-honoring cover of all time

Ann Peebles'"Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness" is another Hi-Records gem that Al Green lovahs should search from her great album, "Straight From the Heart."

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.

Opened this thread, saw the words "Great obituary" and just about lost my shit for a moment before reading more closely.

RIP Howard Grimes.

Glad Grimes survived that period after Hi Records when he was divorced, homeless, and having addiction issues.
Got a bit of recognition and work in recent years.

RIP to one of the greatest. Pretty sure Howard Grimes was on kit for "Love & Happiness". From Willie Mitchell:

“Usually I’d have Al (Jackson) play those sessions by himself,” Mitchell says. “Sometimes I’d play the conga drum with him, on things like ’Let’s Stay Together.’ But there were times that Al Jackson couldn’t get the feel I wanted, on songs like ’Take Me To The River’ or ’Love & Happiness,’ so I had Howard come in for that. Now, Al could actually play anything … but he couldn’t play it raggedy. And when that’s what I wanted to have, I called Howard.”

https://drummagazine.com/al-jackson-jr-the-sound-of-60s-soul/

Pretty sure he talks about it on his Trap Set interview too:
https://www.thetrapset.net/042-howard-grimes-al-green-ann-peebles-rufus-thomas-the-bo-keys/

Author Preston Lauterbach , who helped Howard Grimes prepare his book, is saying on his Substack that Grimes widow could use financial donations. He says just to contact him. He also notes that the wake of Friday, funeral Saturday, and on Saturday there will be a Beale Street processional beginning at 11:30am on the corner of Second and Beale.

i'm still in love with you is the greatest album of all time

checks out

Second only to Livin' For You.

I get caught up in the descending chord progressions of "What a Wonderful Thing Love Is" and "Look What You Done For Me".

I read that as "condescending" lol

No, they're deeply compassionate!

the best version of "for the good times"

If I had to pick only one, it would be Call Me, but why pick one masterpiece over another? There's at least five in a row, plus Belle later on and a bunch of good ones in between and after.

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