31 July 2013 (Day 212) – Classic Soul Albums

It was another truncated though productive day at work, getting through a number of tasks before hitting the wall.  Not wanting to be assaulted by anything especially loud, I used part of my time well, getting through three classic soul albums in the time spent at my desk.

Today’s listening gathers together some of the very few single soul albums on my iPod that are not multi or single artist compilations.   Motown is covered largely by a 4 disc set augmented by several strategically chosen compilations of key artists who are underrepresented by it.  Southern Soul, by far my preference, dominates through the 8 disc Atlantic 1947-1974 History of R&B series, a Stax Records box, a two disc set that focuses on Fame Studios and assorted others.  Even more compilations are added for the giants of this stream and those generally not associated with it or Motown, among them Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, Booker T & The MG’s, Sam And Dave, Al Green, Solomon Burke,  Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, James Brown  and, naturally, my main man Otis Redding. 

Duplicated tracks are struck out to maximise the number of tracks I can include.  But it is not a fate for any of the tracks that appear on today’s listening where the reverse occurs and it is the tracks from the compilations that go.  Each of these albums makes for such a satisfying listen that to edit any of these in any form amounts to musical sacrilege.

(# 536) Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul (1969)

Previously one of the writers and producers at Stax Records, Hayes eventually embarked on a solo career, hitting paydirt with this his second album.  It is a key record in the history of soul comprising just 4 tracks and making a mockery of the unwritten three minute rule for soul hits at the time. Moreover, the length of the tracks and the lush production sounds, probably provided some of the initial inspiration for disco music.  But don’t let this stop you, this is reverting stuff.  The opening cut is a 12 minute reworking of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic Walk On By which simply demolishes any trace of the Dionne Warwick version despite the heavy orchestral intro. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic is a 9 minute funk master class and the five minute One Woman is an anguished ballad that seems slightly out of place here.  But it is the final track that will divide listeners, an 18 minute version of By The Time I Get To Phoenix.  The first 8 minutes or so is basically a monologue in which Hayes speaks a lot but says little, although it’s bizarre today to hear him refer to the track’s “young” songwriter Jimmy Webb.  The remainder is a slow trawl through the tune which builds up to an almost operatic orchestral ending.  Somehow, the combination of the two elements works and one gets so drawn into the piece that the time simply flies by.

(# 537) Bill Withers – Live At Carnegie Hall (1973)

Recorded the previous year, this is a perfect introduction to Withers’ work harnessing tracks from the two albums that kicked off his career, Just As I Am and Still Bill.  I prefer this to the studio albums; the venue provides a magnificent sound quality that suits the music, especially on tracks such as Friend Of Mine where strings kick in.  Additionally it captures the audience’s reaction throughout the show with great detail.  Normally this is something that I loathe hearing during numbers on live albums, but on this occasion, the audience almost functions as an additional instrument or a Greek chorus that reminds you that this is soul, man!  And Bill certainly rose to the occasion with great readings of tracks such as the opener Use Me,  Ain’t No Sunshine, Grandma’s Hands, Lean On Me and Lonely Town Lonely Street.

(# 538) Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971)

When people write about the great “rock operas” this album is invariably excluded.  I suspect people are reluctant to include this as the medium here is soul music.  Yet this masterpiece holds together better than just about any conceptually conceived album ever released.  And the concept is astonishingly simple.  It documents the shocked reaction of an American soldier about the state of his nation on his return from the Vietnam War with many of the tracks run into each other either musically or thematically. Yet none of this would have mattered if it wasn’t for the brilliant music on offer, including the magnificent title track and the entirety of the original release’s Side 2, Right On, Wholly Holy and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).  In so accurately capturing a moment in time, Gaye effectively made a timeless recording.  The mood and sentiment captured here could just as easily apply to the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan today.