Customer Reviews

Gets Next to You

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was at first a little put off by the jacket he's wearing on the cover, but having bought all the other Hi albums I thought I really should get this, and then it turns out to be my favourite! It seems to me a lot meatier in tone than the others - harder grooves, more of an 'edge' all round - and is better for it (although obviously the others are classics, so at this level it really is just a matter of taste). I think there's also more of the influence of James Brown on this record - compare 'The Payback' of his and you get a great couple of hours listening.

Al Green Gets Next To You is another showcase for the amazing vocal talents of the Rev. Al Green. The album was his first commercial hit spurred on by the southern-fired r&b song "Tired Of Being Alone". He slows down the Temptations' "I Can't get Next To You" into a bump and grind and he turns "Light My Fire" into a plea for spiritual fulfillment. He dips into a blues vein on "I'm A Ram" and sermonizes on "God Is Standing By". "Are You Lonely For Me Baby" is the standout track on the album as he tackles the Chuck Jackson song with a religious fervor.

For those who might be coming to Al Green from a harder, rougher soul perspective, this is the album for you! If you've never heard how down and dirty the sinister minister from Memphis could get, this record will change your mind about Al Green. Sure, "Tired Of Being Alone" is a sweet soul classic and "God Is Standing By" is a beautiful cover of a Johnnie Taylor gospel tune, but the rest of the tracks just ooze grit, sweat and soul. "Are You Lonely For Me Baby" is incredible! Hard & pleading. "I Can't Get Next To You" should be known to those who have Al's Greatest Hits, but how many of you have heard the remainder of this LP? Every single under-appreciated track here is an absolute gem. "You Say It" is Al Green in lowdown funky James Brown mode. "I'm A Ram" and "Driving Wheel" are blistering blues-based workouts. "Right Now Right Now" is wah-wah soaked atmospheric funk. "All Because" ends the album with maybe the finest funk/soul performance of Rev. Green's early career. Of course, that's just my opinion, but you'd have to agree that these lesser-known tracks are equal to many of the big hits. And I haven't even mentioned what this man does with "Light My Fire". If all you own is a greatest hits type compilation, or even if you have the Al Green box set, you NEED this album to fully understand what a master of gutbucket, gritty soul & funk Al Green was.

All about the voice. Give him something to sing, and he'll sing it. He won't just sing it, he'll own it. This guy was just born to be a lead singer. Nothing in these songs matters but his voice. If he sings well, the song's great. If he doesn't? Then we've got a problem on our hands. I mean, yeah, his backup band is like a rock - not the most original in the world, per se, but really great, particularly the drummer and the horn section. But when it comes down to it, the reason to listen to Al Green is the voice. It's charismatic, sexy, and soulful. It's really tough to see the religious phase of his career at this point - on this album, he just wants to get it on. You know what he's talkin' 'bout. Come on, three of these songs (the three best, I'll add), refer to "gettin' next to you". There's his grade-A version of "I Can't Get Next to You", turned into a soul ballad with a burning guitar solo; the soulful plea for love, comfort, and sex (not exactly in that order) "Tired of Being Alone"; and "I'm a Ram", which has Green getting funky. It's this charisma that even makes his cover of "Light My Fire", if not fantastic, at least better than I thought it would be - his mutterings during the verses have a lot of charm, and his ad-libbing during the end is pretty cool, even though I think the choruses are wimpy - still, the "Stick a match in my fire!" part cracks me up. There's no way it can compare to the Doors' classic original, but if you want a cover of it by a classic soul singer, lemme give you a hint: it's a hell of a lot better than Stevie Wonder's version. And there's all sorts of other great stuff scattered about: his slinky cover of the jazz standard "Are You Lonely for Me Baby?", solid funk in "Driving Wheel" and "Right Now, "Right Now", and some fantastic gospel testimonial on "God is Standing By". The only weak link is the soul cliché "You Say It".

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Here are the track listings:

1. I Can't Get Next To You
2. Are You Lonely For Me Baby
3. God Is Standing By
4. Tired Of Being Alone
5. I'm A Ram
6. Driving Wheel
7. Light My Fire
8. You Say it
9. Right Now, Right Now
10. All Because

Al Green became a true superstar thanks to both "So Tired Of Being Alone" and his fiery remake of The Temptations' hit "I Can't Get Next To You". Granted, this album is very raw, funky and hard-edged in comparison to his subsequent releases and is very far removed from the lushly romantic sound that would pervade his "Call Me", "Let's Stay Together", "I'm Still In Love With You" and "Al Green Is Love" sets but it was a career-changing record for him.

This review has been written just as I finished "Take me to the River", Al Green's biography with Davin Seay ( available through Amazon books). It did what all good biographies of musicians should do - sent me back to the music, and this album in particular. This is a diverse album with the chart hit "Tired of being alone", the breakthrough that he had been looking for. There are hard blues "Drivin' Wheel" and "I'm a ram". Most of all, however,there are the pleading songs which he interpreted so well, "Are you lonely for me baby" and an astounding reinterpretation of "Light My Fire". The Hi house band is never less than sympathetic and at times astounding, with all the Willie Mitchell arrangements perfectly showcasing "the voice". If you've got the greatest hits album and you're looking for an Al Green album to explore further, this is it!

This Album Is Good.AL Green As Always Sings From The Heart.Tired Of Being Alone is still the Jam.The Horn Arrangements&His Voice make this A Must.His Voice&Music are Both Timeless&Essential Too Any Collection.