Rhodes, Chalmers and Rhodes

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Me, too, Boogie. Back in the day, that's what inspired me to check out some of the other HI Records artists like Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and O.V. Wright. As it turned out, I love all of them. They've all got the same Willie Mitchell "sound". If you like Al Green's sound, you'll like the others. Their lead vocalists could have been pretty much interchangeable with each other's albums [[same producer, same musicians, all with Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes on back-up vocals) just like Philles artists were interchangeable, as were Motown's, '70s Philly Soul, or any other specialized "sound". To me, that's a good thing, not a detriment. Here are some examples:

SYL JOHNSON - "We Did It"
https://youtu.be/5cPY77fJTEk

SYL JOHNSON - "I'm Yours"
https://youtu.be/gPw-7-0P3RQ

SYL JOHNSON - "Back For A Taste Of Your Love"
https://youtu.be/X6gSqGrf7SQ

O.V. WRIGHT - "Trying To Live My Life"
https://youtu.be/WkmiokUIXFw

[Boogiedown]

Me, too, Boogie. Back in the day, that's what inspired me to check out some of the other HI Records artists like Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and O.V. Wright. As it turned out, I love all of them. They've all got the same Willie Mitchell "sound". If you like Al Green's sound, you'll like the others. Their lead vocalists could have been pretty much interchangeable with each other's albums [[same producer, same musicians, all with Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes on back-up vocals) just like Philles artists were interchangeable, as were Motown's, '70s Philly Soul, or any other specialized "sound". To me, that's a good thing, not a detriment. Here are some examples:

SYL JOHNSON - "We Did It"
https://youtu.be/5cPY77fJTEk

SYL JOHNSON - "I'm Yours"
https://youtu.be/gPw-7-0P3RQ

SYL JOHNSON - "Back For A Taste Of Your Love"
https://youtu.be/X6gSqGrf7SQ

O.V. WRIGHT - "Trying To Live My Life"
https://youtu.be/WkmiokUIXFw

Very interesting , listening to those Syl Johnson tracks. Vocally, I'd call him sort of a poor man's Al Green.

Looks like Al Green was already at Hi and working with Willie M. when Syl came on board in the early seventies. I wonder what Al thought of that , and if the two were friends or rivals?
Al Green definitely had the advantage of being ten years younger with all that goes with it.

Green is one of the few artists I pursued each new release of. I even bought the retro BACK UP TRAIN LP recorded before his HI times when it came out.


from it:

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Very interesting , listening to those Syl Johnson tracks. Vocally, I'd call him sort of a poor man's Al Green.

Looks like Al Green was already at Hi and working with Willie M. when Syl came on board in the early seventies. I wonder what Al thought of that , and if the two were friends or rivals?
Al Green definitely had the advantage of being ten years younger with all that goes with it.

Green is one of the few artists I pursued each new release of. I even bought the retro BACK UP TRAIN LP recorded before his HI times when it came out.


from it:

A "poor man's Al Green"!!! That's funny! Now I'm gonna think of that every time I play Syl Johnson! LOL!!! I have no idea what the relationship was like between Al Green and Syl Johnson. The only thing I've read between the two is that Al Green wrote the HI recording "Take Me To The River", but Syl Johnson had the hit with it. Seems to me that both guys made royalties on that record [[Al as songwriter and Syl's performance), and both would be grateful to each other. In reality, however, that may or may not have been the case. One thing is for sure -- Al Green was 'king of the hill' at HI Records. I remember his massive popularity well at the time. He could do no wrong on the charts, and the quality of his albums was consistently high from LP to LP. [[Like you, I bought each and every one of them -- up through and including "The Belle Album".) That's what made me check out Syl Johnson and Ann Peebles, as I couldn't get enough of Willie Mitchell's sound. I even like the pre-Hi recording you provided for "Guilty". It actually sounds like it could have been an early Hi recording before Willie perfected his sound. I just may have to seek out that CD, if it's still available.

Here's a quick comparison of Al Green's version of "Take Me To The River" and Syl Johnson's, of which I love both equally:

AL GREEN's:
https://youtu.be/9FBUgdhxe9M

SYL JOHNSON's:
https://youtu.be/jF-VGjAwh9E

[Boogiedown]

A "poor man's Al Green"!!! That's funny! Now I'm gonna think of that every time I play Syl Johnson! LOL!!! I have no idea what the relationship was like between Al Green and Syl Johnson. The only thing I've read between the two is that Al Green wrote the HI recording "Take Me To The River", but Syl Johnson had the hit with it. Seems to me that both guys made royalties on that record [[Al as songwriter and Syl's performance), and both would be grateful to each other. In reality, however, that may or may not have been the case. One thing is for sure -- Al Green was 'king of the hill' at HI Records. I remember his massive popularity well at the time. He could do no wrong on the charts, and the quality of his albums was consistently high from LP to LP. [[Like you, I bought each and every one of them -- up through and including "The Belle Album".) That's what made me check out Syl Johnson and Ann Peebles, as I couldn't get enough of Willie Mitchell's sound. I even like the pre-Hi recording you provided for "Guilty". It actually sounds like it could have been an early Hi recording before Willie perfected his sound. I just may have to seek out that CD, if it's still available.

Here's a quick comparison of Al Green's version of "Take Me To The River" and Syl Johnson's, of which I love both equally:

AL GREEN's:
https://youtu.be/9FBUgdhxe9M

SYL JOHNSON's:
https://youtu.be/jF-VGjAwh9E

Ha! Ha! Gary! Glad you are amused. I'll explain my poor man's comparison.

When I worked in a record store in San Francisco in the early eighties, free tickets to events often came my way. When Sheena Easton's tour passed through SF , [[at the Orpheum Theatre on Market St.?) , I went with a co-worker and her husband . When it was over , and we were discussing the night , Gloria called Sheena "a poor man's Barbra Streisand" . I was struck by it , and have ever since gauged some artists against others in that way . lol!

Immediately ,the stand out difference of the two TAKE ME TO THE RIVERs is the harmonica on Syl's version of which his playing is apparently a big part of his stage persona.
That version's intro reminded me of MISS YOU by The Rolling Stones , so I looked it up to see if that was Syl Johnson playing on it . [[no)

For me , each of Al Green's single releases topped the one before it , until his sound culminated to its peak in the uplifting "YOU OUGHT TO BE WITH ME". [[ the later "L-O-V-E" though has proved itself a perennial favorite for me). Album cut faves include HOW CAN YOU MEND ... and FOR THE GOOD TIMES . How about you Gary?

I had the good fortune at the age of sixteen to first see Al Green in concert in 1971 and in.... Detroit!! and it was quite a memorable experience . I'll have to share the details here sometime.

Of my favorite concerts , that one comes to mind, that and the Ohio Players when at their peak, Donna Summer in the 70's, and ....and in the late eighties, ...Barry Manilow!!!! lol!!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Boogie, your "Poor Man's" theory has caused me to compare more artists than I care to admit to here! To avoid offending anyone, I think it's safest if I keep the results to myself! HaHa!!!

Yeah, Syl Johnson's "Take Me To The River" contains a harmonica, while Al Green's has strings in the intro as well as in the bridge of the song. Other than Al's spoken intro, both versions are pretty much the same backing track. [[I sure love Charlie Chalmer's horn arrangements! They're stellar!)

I agree, I love all of Al Green's singles. He also had an array of super album tracks. Since you asked, my favorites, in addition to the ones you've already listed above, are: I Can't Get Next To You, Love And Happiness, The City, ONE-NIGHT STAND [[my all-time favorite), I'm Hooked On You, Let's Get Married, That's The Way It Is, Keep Me Cryin', Smile A Little Bit More, I Tried To Tell Myself, and The Truth Marches on. I wasn't crazy about "The Belle Album". For me, the appeal of Al's albums, as well as Syl Johnson's and Ann Peebles', was the sound of Willie Mitchell's productions. Without that element, "The Belle Album" didn't cut it for me. How about you, Boogie? Did you like it?

For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with Al Green's "One-Night Stand", I rate it as my favorite because it's the perfect combination of Willie Mitchell's production, Al Green's lead vocals, Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes' back-up vocals, and those Memphis horns! Everybody involved was cookin' in high gear. Here's why:

AL GREEN - "One-Night Stand"
https://youtu.be/rYXayKgMVl8

Living in Detroit in 1971, as you were, I can easily imagine you being in the center hub of everything musical -- especially Motown, for at least another year before their exit to California. October '71 was when I was given a tour of Motown's Donovan Building. Just as 1960's Phil Spector and Motown had made an incredible impact on my life, Hi Records' 1970's Memphis Sound and '70s Philly Soul made an equally gigantic impact on me. Musically speaking, it was an exciting time to be alive! The 1973-1982 Disco era was equally thrilling for me -- at least the American disco productions of which most of the best were Black. The Euro-Disco white-artist productions not so much, although they were widely revered by some disco fans.

Even Barry Manilow, eh?!!! Don't feel bad -- I have my own favorite middle-of-the-road artists as well, like Karen Carpenter and Anne Murray. Heck, I even love Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra!
I have all 50+ of his Dot albums on CD. When I admit that, people younger than me usually cringe! But that's alright. I seriously couldn't get enough of his twin-sax sound, as on his biggest '50s hit "Sail Along Silvery Moon". To each his own!