Al Green - Genius I Reckon

[Pete S]

I remember I loved Tired Of Being Alone and especially Lets Stay Together when I was 11/12 years old, I've always liked Al Green and those Hi productions, so I thought I'd listen to a greatest hits set tonight for a change, they still sound absolutely timeless, so my top 3 Al Green's are:

 

Sha la la (make me happy)

I'm still in love with you

Let's stay together

 

then there's How Can You Mend A Broken Heart...

 

I went to see him a few years ago but was a bit disappointed as he spent way too much time bantering with the audience rather than singing.  Great, great artist though.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Pete S

[Steve S 60]

Was it a concert or one of his sermons Pete? If the latter it might explain why he spent most of the time talking to the audience and not singing.

[Pete S]

Was it a concert or one of his sermons Pete? If the latter it might explain why he spent most of the time talking to the audience and not singing.

 

Well it was supposed to be a concert, I wouldn't have gone but the missus won free tickets, it was in Brum...Candi Staton support act, she was great.

[Steve S 60]

Well it was supposed to be a concert, I wouldn't have gone but the missus won free tickets, it was in Brum...Candi Staton support act, she was great.

 

In Orlando at the moment and were going to see Robin Thicke at Universal Studios until he pulled out.  The reason given was he'd lost his voice but a couple of days later it was announced he'd split up with the missus.  Good result for me though, as the Commodores were on at Sea World the same day, so the kids had to put up with their old man singing along to some classic seventies soul.  Really impressed with their performance.  The two last remaining original members have been together for 46 years.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Steve S 60

[Guest Dave Turner]

Really enjoy listening to so much of Al Green, a vocal perfectionist.

 

For me a super take of "My Girl"

 

[Guest]

Saw him at Manchester New Century Hall, with Phillip Mitchell on the bill too. That was about 1971 ish....I think promoting "Tired of being alone".

I had "one woman" 45 on HI, which was in a Blues & Soul "Soulpack" (Happy days)

Always liked his records...."Look what you done for me" my favourite.

[Spacehopper]

nice article in the last mojo mag about 'hi'..few interesting facts about al..also a good article on small faces,worth a look

[Pete S]

Vintage Al, TopPop, Dutch TV, February 1972

 

[Jason S]

Class!

[Swifty]

T'was the first 'Proper'   record I bought 'Lets stay together' , never tire of hearing it. and 'How do you mend a brokenheart' always gets me filling up !

I don't think there's many by Al Green that I don't like to be honest. Top man !

 

 

Swifty

[Guest Dave Turner]

Could I Be The One

 

[Peter99]

Ave it!

 

https://youtu.be/hIafxRPfadI

 

Peter

 

Edited March 5, 2014 by Peter99

[Back Street Blue]

Like a bit of "the Reverand"....when I'm in the mood.....can't put up "take me to the river" cos the version I want is blocked, so here's "for the good times" instead....

 

[Nittygritty67]

I can´t think of a more souvereign and charming performer:

 

[Guest]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH3l6FVISY4

[jocko]

How Do You Mend Broken Heart, inspired by a broken heart from a fiesty Scottish woman allegedly, conceived by 3 honky** hippies from a British backwater, and unbelievably based on that one of the finest soul songs ever was birthed, and just waiting on the growing maturity of Al Green to make it one of the most heartbreaking performances. Ever. A beauty that will not fade over time, an everlastin love. Maybe even perfection.

He can be a bit showy live, having seen him a couple of times, but I think that’s been his trademark since the 70's, spends ages giving roses out to the Ladies, which I suspect 20 years ago paid benefits, other than the odd hot water down the back incident, but overall live his a million times stronger than on record, a whole different experience. Real soul.

And for the masses, a few cheap Northern singles by a him worth seeking.

And more importantly he is still doing it now, one of the best soul albums of this century, with Lay It Down being 1% short of perfect, with a modern day Al Green helping out, proving that although not very often, timeless soul music is still being produced.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lay-It-Down-Al-Green/dp/B0016A2FFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394029531&sr=8-1&keywords=al+green+lay+it+down

** Okay over dramatising slightly, I know they can write a song but I just cannot believe they produced something so beautiful.

[Tobytyke]

well done pete for bringing al green back to everyones attention. i think we sometimes take the "Stars" of our music a little bit for granted. Most of us on here must have grown up listening to him in the 70s. his output really was amazing. He does a great version of the Temps i cant get next to you, and prior to his Hi output he made a brilliant double header Dont Leave Me / Back up Train which came out over in 68 on stateside and later on bell.

[Guest]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQyRR-XlpGw

[Kegsy]

I remember I loved Tired Of Being Alone and especially Lets Stay Together when I was 11/12 years old, I've always liked Al Green and those Hi productions, so I thought I'd listen to a greatest hits set tonight for a change, they still sound absolutely timeless, so my top 3 Al Green's are:

 

Sha la la (make me happy)

I'm still in love with you

Let's stay together

 

then there's How Can You Mend A Broken Heart...

 

I went to see him a few years ago but was a bit disappointed as he spent way too much time bantering with the audience rather than singing.  Great, great artist though.

 

 

Pete, you do realise these songs are from the 70's approx. the same era as Carstairs.

Has somebody stolen your password mate ?

[Pete S]

Pete, you do realise these songs are from the 70's approx. the same era as Carstairs.

Has somebody stolen your password mate ?

 

I never said I didn't like 70's soul, I just don't like a lot of what they call 'modern soul', my bedroom walls were covered in the centre pages of Black Music once I'd taken the Slade posters down...used to love the stuff that got in the charts, played at the discos, I loved most of the uptempo Cleethorpes type 70's dancers, I just don't like the later stuff that Searling was playing, and I don't like the Carstairs simply because I think it's badly sung and just not a very good track.

Will that do?

[Mike Lofthouse]

 and prior to his Hi output he made a brilliant double header Dont Leave Me / Back up Train which came out over in 68 on stateside and later on bell.

I love his Hi output of course - and indeed heard that first - but his Back Up Train album that got a UK release on Action is tremendous.   Apart from the title track , this is gorgeous......

 

[Kev Cane]

Here it is, the best IMHO, great artist

 

 

Kev

[kevinsoulman]

LOVE ALL HIS EARLIER STUFF BUT THIS BLEW ME AWAY AND STILL DOES

KEV

 

[Spacehopper]

great five pound dancer....

 

https://youtu.be/RBI9XFMiA1s

 

apparently he didn't like lets stay together,thought he sounded like a girl...he almost turned willie Mitchell and hi down....he said no and their coach was leaving for a gig somewhere and he changed his mind ran up and tapped on the door as it was pulling away..the rest as they say...

[sjclement]

 

 

My contribution the original of the Excello crossover track

[Alan T]

Hard to beat his 60s and 70s output, a lot of my favourites have already been posted so i'll try this one from the 90s, i had a long wait to find this on vinyl. Superb singer.

 

Al Green - Give It Everything

[Kev Cane]

Hard to beat his 60s and 70s output, a lot of my favourites have already been posted so i'll try this one from the 90s, i had a long wait to find this on vinyl. Superb singer.

 

Al Green - Give It Everything

60,s, 70,s 80,s 90,s 2000+, doesn't really matter with this kind of voice and delivery, great post Tomo

 

Kev

[Kev Cane]

From the Belle album if my memory serves me right

 

 

Kev

[Tobytyke]

I love his Hi output of course - and indeed heard that first - but his Back Up Train album that got a UK release on Action is tremendous.   Apart from the title track , this is gorgeous......

 

 

From the Belle album if my memory serves me right

 

 

Kev

dont think so. the Belle album was later.

[Kev Cane]

dont think so. the Belle album was later.

Think you are right, I have "Lets Stay Together" upstairs, when I can be bothered will go and check, great record though

 

Kev

[Kev Cane]

Think you are right, I have "Lets Stay Together" upstairs, when I can be bothered will go and check, great record though

 

Kev

Its not in that set either

[Guest Dave Turner]

Its not in that set either

 

Kev, "Call Me" is on the erm ....................................................... "Call Me" album      

Edited March 6, 2014 by Dave Turner

[Cunnie]

Been doing the business in  Modern rooms for almost 20 years now with this little gem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFnTjUJXnYU

[Kev Cane]

Kev, "Call Me" is on the erm ....................................................... "Call Me" album      

[jam66]

Didn't go to many of the Bradford nighters but once when there I'm almost certain they played a track with the word pray in it (would be no surprise obviously), was I hearing things? If I remember rightly it sounded all right at the time. Anyone help on that one, could see if my taste is as bad as many reckon 

[Swifty]

Like this uptempo song , Full of Fire 

 

 

 

 

[Pete S]

Like this uptempo song , Full of Fire 

 

 

 

 

 

That's brilliant, think it's the only one of the great Hi tracks I hadn't got.

[Guest Polyvelts]

That full of fire is great !!!

[Soulman58]

In Orlando at the moment and were going to see Robin Thicke at Universal Studios until he pulled out.  The reason given was he'd lost his voice but a couple of days later it was announced he'd split up with the missus.  Good result for me though, as the Commodores were on at Sea World the same day, so the kids had to put up with their old man singing along to some classic seventies soul.  Really impressed with their performance.  The two last remaining original members have been together for 46 years.

I saw them years back and they were excellent live

[Soulman58]

3 of the top of my head from one of the master soulmen

 

Lets stay together - one of the great soul tracks never tired of it

 

Back Up Train - I remember convincing my sister she didn;t need to keep this in about 72

 

Keep On Pushing Love - One of the best track of the 90s would love to have heard this live

 

 

Have seen him live twice one preached insessently, however I just about forgave him whenever he started to sing.  One of the few I have heard who could project without a mic

[jocko]

Right you lazy buggers, no-one added this. Quite sublime, and probably in at least one of my all time favourite charts. With the amazing Anthony Hamilton on subtle accompaniment and produced by James Poyser, who has produced some great soul in this century, although better being known as one of the forces behind the giants  of Hip Hop,  The Roots. I always had high hopes for more stuff from this sort of team but alas no

 

Lay Down, let it wash over you, and salute the masters at work

 

Edited March 6, 2014 by jocko

[jocko]

And from the same LP, with the vastly underrated, in the soul world at least, John Legend, who seems not to appeal to some but I love his voice, especially live and on this they just blend brilliantly. I love it keeps a semi classic arrangement but with a contemporary feel too, just magic. James Poyser and Questlove at their best. If only they did more, or did I already say that! 

 

[Jaco]

Right you lazy buggers, no-one added this. Quite sublime, and probably in at least one of my all time favourite charts. With the amazing Anthony Hamilton on subtle accompaniment and produced by James Poyser, who has produced some great soul in this century, although better being known as one of the forces behind the giants  of Hip Hop,  The Roots. I always had high hopes for more stuff from this sort of team but alas no

 

Lay Down, let it wash over you, and salute the masters at work

 

 

Real quality Jock.

[Guest FrostyJak]

"Give It Everything","People In The World","Best Love" & "One Love" from '93 Don't Look Back album class stuff IMHO   

[Guest FrostyJak]

My 3 Hi tracks

I've Never Found A Girl

Love & Happiness

Pretty Woman     

[Twoshoes]

Saw him at Manchester New Century Hall, with Phillip Mitchell on the bill too. That was about 1971 ish....I think promoting "Tired of being alone".

I had "one woman" 45 on HI, which was in a Blues & Soul "Soulpack" (Happy days)

Always liked his records...."Look what you done for me" my favourite.

if that's the same concert I went to Al Green did not appear due to a bout of flu and Phillip Mitchell was flown in to replace him as I remember it,Rufus Thomas and Tami Lynn were also on the bill, I have the ticket along with other concerts I went about that time framed with Al Green crossed out and Mitchell pencilled in underneath,on the ticket Al Green is actualy billed under Rufus and Tami. 

[Mal C]

Just bought a nice Aussie copy of LO.V.E. (Love) which is a nice track, love Demo's....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpAbAFJ4MJI

Edited March 7, 2014 by Mal C

[Smudger]

Love this  I close my eyes and smile from i'll rise again LP 1983

 

[Smudger]

And a couple he did with Arthur Baker and the Disciples

 

Love is the message

 

 

 

Leave the guns at home

 

 

Edited March 7, 2014 by smudger

[Guest]

if that's the same concert I went to Al Green did not appear due to a bout of flu and Phillip Mitchell was flown in to replace him as I remember it,Rufus Thomas and Tami Lynn were also on the bill, I have the ticket along with other concerts I went about that time framed with Al Green crossed out and Mitchell pencilled in underneath,on the ticket Al Green is actualy billed under Rufus and Tami. 

 

I've no recollection of any Al Green concert I attend being changed. I'm sure I've not seen Rufus Thomas or Tami Lynn.

Of Course I could be wrong...a long time ago, but my initial thoughts when I posted were Al Green and Phillip Mitchell on the same show. I had PM's Jay Boy "I'm gonna build California" so I was interested in seeing him.