As decades go the 1970's was never among my favorites. I have always felt that save for a handful of artists the music of that decade left an awful lot to be desired. For about three and a half years in the early part of that decade, Al Green and his producer Willie Mitchell collaborated on some of the finest and most memorable soul records ever made. Finally, Capitol records has seen fit to do justice to the music of this extremely important American artist. "Al Green: The Definitive Greatest Hits" features 21 of the finest recordings spanning Al Green's entire career. By any standard this disc truly should be considered essential to any serious collection of American popular music.
What seperates "Al Green: The Definite Greatest Hits" from previous anthologies is that it offers selections spanning the entire length and breadth of Al Green's remarkable recording career. Of course this disc includes all 7 of Al's Top Ten tunes from the early 70's including "Look What You Done For Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", the #1 smash "Let's Stay Together" as well as my personal favorite "You Ought To Be With Me" from 1972. Add to these other great hits like "L-O-V-E (Love)", "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and Al's first big Hi records hit "Tired of Being Alone" and you will quickly understand why Al Green is such an important American recording artist. One of the things that really impressed me about this collection is that Capitol chose to include Al Green's very first chart record from 1967. At that time, his name was Al Greene. His backup group was the Soul Mates. Al released "Back Up Train" on his own label and you can clearly hear why Al Green was destined to become a major star. In 1976, Al Green decided he wanted to pursue a career in gospel music. This change in musical direction would cause Al and his long-time producer Willie Mitchell to part company. His final charted record at Hi would be a tune called "Belle". The gospel influence on this tune is quite apparent. I had never heard it before and I must tell you that I absolutely loved it. Shortly thereafter, Al Green would leave the music business altogether to become a full-time minister in Memphis. In 2002, Al Green and Willie Mitchell decided that they wanted to make music together again. They would record in the very same studio in Memphis where they had made magic and history in the early 1970's. As an added treat, Capitol has chosen to add a pair of these new tunes to this collection. As you will see, Al Green has not lost it one little bit!
"Al Green: The Definitive Greatest Hits" includes a thoughtful 12 page booket that features some marvelous photos and very informative biographical information. I had completely forgotten that Al Green had a hand in writing virtually all of his hit singles! His was Southern Soul at it's absolute best! It is also worth mentioning that the remastering job is first rate. As I recall, the fidelity on those old Hi 45's was never the best. So whether you are a life-long fan or a younger person just interested in sampling this music then "The Definitive Greatest Hits" would certainly be a great choice. Highly recommended!
See all 21 tracks on this disc
