Turntable Tuesday

Turntable Tuesday! Al Greene’s “Give Me More Love”

March 8, 2022

It’s Turntable Tuesday because life is too short not to listen to great music! This week on Turntable Tuesday I am opening another purchase from a vinyl shop in New York City. I just said that last week! OK I will admit there is a 8 foot section of shelf in my collection that has not been opened…yet. Like I just said life is short! You can’t listen to all this great music all the time…but you can always try!

I hope you are having an early spring season if you are tired of the long winter and things are looking up for you no matter where you may be. Crank up your music device, enjoy vinyl, or get out there and support your favorite live band! What are YOU listening to right now?

The cover of Al Greene’s “Give Me More Love, The Orchestral Greatest Hits” This 180 gram pink vinyl was pressed into 7,000 copies for this release.
‘A unique sonic landscape of Soul Music like no other” This sticker graces the cover of the shrink wrap and I left it on given this album has no gate fold. Most of the time I slip these stickers into the album sleeve for a future owner to reference and enjoy. Vinyl will out live me that is certain. There is nothing like a vinyl record to capture a music era and last for many decades or more.
The back cover of the album on piano stool #3 with the track listing.
From the album insert you can see some of the many photos of the recording session. These photos give you an indication of the sound of this recording. I cannot explain the feeling of the soul coming out of the speakers you just need to go get this one and spin it!

As you can see from the sticker on the front cover this album came from “Rough Trade.” This location is in the heart of New York City. https://blog.roughtrade.com/stores/ I was shopping in NYC about a year ago and came across this record in a bin of things I was flipping through. When I saw this record I had this instant track that went through my thoughts of Al Greene singing “Take Me to the River” and suddenly my whole body was moving to the silent Soul Music in my head. I started reading the tracks and I knew I had to have this album in addition to the weight of several others under my arm. Hell I was moving to the groove and had not even opened the record up!

Elwood Blues once said that no pharmaceutical product could ever equal the rush you get when the band hits that groove; the people are dancin’ and shoutin’ and swayin’ and the house is rockin’! Well Andrew Talbert says it is hard to pick a winner when you put the Reverend Albert Leornes Greene up against even the likes of Barry White on a Saturday night with the lights down low. What do you think?

One of the tracks included on this album. It is a great one. The introduction just grooves. The background vocals are so sweet you can gain five pounds just listening to them. This music is certified American Soul. If you don’t move when you listen to Al Greene they may as well call the undertaker on you. I just made that up and true is true. ‘Nuff said.

“Take Me to the River – written by Al Greene

I’d like to dedicate this song to little Junior Parker
A cousin of mine who’s gone on, but we’d like to kinda carry on in his name

I don’t know why I love you like I do
After all the changes that you put me through
You stole my money and my cigarettes
And I haven’t seen hide nor hair of you yet I wanna know
Won’t you tell me
Am I in love to stay?

Hey, hey
Take me to the river
And wash me down
Won’t you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground

I don’t know why she treated me so bad
After all the things that we could have had
Love is a notion that I can’t forget
My sweet sixteen I will never regret I wanna know
Won’t you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Hold me, love me, please me, tease me
‘Til I can’t, ’til I can’t take no more
Take me to the river I don’t know why I love you like I do
After all the things that you put me through

The sixteen candles burning on my wall
Turning me into the biggest fool of them all I wanna know
Oh, won’t you tell me
Am I in love to stay?

What a great record this is! Go get a copy and listen to these tracks when you are in the right mood. As I say all the time, life is too short not to listen to great music!

Until next time I’ll see you, down the road.