Customer Reviews

Dusty in Memphis

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I rarely use the word "sublime" to describe anything, but it seems a perfect word for this album. In light of today's top 40 radio (which I'm sure leaves so much to be desired), it sounds insulting to label this album as pop music. But knowing that pop culture has the capability of being creative, meaningful, and even powerful (it really hasn't been since Madonna tried to buy it), this album has to be one of the absolute pinnacles of popular music.

The songs on this album are fantastic, and Dusty Springfield had one of the greatest voices to ever grace American pop music. Her voice is so soft and mellow, yet can grab and just galvanize you. She knows exactly when and how to emote, something today's pop singers seem completely clueless about. So warm and loving--wow. When she sings "I've got so much love", well, heck, you can feel it.

But I don't want to overemphasize Dusty, though. The arrangements and song selection on this record are as important as Dusty's gorgeous voice. It's really amazing that this stuff passed as mainstream pop music; it beats the pants off of anything ever put out by Celine, Whitney, etc. etc. etc. This is the kind of record they DREAM of having their names on (and always miss it by a huge longshot). Did we really have to drop horns and real instruments in order to make songs consumable to the general public nowadays??? It's so sad! But I digress...

Don't even think of buying anything less than the "Deluxe Edition" of this album!! A lot of re-releases these days include bonus tracks, but the bonus tracks here are not to be taken lightly. It must have been a tough job to select the tracks for the original release (imagine having to throw away incredible tracks like "Wille & Laura Mae Jones" and the original recording of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend"!! OMG). If I had to pick a few weak tracks to throw out, though, I could have only really picked "Cherished" and "All The King's Horses". These are certainly not bad songs, they just don't stack up to the other 23 (!) songs.

If I could only say one great thing about this record (I can say a lot), it would be that this album showcases "Son-of-a-Preacher Man"--which is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. The buildup to this song is so tremendous, and the controlled release is just glorious. But that's really how this whole album works.

For once--BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!

I was 11 years old when the British Invasion brought Dusty Springfield a string of pop hits, and I thought she was just about the coolest thing on earth. I bought every one of her singles. But by the time this album came out in 1969, I was a teenager and thought I'd outgrown her music along with go-go boots and white lipstick. I wasn't even listening to Top 40 radio anymore by that time (preferring "underground" stations that played Joplin and Hendrix), so I didn't hear "Son of a Preacher Man" until it turned up on the oldies stations a couple of decades later.

But this album hung on. I kept hearing musicians I had a lot of respect for cite it as one of the masterpieces of the 60s, and thought I must be hearing wrong. Dusty Springfield? The girl with the big hair and inch-thick eyeliner?

Yeah. Dusty Springfield. I don't know if there's anybody left who still thinks of her as a lightweight pop singer, but if there is, give them this album. Among the 11 tracks that make up the original album are songs with some of the deepest, most soulful singing you've ever heard this side of Aretha Franklin. (Dusty's version of "Son of a Preacher Man" is even BETTER than Aretha's!) Not just "Preacher Man," but "So Much Love," "Don't Forget About Me," "No Easy Way Down" and "I Can't Make It Alone" are just pure, classic Memphis soul. And even when she takes on a song that couldn't really be described as "soul" like Randy Newman's moving ballad, "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore," or the sly and sexy "Breakfast In Bed" she brings a soulfulness to them that they wouldn't have if anyone else did them. Even "Windmills of Your Mind"  a song that every other singer I've ever heard has managed to make both bland and pretentious  is lovely when Dusty sings it.

And that's just the original album. The Deluxe edition added 13 bonus tracks. Most bonus tracks are just some junk tacked on to make you believe you're getting more for your money. These are every bit as good as the original album. I would have cut "Cherished"  not really a terrible song, but not quite up to Springfield standards. But everything else is fabulous. "That Old Sweet Roll" (yes, the Blood, Sweat and Tears song) and "Goodbye" are especially good. And "Natchez Trace" was a revelation. Who knew Dusty Springfield could rock?

I'm just sorry it took me so long to find this album.

I cannot praise either this album or Dusty Springfield enough. Listening to the first track alone, "Just A Little Lovin'" is enough to tell you that this woman knows and expresses everything there is to know about love. What's more, she does it with sublime subtlety: a wink and a sly smile as opposed to a modern so-called "Diva" like Whitney Houston, who'd bash you over the head. True style as opposed to gaudy excess. There's not a bad song on the album, and several true classics. But listen to it several times before you form a judgement: that subtlety needs time to work its magic and insinuate itself into your soul. I always thought "Windmills of Your Mind" was dreary 60's muzak until I heard her masterly epic version. And no matter how many times I hear it, chills go up my spine when she sings the words, "He don't really love her" in Randy Newman's "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore". Hell, nobody can sing the word "baby" and express as many emotions through it as Dusty did. She is sorely missed!

This album has been "hyped" a lot recently, especially with its high ranking in the Rolling Stone list of Top 500 albums of all time, and if it hadn't been for all the hype, I never would have heard of it. So thanks, Rolling Stone, it really was a great discovery. Of course anyone who knows Dusty at all knows the very Memphis-sounding "Son of a Preacher Man". It is the best song on the album, the best I ever heard from her. Dusty shines as a soul singer, languorous and sexy, not brassy and bold like fellow "Preacher" singer Aretha Franklin. But only "Preacher" and a few other tracks truly fit into the Memphis/Muscle Shoals style of soul. (One of them, "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" was written by Tony Joe White, who brought us the swamp-rock classic "Polk Salad Annie" and also wrote "Rainy Night in Georgia".) Most other tracks are from another world entirely, melodic LA/New York pop written by ace songwriters like Randy Newman, Carole King/Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil and Burt Bacharach, and set more to strings than to horns. But Dusty herself - not the music per se - is what transforms this from a pop to a soul album. Unlike today's "soul" singers who dish out pre-programmed vocal acrobatics at 110 decibels, Dusty just sings it the way the writer wrote it, putting her own sensitivity into every word - and she sends chills right down your spine, song after song after song. Just listen, and you will feel as if she is the only one who could ever reach you.

I rushed out to get this disc on the day it was released and am not disappointed. This is just a perfect anytime, any mood CD. In my opinion it would be worth the buying price if only for the tunes 'Don't forget about me','Just one smile', The windmills of your mind' & of course the classic cut 'Son of a Preacher Man', but it has 14 bonus tracks that were not previously released. Dusty Springfield is an incredibly gifted and under-rated vocalist.Her song styling is at once seductive,strong and subtle. When I first heard the vocals begin on track #5, I actually got goosebumps! Her voice sends chills up my spine and this deluxe edition of 'Dusty in Memphis' is a prime example of why she is worthy of induction into the rock-&-roll hall of fame. This disc exemplifies her vocal range and interpretive skills beautifully. It is smooth and mellow, but never boring or slow. Turn the ringer off on the phone, brew a pot of tea and curl up with 'Dusty...' tonight. I think anyone that can appreciate good soul-felt vocals will enjoy this disc immensely.

This is the pivotal album of Dusty Springfield's career, making many "best of" lists. And it certainly deserves that honor! Just when this album couldn't get any better, you get this Deluxe Edition, which features the original 11 tracks and a whopping 14 bonus tracks! The original songs have been remastered, and sound pristine and clear, the way they were meant to be heard. This version will truly make you experience the album, and appreciate the arrangements, production and overall quality of Dusty's vocals.

There is an abundance of bonus material that was previously unissued, including her inspired cover of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend", "Have A Good Life Baby", "Cherished", "Goodbye", "Make It With You", "All The King's Horses", "Natchez Trace", "Live Here With You" and "Love Shine Down". That already makes it a must own, for all that bonus rare material!

But the tracks that actually make up the DUSTY IN MEMPHIS part of the album, that is worth raving about. From the opening "Just A Little Lovin", this album is perfect as your soundtrack to a lazy afternoon. I agree with the reviewer who pointed out that "Windmills of My Mind" may be her most underrated performance. Of course everyone is familiar with the classic "Son of a Preacher Man". It's the quieter songs that show Dusty's power in my opinion, on songs like "So Much Love" and "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore", her nuanched performances really bring the material out. The same could be said on tracks like "Just One Smile" or "No Easy Way Down", and more uptempo songs like "Don't Forget About Me" or "Breakfast In Bed".

Overall, this is an excellent edition to own, of a classic album. Every Dusty Springfield collection should have at least this album in it!

Dusty Springfield was at her creative and vocal peak in Dusty In Memphis. Sure, there was the big hit, "Son Of A Preacher Man", one of the best known of all Dusty songs. However, I will agree with Dusty's own comments in the liner notes when she says the song "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore" is her favorite. She shows the entire vocal range she can command in this song, and the result is absolutely gorgeous. I also flat-out love "Windmills Of Your Mind", "Just A Little Lovin'", "In The Land Of Make Believe" and "I Can't Make It Alone". For that matter, the entire original 11 tracks are Dusty in her very best form. The fact that she leaned heavily on the Caro King/David Goffin, Burt Bacharach/Hal David songwriting teams and Randy Newman for material in this recording does not in any way detract from Dusty's efforts, in fact it enhances them. Dusty invented the entire way she sang, but the rest is God-given, and we are much better for her having been among us.

The role of the Memphis Cats cannot be understated, either. I just love horn bands, being a Chicago fan since 1972, and it is no coincidence to me that DIM came out at the same time as Chicago Transit Authority. DIM hinted at the integrated horn and rythim section that became Chicago's hallmark, while maintaining some classic orchestration as well. Chicago would also emulate some of these classic orchestration elements found in DIM.

As for the bonus tracks, personally, I love every one of them, even if some do not quite fit in with the original DIM theme. However, "Willie And Laura Mae Jones", "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho") and "I'll Be Faithful" sound like they would have fit in the original DIM very nicely. And "Willie And Laura Mae Jones" and "Natchez Trace" show a rare side of Dusty, the side that can rock-out with anyone.

I rediscovered this album last year after reading a piece about her in the New York Times Magazine a year or so ago. I had forgotten how much I loved her sound.

Dusty was maybe the most American sounding of the British Invasion, and she and Bill Medley were the personification of so-called Blue Eyed Soul. She was never better than she sounded on these cuts. Of course, the seminal cut is "Son of a Preacherman", and her breathless innocence which starts this cut turns quickly to earthy sensuous power. "Breakfast in Bed" and "So Much Love" are also classics which somehow never made it to Top 40 radio. "Windmills of Your Mind" was, to my thinking, the most under appreciated song she ever recorded. The bonus tracks include "That Old Sweet Roll" (Hi-De-Ho), made popular by Blood Sweat and Tears. She gives this her own personal stamp.

A needed addition to any collection. Just the thing on a sultry summer afternoon with a pitcher of cold margaritas, or in front of a cozy fireplace in mid-winter. Good, good stuff.

This is one record that is truly classic. Like Carole King's "Tapestry," there is not one bad song on "Dusty in Memphis." The sad shame is that when this came out, it didn't sell very well. This album should have made her a legend and placed her in the same category as someone like Aretha Franklin because it is THAT good. From "Just a Little Lovin'" to "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore" to "I Can't Make It Alone," this album offers amazingly good performances of great songs. This is well worth the price.

This is the recording that finally made me understand the difference between an "artist" and a popular singer. The songs on this CD nearly all sound like they could have been recorded in the '90s, not in 1969. Most people will only know "Son of a Preacher Man," but that isn't even my favorite cut on the album. This CD has been an influence to a lot of other artists, some of whom have credited it. Elvis Costello called it the second greatest album released on Atlantic in the '60s, second only to Aretha Franklin's debut album. It is an amazing combination of soul, perfect production and an artist who always cared deeply about the quality of her work. I've got tons of music, most of it from current artists, but this is one of my top five favorites in my collection.