Various Artists - Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 2 (1991)

Volume 2 of a 20 volume Rhino series.

Tracks, with Billboard chart peaks:

1. The Bells - The Originals (1970, #12 pop, #4 R&B)
   Produced by Marvin Gaye and backed by The Funk Brothers, this lush ballad is heavy on the harmonies and orchestration and I don't mind a bit.
2. Love Or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends Of Distinction (1970, #6 pop, #13 R&B, #9 AC)
   With that verse over a ostinato verse, a double time chorus, tasty horns licks, and tight vocal harmonies, this thing is catchy as all get out and a great blend of soul and sunshine pop.
3. Girls It Ain't Easy - The Honey Cone (1969, #68 pop, #8 R&B)
   Great tune; it's the lyrical content where there's a problem. Written by Ronald Dunbar and “Edyth Wayne” (pseudonym of Holland-Dozier-Holland), this strong vocal trio delivers lyrics clearly penned from a male perspective about the emotional pressures placed on women to keep their man. As they say on the social medias, this hasn't aged well. The music is great, though.
4. Viva Tirado (Pt. 1) - El Chicano (1970, #28 pop, #20 R&B, #10 AC)
   A Chicano instrumental featuring a drawbar organ, this minor crossover hit meets at the intersection of soul, jazz, and rock. I dig it.
5. Turn Back The Hands Of Time - Tyrone Davis (1970, #3 pop, #1 R&B)
   In which Davis wants to mend his broken heart using time travel and an irresistible groove. 
6. Love On A Two-Way Street - The Moments (1970, #3 pop, #1 R&B)
   I first heard this song via the faithful Staci Lattisaw cover back in 1981. Lattisaw was 15 years old and 5 months younger than me but that's neither here nor there. Songs like this make heartbreak feel so good while the falsetto vocals are devastating.
7. Compared To What - Les McCann & Eddie Harris (1970, #85 pop, #35 R&B)
   Possibly the protest song with the best soul/jazz/funk/R&B groove. Tragically, the lyrics are just as salient today as they were in 1970. The song was the lead track on the album Swiss Movement, which was in the top ten of the Billboard Jazz Album charts from December 20, 1969 until November 21, 1970, including thirteen consecutive weeks at #1. Sock it to me.
8. Love Land - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1970, #16 pop, #23 R&B)
   This group gives us a relaxed, mid-tempo vibe with an arrangement that includes horns and strings, but really doesn't have the hook I'm looking for.
9. O-o-h Child - The Five Stairsteps (1970, #8 pop, #14 R&B)
   The best track on this disc. Classic.
10. Band of Gold - Freda Payne (1970, #3 pop, #20 R&B)
    The second best track on this disc. Payne's pleading over incessant downbeats is a relentless exhortation about getting left high and dry on her wedding night. (Also credited to Dunbar & Wayne, see track 3).
11. Are You Ready? - Pacific Gas & Electric (1970, #14 pop, #49 R&B)
    A gospelish tune that borrows its feel (and title?) from The Temptations tune Get Ready, but includes an electric guitar solo. Good, not great.
12. Maybe - The Three Degrees (1970, #29 pop, #4 R&B)
    A remake of an early 1958 hit for The Chantels, this gets bonus points for the spoken word introduction, but despite outstanding performances, doesn't do much for me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. Singles included on this volume charted 1969 - 1970, years when your humble blogger had yet to start his formal education.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 5	Volume 13
Volume 6	Volume 14
Volume 12	Volume 15
	Volume 18

Brother Jack McDuff - Down Home Style (1969)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1997 Rare Groove Series Edition.

I was introduced to this album by the inclusion of track 6, Butter (For Yo Popcorn), on the 1991 Blue Note compilation, So Blue So Funky: Heroes Of The Hammond. That whole disc is so good, I once wrote "if you can sit still while listening to these grooves, I don't think we should see each other anymore" and I meant it. Like any good compilation CD of that sort, it sent me scrambling to find a copy of Down Home Style and here we are.

Meeting at the corner of jazz and R&B, the music on this album is earthy and raw but tuneful, leaning heavily into blues and soul. This departure from '60s hard bop obviously upset some of the jazz purists (see DownBeat review below), but I dig the heck out of it. And the soul food of the cover photo perfectly illustrates the moods and grooves of the album. In other words, you can judge this book by its cover. Go fix yourself a helping.

McDuff - organ
Jay Arnold - tenor saxophone
Charlie Freeman - guitar
Sammy Greason - drums
The electric bass player is uncredited; some sources list James Alexander.
Other horns uncredited.
Recorded June 10, 1969 in Memphis, most likely at Lyn Lou Studios.

Original liner notes by Alan Grant, then host of 'Portraits of Jazz' on WMJR, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "rhythm-happy jazz improvisations with that down home flavor of home cookin'."
• CashBox: "a solid, funky set...heavily influenced by the currently popular Memphis-style sound."
• Record World: "Brother Jack does a great deal of grooving on this new album."
• Downbeat (★): "I didn't enjoy the McDuff collection at all."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #192
• Billboard R&B: #20

Tracks: We're treated to 6 originals by McDuff and two covers: Hoagy Carmichael's Memphis In June plus Groovin', originally by The Young Rascals. Track 4, Theme From Electric Surfboard, was released as a single and peaked at #48 R&B, #95 pop. All worth your while, but my favorites this go-round are the title track, It's All A Joke, Butter (For Yo Popcorn), and Groovin'.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (1969)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2009 remaster.

The music ain't much to get excited about, but the movie is kinda fun if you're in the right mood. As for this album, I'm in agreement with the anonymous CashBox reviewer who called the album "a must for Beatles collectors" and that's me for sure. Just check out the lovely LEGO submarine on my shelf over there:

But, yeah, this album - along with Love - is definitely in the running for "least-essential" Beatles album.

"Press of the time:

• CashBox: "a must for Beatles collectors"
• Billboard: "this LP boasts four new Beatles songs...along with an intoxicating score by George Martin"
• Record Mirror (★★★★★): "it's simple Beatles stuff (and that's good at the worst of times)"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #2
• Billboard CD: #8
• CashBox: #3

Tracks: They weren't hits, but I've always liked All Together Now and Hey Bulldog. I can't gather the same enthusiasm for Only A Northern Song and It's All Too Much (sorry, George). The seven tracks written and orchestrated by George Martin makes one realize what a talented all-around musician he was. Still, they're only good for a very occasional listen.

The 2009 remaster is an Enhanced CD that includes a very brief "mini-documentary."

Available online over at YouTube: https://youtu.be/VNcou01nOWU

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Maybe I watched the movie when it aired on Sunday, October 29, 1972 on CBS? I seem to recall some sort of family conflict that kept me from watching (possibly my sister wanted to watch Wonderful World Of Disney or there was some sort of Halloween thing). I revisited the movie recently via the local library's 2012 Blu-Ray release. On their website, the library uses this somewhat accurate description of the movie:

Yellow Submarine is an animated meandering journey filled with puns and dry British humor, where psychedelic music videos take precedent over any linear story. What little there is of a plot, however, concerns a vibrantly colored place called Pepperland that resembles the album cover for Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band come to life. The swirling animation is a mixture of pop-culture images and modern artistic styles brought loosely together with a naïve antiwar message and some clever political commentary. The Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, draining it of all its color and music, firing anti-music missiles, bonking people with green apples, and turning the inhabitants to stone by way of the pointed finger of a giant white glove. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and goes to London to enlist the help of the Beatles (voiced by actors). The charming and innocent boys travel through strange worlds and meet bizarre characters, including the tagalong Nowhere Man. Several blissed-filled musical sequences and drug references later, the Beatles drive out the Blue Meanies and restore Pepperland to tranquility armed with only music, love, and witty remarks.

- Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi (now TiVo)

I also remember having a 45 single as a toddler that had Yellow Submarine on one side and All Together Now on the other and since I can't find any proof that such a 45 ever existed, I guess my capacity for exact recollection after more than half a century is somewhat diminished.

Finally, when I was taking French classes in high school, we would occasionally sing Yellow Submarine: ♫"On vit tous dans un sous-marin jaune..."♫

Previously revisited for the blog:

Love (2006)	The Beatles (1968)
Let It Be... Naked (2003)	Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
Anthology 2 (1996)	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Anthology 1 (1995)	Revolver (1966) & (2022)
Free As A Bird (1995)	Rubber Soul (1965)
Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1977)	Help! (1965)
1967-1970 (1973)	A Hard Day's Night (1964)
1962-1966 (1973)	Please Please Me (1963)
Abbey Road (1969) & (2019)

Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Swiss Movement (1969)

Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, June 21, 1969.

The Downbeat magazine review of this album calls it "cliche-ridden, r&b-influenced jazz." Does that mean I'm not supposed to dig it? Too bad, because it certainly delivers and is an enjoyable way to spend 40 minutes. McCann is on top of his game as both performer and composer. The liner notes below explain the impromptu nature of this show and, maybe because of that spontaneity, it sounds like the band is having a great time grooving on the stage. The duo released a successful studio follow-up in 1971, appropriately titled Second Movement, which also topped the Billboard jazz album charts.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "one of the most exciting jazz albums of the year"
• Downbeat: ★★
• Billboard: ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #2
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: What was side one (tracks 1-3) is preferable to side two, but it's all good.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Probably through versions of the song by Roberta Flack and The Roots with John Legend, I was previously familiar with Compared To What (#85 pop, #35 R&B). But the album as a whole came to my attention as I was putting together a list of the Billboard Jazz Album charts and noticed this album was in the top ten from December 20, 1969 until November 21, 1970. That remarkable run includes thirteen consecutive weeks at #1. It had an almost identical run on the Record World Jazz LPs chart. That info, along with spreadsheets of other album charts, is available at our popular sister site: albumcharts.wordpress.com

Roberta Flack - Original Album Series (2012)

A repackaged reissue that includes five of Flack's first seven albums released on the Atlantic label, 1969-1977. The two albums not included in this set are Chapter Two (1970) and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972). Despite those omissions, getting five great albums for $18.87 makes for a fantastic deal and at least one happy customer. Probably more than one, actually - these albums were at home on the R&B, pop, and jazz charts. Beautiful music from a beautiful soul.

The box set takes the listener through the evolution of Flack's sound during the decade. Headphones recommended. Also recommended, the episode of American Masters dedicated to Flack's career.

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FIRST TAKE (1969)
8 tracks, 46 minutes

A wonderful introduction to a wonderful talent. The album is a compilation of slow-burning tracks - most are about 6 minutes in length. The music is intentionally sparse and unrushed. There's space to hear all the notes. Lots of perfectly arranged ballads performed by Flack alongside names like Ron Carter on bass and John Pizzarelli on guitar.

Liner notes by Les McCann.

Press of the time:

• Record World: "a new great taking her bittersweet time"
• High Fidelity: "For lonely winter's eves"
• Billboard: "Her soft, sustained vocal style gently skirts the lyrics and hypnotizes with its creamy evenness."
• Rolling Stone: "You feel the world differently after listening to it"
• Stereo Review: "Run to your nearest record outlet and buy not one, but two, maybe three"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• Billboard Jazz: #3
• CashBox: #1
• Record World Jazz: #15

In 2017, it was ranked at #148 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Tracks: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was a massive hit in 1972 once Clint Eastwood used it in his movie Play Misty For Me. That spurred the single to Grammy Awards for Record of the Year as well as Song of the Year. Billboard ranked it as the number one Hot 100 single of the year for 1972. To be honest, I didn't think much of it when I was a tot - too boring! I wanna dance! - but I started warming up to it in the '80s when I bought Volume 6 of the Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974 set. Now I'm all in. It's the best tune on the album, followed closely by the other 7 tracks.

The single released in 1969 was the album opener, an upbeat take on Compared To What, which, oddly, is unlike any other track on the album (but I still dig!). As far as the other tracks, I'm hard-pressed to decide which is the most powerful: Angelitos Negros, I Told Jesus, Tryin' Times (that acoustic bass line!), or Ballad Of The Sad Young Men.

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QUIET FIRE (1971)
8 tracks, 42 minutes

More of the same. And that's a good thing. Mostly carefully selected covers plus one Flack original, all performed by a great supporting cast (full playing and writing credits here).

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "The title spells out the flavor and feel of this easy and yet sometimes penetrating commercial package."
• Record World: "ever-quiet, ever-exciting"
• Rolling Stone: "an exercise in lifeless sophistication and dramatic understatement carried to its unfortunate extreme: emptiness"
• Stereo Review: "Roberta Flack is a special kind of multi-talented musician, but her appeal is wide"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #18
• Billboard R&B: #4
• Billboard Jazz: #5
• CashBox: #20
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: The single released from this album was a cover of Will You Love Me Tomorrow which only managed to peak at #76 pop and #38 R&B. As one might expect, the tempo is slowed considerably and is performed by only Flack on piano and Ron Carter on bass floating above the occasional string arrangement. The better pieces to my ear are the original Go Up Moses and Flack's take on Bridge Over Troubled Water.

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KILLING ME SOFTLY (1973)
8 tracks, 41 minutes

In which Roberta Flack becomes a full-fledged soft rock icon. Heck, with this release, CashBox magazine declared Flack "THE top female artist of the decade." And this album certainly helps that argument. For the most part, Flack's arrangements are slightly more uptempo and fuller than the earlier two albums in this set.

The album's title track won three 1974 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The album itself was nominated for the Album of the Year award, losing to Innervisions. 

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "a total masterpiece"
• Record World: "Ms. Flack's finest recording to date."
• Billboard: "delicate, introspective work."
• Rolling Stone: "It's too calculated, too restrained for my taste...but god knows it has its appeal."
• High Fidelity: "my favorite Roberta Flack so far."
• Stereo Review: "the Ella Fitzgerald of the Seventies."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #3
• Billboard R&B: #2
• CashBox: #1
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: While the title cut is an undeniable classic, my favorite tunes here are the upbeat No Tears (In The End) and gospelish track, River. Leonard Cohen's Suzanne is mesmerizing with an almost sadistic, driving high-hat figure. The cover of Janis Ian's Jesse (#30 pop, #19 R&B) is quite tasteful.

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FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE (1975)
9 tracks, 47 minutes

Flack starts producing her own records and things just get better and better. I'll simply say this is my favorite album included in this box set.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "No doubt that this is top 10 material"
• Record World: "The Flack feel flows as it mellows the soul through her flawless synthesis of sounds."
• Rolling Stone: "Flack's least satisfactory album to date"
• Billboard: "this set should mark her as one of the landmark performers of the '70s"
• Stereo Review: "the combined effect of her lustrous technique and superior material is downright stunning"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #24
• Billboard R&B: #5
• Billboard Jazz: #11
• CashBox: #17

Tracks: I can't decide if the title track is my all-time Flack cut (the only other single in the running is Where Is The Love with Donny Hathaway), but needless to say, it's the best thing on this album. Also good is the lead track, Feelin' That Glow (#76 pop, #25 R&B). In fact, there's not a stinker to be found and that includes a Stevie Wonder tune which morphs into fusionish instrumental piece, I Can See The Sun In Late September.

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BLUE LIGHTS IN THE BASEMENT (1977)
10 tracks, 41 minutes

By 1977, Flack's sound had changed quite about since her 1969 debut and the style that once got her attention from the jazz crowd had developed into 3 or 4 minute pop stylings aimed at the adult contemporary folks. As someone who considers himself a member of both populations, that sort of movement is fine with me. The problem here isn't Flack or the other performers, it's a lack of quality material, which is often uninteresting or oddly arranged. I like it fine; it just doesn't hold up to its predecessor.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "very disappointing"
• CashBox: "Flack is in her element here and sounds as good as ever."
• Billboard: "lacking the drama of her previous hits"
• Record World: "she has lost none of her vocal magic"
• Rolling Stone: "contains no surprises, but it's a very satisfying record."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #8
• Billboard R&B: #5
• CashBox: #11

Tracks: The lead track, Why Don't You Move In With Me, is a straight-up disco tune and a dang catchy one, at that. But then comes the hit duet with Donny Hathaway, The Closer I Get To You (#1 R&B, #2 pop, #3 AC) and I'm immediately swept back to 6th grade trying to come to terms with suddenly wanting to be around girls. That song is the best cut on this album, but I also dig This Time I'll Be Sweeter, 25th of Last December, and After You, presented as a well-sequenced three-fer in the middle of the disc.

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Personal Memory Associated with these CDs: None apart from hearing the singles on the radio during my youth.

The Beatles - Abbey Road (Anniversary Edition) (2019)

On August 21 of last year, I saw a promotion for this mega-reissue on social media and felt compelled to comment, "That package is gonna cost $90 and damn right I’m gonna buy it." And I was close! I paid $86.97, gave it to myself for a Christmas gift, and waited until the holiday bustle calmed a bit before listening - the real unwrapping is today.

For more on the packaging:

Peaks on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:

• Original release: #1 (11 weeks between Nov 1, 1969 - Jan 24, 1970)
• 2019 Anniversary Edition: #3 (October 12, 2019)
• Peak on the Billboard Pop CD chart: #1 (1987)

Before listening to these discs, I'm going to have a look at this beautiful hardbound book. Gimme a sec. [...time passes..] That thing is fantastic. Almost worth the excessive anniversary edition price simply for the photos (most by Linda McCartney) but the thing also includes a track-by-track breakdown. It isn't a read-once-and-put-away coffee table book.

CD 1  Gonna grab some headphones and spin the 2019 mix. Freakin' masterpiece. It sounds fantastic - so clear. Those Beach Boy-esque harmony vocals! I'm hearing all the parts, some I've never noticed before (e.g. Billy Preston's wonderfully subtle organ work on Something). Metacritic has this edition rated at 99 and that seems a bit low to me. A fantastic collection of songs that never sounded better and once it finished, I needed a cigarette and I don't even smoke. Whew. I gotta take a break before moving on to the bonus stuff...

[...runs errands...]

CD 2 (Abbey Road Sessions) 12 tracks, 43:47
If you liked the Beatles Anthology CD series from 1995-96, you'll probably like this disc because it's got the same feel - alternate takes, demos, studio chatter. The demos are a cut above your usual demo tracks because the band and material are a cut above your usual stuff. Highlights include Paul's demo for Goodbye (recorded/released by Mary Hopkin in 1969) and the slightly out of tune studio demo of Something which shows the simplistic brilliance of the writing.

[...lunch break...]

CD 3 (Abbey Road Sessions) 11 tracks, 41:44
More of the same. Highlights on this disc include Paul's studio demo of Come And Get It (a different mix than used on Anthology 3 in 1996) and the trial and edit mix of the side two medley (aka "The Long One" from July 30, 1969) with slightly different sequencing.

[...nap...]

The fourth disc is a Blu-Ray Audio disc featuring:

• Dolby ATMOS
• 96kHz/24bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• 96kHz/24 bit Hugh Res Stereo

I don't know what any of that means and since I don't have a 5.1 system, I'm guessing it doesn't matter. But I'll give it the old college try using my usual, utilitarian Blu-Ray movie watching set up: a Microsoft Xbox One S and a Bose CineMate 15 home theater system.

I didn't mind listening to the album again but, as one would expect, the mix sounded funny because of the lack of proper equipment.

1) I'm glad I took my time with these discs, and 2) I'm glad I used headphones. Will probably listen to the 2019 mix again tomorrow if not later tonight.

Finally, if you like this album, treat yourself to the 2019 mix even if it's the single CD version. Overall, I'm glad I ponied up for this edition, as I've really enjoy reading the book and then reading it again while listening.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Abbey Road was one of the first CDs I purchased in the late '80s. Unfortunately and embarrassingly, I was introduced to much of this music through the 1978 movie, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (my sister owned the 2 LP soundtrack album). I watched that movie last fall and it is so campy as to be mildly enjoyable.

When I visited London in 2010, I made the trek to Abbey Road Studios and walked across the famous crosswalk (below). The road is actually quite busy (see live webcam from the studios here), but I guess the locals have grown accustomed to knuckleheaded tourists trying to recreate the album cover.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Love (2006)	Abbey Road (1969)
Let It Be... Naked (2003)	The Beatles (1968)
Anthology 2 (1996)	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Anthology 1 (1995)	Revolver (1966)
Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1977)	Rubber Soul (1965)
1967-1970 (1973)	Help! (1965)
1962-1966 (1973)	A Hard Day's Night (1964)
	Please Please Me (1963)

Blog post #1550

Chicago Transit Authority (1969)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2002 reissue.

So I've conditioned myself to pick up anything released by Rhino that I see in the used bins. So while I've got the hits from this CD on compilations, I couldn't resist this for $3:

Prog rock with horns, it's a good album, especially for a debut (it really takes some balls to put out a double LP debut). Still, like most double album sets, this would have made a spectacular single disc by getting rid of the "jam band" and vanity cuts:

Side One (approximately 22.5 minutes):

1. Introduction
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
3. Beginnings
4. Listen

Side Two (approximately 19.5 minutes):

1. Questions 67 And 68
2. South California Purples
3. I'm a Man

But nobody asked me, probably because I was two years old when this thing was released (although there might have been other reasons I wasn't consulted). Still, I'm glad I picked it up to find a few album cuts with which I was previously unfamiliar: Introduction, Listen, and the bluesy South California Purples. I'm not wild about Poem 58 and Free Form Guitar.

Released in April, this is definitely a summer album.

Billboard, May 19, 1969

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #17

Tracks: see above

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The song Beginnings reminds me of a couples trip to Matagorda Beach during the Lost Summer of Mark. I took along my cassette copy of Chicago IX; Beginnings and the Steve Winwood hit Roll With It led to some sort of disagreement/fight with my companion.  But I suppose that bad memory isn't really associated with this CD so nevermind.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Only The Beginning: The Very Best Of Chicago (2002)
Greatest Hits 1982-1989 (1989)
Chicago 17 (1984)
Chicago 16 (1982)

Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (1969)

A mismatch made in heaven. This album had no business getting made, but the impeccable taste and vision of Jerry Wexler proves me wrong. And I've never been happier to be wrong. A stone cold classic. While Dusty's best performance is The Look of Love, this is easily her best album. Although just another day at the office for the American Sound Studio house band (hard to imagine), they tear up the arrangements and the material is first rate from a slate of now-legendary songwriters: Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, Gerry Goffin/Carole King, Randy Newman, Burt Bacharach/Hal David, etc.

I'll let Robert Christgau (in Newsday, 1973) do the talking while I listen to Dusty:

More than any other contemporary female singer, even in soul or country-western, she sounds as if she needs me. Simultaneously gushy and lady-like, she sings like the beautiful maidservant of men's vainest and most shameful fantasies--always the supplicant, always in love. Her male fans usually take her at face value, but, since every woman must somehow contain the male-created ideal she embodies, women respond to her with sisterly sympathy--sometimes self-conscious, sometimes not.

Dusty was captured definitively about four years ago by another great producing team--Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin and Tow Dowd--on an LP called Dusty in Memphis. When Brian Potter calls it "the best album by a girl singer in the past 10 years," he's not just being polite to the opposition. Dusty in Memphis is a pop standard and classic, the kind of record that will sell for years because its admirers need replacement copies, and it is the perfect instance of how a production team should work.

The concept originated with Wexler, a vice president of Atlantic records who has been making brave and imaginative music since Atlantic was a tiny r&b label in the '50s. He selected some 40 songs and a complement of studio musicians, then convinced his artist that he had no intention of turning her into a soul singer. This record would exploit what she could do best. Dusty picked about 15 songs, and everyone worked out arrangements in the studio together. Mardin, originally an arranger, orchestrated to cushion emotional highs and shade in the subtler moments. Then Dowd, originally an engineer, mixed down the best takes, bringing every nuance of the voice up front, so that on a good system it sounds as if Dusty is hiding in the speakers.

The result is a tribute to the spirit of the girl singer. The songs--including two moderate hits, "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Windmills of Your Mind," plus many then-obscure compositions by the likes of Randy Newman and Carole King--emphasizes playfulness, sensuality and, of course, vulnerability. The singing makes the emphasis come alive. But for some reason there was no follow-up.

The studios at 827 Thomas St in Memphis in 1968 around the time this album was recorded.
The studio is the unmarked building in the center of the photo (door with diamonds).

Well-deserved accolades for the album:

• Grammy Hall of Fame (2001)
• #83 in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020)
• Included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005)
• #19 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s (2017)

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "One of the strongest collections of heavy material we've seen in some time."
• High Fidelity: "the singer's best album"
• Record World
• Billboard: "sure to return her to the top of the charts"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #99

Tracks: Yes, please. My favorites are Just A Little Lovin', Don't Forget About Me, Breakfast In Bed, Just One Smile, and No Easy Way Down. Son Of A Preacher gets a special mention as being a Top 10 single as well as my wife's personal ringtone for yours truly 👿. If I skip any track it's usually The Windmills Of Your Mind, not because of the performance, but I've just never cared much for that song.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Nothing stands out in my mind, but I recently took a 6 hour round trip to Ft Worth and this CD never left my truck's player. I must have heard it over 10 times over a two day period. Heck, I've just listened to it 3 times this morning.

In preparation for this post, I read the book about the album from the 33⅓ series.  I needn't have bothered as the author chose to focus almost exclusively on the mythology of the South instead of the album. Being born in the Mississippi about an hour south of Memphis, I didn't learn anything new from Dr. Zanes' thesis. I've lived the mythology.

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)

In which Isaac Hayes creates a new kind of soul music through innovative orchestration and production. We're treated to 4 ostensibly pop songs with strings floating over The Bar-Kays throwing down psychedelic R&B grooves, and then there's Hayes' bass voice which adds the hot butter to this soul. Most songs are extended and build mightily to perceived climaxes but then just keep on building. Repetition has rarely been this good. This album changed the game. And why? Because Hayes demanded and received full creative control. From the book Soulsville, U.S.A., Hayes is quoted as saying:

I didn't give a damn if it didn't sell because I was going for the true artistic side, rather that looking at it for monetary value. I had an opportunity to express myself no holds barred, no restrictions, and that's why I did it. I took artistic and creative liberties. I felt what I had to say couldn't be said in two minutes and thirty seconds. So I just stretched [the songs] out and milked them for everything they were worth.

A seminal landmark album by a soul icon.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album at number 373 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and in 2017, it was ranked at #23 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Brilliant LP that deserves extra attention"
• Record World: "Hayes gets down in it on this package."
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• Robert Christgau (C): "a baroque, luscious production job over the non-singing of one half of Sam & Dave's production-songwriting team."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #8
• Billboard Jazz: #1 (11 weeks)
• Billboard R&B: #1 (10 weeks)
• Record World Jazz: #1 (12 weeks)

Tracks:  My favorite tunes are the deconstructions of Walk On By and By The Time I Get To Phoenix (and deconstruction isn't even the right word to use there, but I can't come up with a better term for what Hayes does with those songs). Hyberbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic sounds like a groove laid down by the Meters and that's meant as a high compliment.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

Shuggie Otis - Shuggie's Boogie: Shuggie Otis Plays The Blues (1994)

After falling in love with the California soul/funk of Otis' Inspiration Information CD, I picked this up foolishly expecting more of the same. Not even close. This compilation is strictly blues (which I should have expected based on the title of the disc. Duh). Otis was a remarkable guitar prodigy to be sure - dude's got chops. That he chose to initially emulate his father Johnny Otis is no surprise (his style reminds more of Freddie King than Johnny Otis, though). The fact that I prefer the later Inspiration Information album is not a knock on the quality of this album, just a tell about my genre preferences. If you like electric blues with lots of guitar pyrotechnics, this is recommended.

There's one previously unreleased track on the CD (track 9, Cold Shot). The rest are taken from the following previously released albums:

• Kooper Session - Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis (1969)
• Here Comes Shuggie Otis (1970)
• Freedom Flight (1971)
• The Johnny Otis Show - Cuttin' Up (1970)

Considering Shuggie was born in 1953, all these tracks were recorded when he was just a teenager. Impressive.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks:  My favorites are Shuggie's Boogie, Sweet Thang, and Shuggie's Old Time Slide Boogie. But if you're in the mood for the blues, you'll want the full meal deal.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Inspiration Information (2001)

Glen Campbell - Live (1969)

UK Import

Recorded July 4, 1969 at the Garden State Arts Center, an amphitheater in Homdel, New Jersey.

While this album may seem a little out of place on this blog, read the memory below and you'll see why it's a part of my collection. Allmusic sums it up correctly:

this album is a good representation of Glen Campbell's music of the period, but perhaps not his usual live sound, complete with an orchestral accompaniment (conducted by Al DeLory), as well as a group of top L.A. session musicians who would normally not go on tour. Campbell himself was satisfied with the album, which contains most of his best-known numbers up to that point in his career (augmented by numbers like "The Impossible Dream" and "The Lord's Prayer"), done in a smooth, slickly professional fashion.

Campbell, then in his early thirties, sounds fantastic on both guitar and vocals. He has a much better range than I remember. Here he's in full-on Vegas entertainer mode, complete with snappy patter and jokes between songs, and the crowd eats it up. An enjoyable show with plenty of variety. The CD release sounds great and has great liner notes thanks to the folks over at BGO Records.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #13

Tracks:  18 tracks over 64 minutes. There's something for everybody here - in addition to a few country numbers, we're treated to show tunes (Somewhere, The Impossible Dream), R&B (Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay, For Once In My Life), novelty (Yakity Sax, You All Come), gospel (The Lord's Prayer) and, of course, Jimmy Webb pop. My favorite is the novelty song White Lightning, but it's far from the best. Choice tracks here are Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife, Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay, Gentle On My Mind, Where's The Playground Susie?, and By The Time I Get To Phoenix. One wonders why hit songs Galveston and Wichita Lineman weren't included.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  There wasn't much recorded music played around the house when I was very young (until I discovered Top 40 radio, that is). My father had a decent component system but was rarely home to use it, while my mother normally preferred the quiet as she went about her daily chores. I had some children's records (Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Disney movie soundtracks) and I'd sometimes play them on a cheap, plastic, toy turntable, but most of the time I was running around outside anyway. My father's system included a nice Sony reel-to-reel tape player similar to this one:

Occasionally, my mother would ask my father to put on some music before he left the house and a tape of this Glen Campbell album was most often the selection. Getting the tape through the spools and playing was an involved process, but I think my father liked the idea that he could play a 2 album set without having to change and flip records. In any case, this album is one of my earliest music memories.

Earlier, I mentioned that White Lightning is my favorite track. That might be because it was the second track on the tape so I always heard it before being distracted by G.I. Joe or Billy Blastoff and returning to my room. I had no idea what White Lightning was about - a 4 or 5 year old preacher's kid has no frame of reference for moonshine. Heck, I thought Campbell was singing "Mmmm, I like it!" instead of "Mmmm, white lightning!"

This album was out-of-print for many, many years and that tape player is long gone. However, the album was remastered and released on CD in 2008. I found a copy a few years after it was released and bought it for my mother. I took it to her and we sat and listened to it together; she didn't share the same memories as I did but that was okay, it was time very well-spent. My mother passed away earlier this year and, without asking anyone, I recently grabbed this CD and brought it, along with its wonderful memories, back to my own collection.

Various Artists - Feeling High: The Psychedelic Sound of Memphis (2012)

An impulse buy that didn't work out for me. 24 tracks of psychedelic garage rock from Memphis, 1967-69. Stax/Volt soul and Elvis, it ain't. I'm not saying it's bad (Allmusic gives it 4 stars); I'm saying it's not my bag, baby.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks:

Samples available here.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: purchased on a recent trip to Chicago at the wonderful Dusty Groove.

Various Artists - The Uplook Records Story (2006)

The crappy liner notes are no help, but I've pieced together that these songs were released on the small Philadelphia soul label in the years 1967-1970. Uplook Records was put together by talent scout and promoter Gene Lawson to showcase lesser known talent who were making waves locally in Philadelphia at that time. For the most part, these are good not great, Philly soul songs, that later became popular in the UK's Northern Soul movement. The gems here are tracks from Charles Mintz and the first singles from a then-unknown Teddy Pendergrass. Considering the fact that 5 of the tracks are various versions of the song I'll Come Running Back, I'm led to believe that these 21 tracks could be the entire Uplook catalog with many of the songs released here for the first time.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

I bought this for a copy of Charles Mintz singing Since I Found You Girl and, naturally, that turns out to be the best track. Mintz also contributes catchy tracks like Candy Baby, Finders Keepers, and Give A Man A Break. The top Pendergrass track is We Got Love. Other good tracks are Girl I'm At Your Door by Delegates Of Soul and Gotta Tell Somebody (About My Baby) by Tony Talent (who was still a student in jr high school when he recorded it).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

Various Artists - Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 1 (1990)

I'm not sure why they did this, but Rhino started their Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day series with a 12 song volume in which half of the songs charted in 1969. In any case, this debut disc features singles that peaked on the charts between June 1969 and July 1970. Only 3 of the songs are longer than 3 minutes in length. There's a little bit of something for everybody here, from bubblegum pop of More Today than Yesterday to the awesome give-me-more-cowbell opening of Mississippi Queen.

Tracks:

• More Today Than Yesterday - Sprial Starecase: Peaked at #12 in June 1969
  Awesome pop number with some Blood, Sweat & Tears horns. If you haven't been head-over-heels in love with somebody and can't relate to the passion and lyrics of singer Pat Upton, I feel sorry for you.
• Baby It's You - Smith: Peaked at #5 in November 1969
  A great bluesy soul version of a Burt Bacharach song that was also recorded by the Beatles and the Shirelles. The Beatles version appeared on their debut album; this version by Smith appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.
• Smile A Little Smile For Me - The Flying Machine: Peaked at #5 in November 1969
  The liner notes describe this song as "lightweight and dopey." They got that right; it doesn't do much for me. The Flying Machine were a one-hit wonder.
• Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal: Peaked at #15 in November 1969
  I don't remember hearing this song before buying this CD, but it just has that "sound" of a late 60s pop song (if that makes sense). I'm surprised that all the double entendres got by the censors - its a song about a girl who goes trolling for sex at Cherry Hill Park.
• Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam: Peaked at #1 in December 1969
  Yeah, you know this one. There really wasn't a band named Steam, just a bunch of studio pros put together by songwriter/producer Paul Leka. One of the great sing-along songs of all time.
• Venus - The Shocking Blue: Peaked at #1 in February 1970
  As a child of the '80s I obligated to prefer the Bananarama cover, right? Not so fast. When you hear this classic original by the Dutch band The Shocking Blue, you realize the later version was more of a remake than an innovative cover.
• Early In The Morning - Vanity Fare: Peaked at #12 in January 1970
  Sounds like The Association got wasted and recorded a poorly written harpsichord piece.
• Arizona - Mark Lindsay: Peaked at #9 in February 1970
  I don't remember this one, but imagine a Jimmy Webb-ish sounding political protest song recorded by a former member of Paul Revere & The Raiders. It's really catchy. I'll be humming this one later today, I'm sure.
• The Rapper - The Jaggerz: Peaked at #2 in March 1970
  Written by Donnie Iris who would go on to record one of my favorite '80s songs, Ah Leah. The verse isn't much, but I dig the chorus.
• Come Saturday Morning - The Sandpipers: Peaked at #17 in June 1970
  This song is from the soundtrack of the 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo starring Liza Minnelli. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It is full-on easy listening. It sounds like a TV show theme to me, so it makes sense that it's from a movie.
• Tracy - The Cuff Links: Peaked at #9 in October 1969
  Another band that didn't exist - this is Ron Dante from top to bottom. Still, this is forgetten light fluff that doesn't engage me now.
• Mississippi Queen - Mountain: Peaked at #21 in July 1970
  Shout out to Blake. Tell Will Ferrell this cowbell part is better than Don't Fear The Reaper. A rock classic.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was 3 or 4 years old when these songs hit. I'm not sure if I knew what Top 40 radio was back then as I was listening to Disney records on a Fisher Price plastic turntable.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 18
Volume 19
Volume 21

Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (1969)

I would call this a groundbreaking album, but every time an album was issued by Miles, it was already understood that it would be groundbreaking. Did Miles invent fusion music here? Could be. Music writers/critics/historians say this is the first of Davis' fusion recordings, while marking the beginning of his electric period. Talk about an all-star cast: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Josef Zawinul, John McLaughlin, and on and on. Most jazz should swing, this just grooves. All the critics give this 5 out of 5 stars and it's well-deserved because it is a timeless masterpiece. I recommend listening to this late at night. A lot has been written about this album, I encourage you to go out and read as much as you can about it.

original liner notes

In A Silent Way or Kind Of Blue? If you had to get only one jazz album, I'd say get Kind Of Blue, but go ahead and buy In A Silent Way while you're at it.

Update: In 2017, it was ranked at #9 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "gem-like brilliance and perfection"
• Billboard: "long pieces full of changing moods and tempos"
• Stereo Review: "a truly indispensable recording"
• DownBeat (★★★½): "the frequency of significant musical events on this album is rather low"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #134
• Billboard R&B: #40
• Billboard Jazz: #3

Tracks: Just two tracks. The first side of the LP is Shhh/Peaceful and the flip side is In A Silent Way/It's About That Time. If CDs had been around back in '69, Miles might have been tempted to produce one long track. In any case, it's all good. I usually find myself preferring the second track, particularly when the awesome bass line kicks in around the 8:20 mark.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Discovering this for the first time about 30 years after it was released and being mad at myself for not listening to this before. This music was also used well in the 2000 film Finding Forrester.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Panthalassa: The Remixes (1999)
This Is Jazz, Vol. 8: Miles Davis Acoustic (1996)
Live Around The World (1996)
Music from Siesta (1987)
Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1962)
Sketches of Spain (1960)
Milestones (1958)