Customer Reviews

Introspect / Don't It Make You Want to Go Home (2 original albums)

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Atlanta native Joe Souter (a.k.a. Joe South) is one of the unsung heroes in popular music as although a few of his hits peaked in the top 40 in pop and/or country, as noted, mostly other artists had hits with his material. This CD is an Australian twofer of his first 2 albums originally released on Capitol. Introspect, from 1968, and Don't It Make You Want To Go Home, from 1969. These 2 albums contain many of the most influential songs in all of popular music including the #12 pop hit "Games People Play," (covered successfully by Freddy Weller, who had a #2 country hit with it), Birds of a Feather (a #96 hit for Joe that became a #23 hit for Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1971), Rose Garden (covered by Lynn Anderson who would take it to #1 on both country and pop charts), Don't It Make You Want To Go Home (which would peak at #27 on the country chart and #41 on the pop chart, which Bobby Bare and a few other artists have covered), Children (a #51 hit which Billy Joe Royal covered on his "Cherry Hill Park" album in 1970, available on a twofer with 1965's "Down In The Boondocks" which is available here at Amazon), Walk a Mile In My Shoes (a #12 pop hit, #56 country hit, which Elvis would later feature in his concerts regularly throughout the 1970s) and These Are Not My People (Freddy Weller also charted with this and it peaked at #5 on the country charts), plus "Hole In Your Soul," a single that got included on the "Games People Play" compilation in the LP days and not on any other album is included as a bonus track, but the entire CD is classic singer-songwriter music and is essential to any collection of music from the 1960s-1970s.

If you are reading this you probably know about the quality of Joe South's music. Unfortunately, it seems that few people know about this brillant but mostly forgotten late 60's early 70's singer, writer, guitarist, producer. As such, until now, all of his albums never made it to compact disc. The only Joe South c.d.'s that have hit the market are compilations - The best are Rhino records 1990 compilation and Raven record's 1999 anthology - A Mirror Of His Mind. I have both and loved them so much that I tracked down and purchased Joe's L.P.'s . Most of the material from this new c.d. is available on the two previously mentioned compilations. However, five songs that have never made it to c.d. are in this set. In my opinion four of the five are "must haves" - "Bittersweet" not being in that category. Anyway, the packaging and sound quality are good. There is a nice essay from Bernie Howitt who compiled this set and the previous Raven records package. I wish he would have mentioned what Joe South is up to today. However, Mr. Howitt did include a recent picture of him and Joe, along with pictures of Joe's exhibition in the Georgia Music hall of fame. The sound quality of the c.d. is good but not great: It seems that the c.d was not remastered from the original multi-track recordings but from secondary sources. At times the sound is a bit muddy especially on "Hole In Your Soul" and "Before It's Too Late" Regardless of my nit picking this is a worthwhile purchase. To Raven Records - PLEASE REISSUE THE REST Of JOE SOUTH"S CATALOG - especially the "Look Inside" album which in my opinion is the third best of Joe South L.P. behind the ones on this c.d.

Without a doubt, Joe South is the most important lost artist of the late-1960s. Not sure how that happened - I guess his manager/promoter really sucked, but this singer/songwriter was full of talent both vocally and lyrically.

I first time I ever heard Joe South was in a record store in London, England in 1993. The owner had one of Joe's vinyls playing and it was awesome. I returned to Canada and found the only CD available (Rhino) - I played it so much, I ended up buying a double because the first one soon scratched.

Joe had a tremendous ability to blend harmonies, instruments with powerful lyrics - both serious and playful - without sounding preachy or out-of-date. His voice may not be everyone's thing, but it is, without a doubt, honest, raw and strong. He ended up writing some top sellers for others, but I remain a purist, prefering his versions of "Rose Garden", "Games People Play", "Down in the Boondocks" and "Hush" to the artists who made them more famous.

Joe South is still very much undiscovered country for most people and maybe that's not a bad thing. A lost gem who single-handedly embodies much of what this era of rock, folk and soul is all about.

Way back, when I was 16 years old, I discovered Joe South. After I heard "Games People Play", and then later, "Walk A Mile In My Shoes ", I knew that I had to purchase all of this artist's albums. He struck a chord that reverberated in me everything I was feeling during those tumultuous teenage years. Needless to say, that I have never lost my admiration for this incredible artist's talent and soulful renderings for songs that he himself composed. Joe South was truly an original. I have to praise Mr. Silverberg's assessment of Joe's third album, "A Look Inside Joe South". It remains as one of my favorite albums and desperately needs to be made into CD format. One only has to look at the album cover before he ever gets to listen to the stylistic way he imparts his special brand of "blues" to know that this is a very special album indeed. Everytime I would take it out and look at it, I knew the man was suffering a personal inner anguish. Although the entire album is a deep, "introspection", of Joe's inner turmoil after the death of his brother, Tommy, the first side of this album in particular, illustrates Joe South's uncanny ability to translate his tortured spirit into realms where everyone can relate to a deep sense of loss. Joe South remains a remarkable talent who put his intense "down-to-earth"- spin on everything he wrote. I grew up with Joe South and continue to play his songs that, although take me back to a time of questioning and self-revelation, are still mind-boggling for today. If you are just discovering Joe South, only know a few songs, or if you happen to be a die-hard fan, I suggest that you, "Drop what you're doin'!", buy or play this CD often and "Walk A Mile In His (My)Shoes." You will proclaim like he did so well, "Lord, have mercy!"

I agree with most of the previous typist's review with one "glaring" exception..."Bittersweet" is my favorite Joe South song ever and one of my favorite songs by any artist. It's one thing not to agree but to actually single it out as not measuring up with the rest...boy, I don't know. Anyway, everyone is entitled to their opinion. The "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home" portion of this disc is, all alone, worth the asking price. If you've only heard one song in your life by Joe South that you liked, buy this disc. You'll be very glad you did. This makes me think of that old question..."If you were on a deserted island and could take five CD's with you...well, this one would DEFINITELY be one of them.

South found solo fame with two performances from this pair of late-60s albums, the breakout singles "Games People Play" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." But like many artists' popular breakthroughs, his hits were preceded by a great deal of wood-shedding, as a songwriter, producer and instrumentalist, resulting in breakthrough albums that were mature and sophisticated, rather than raw and brash. South's guitar added the memorable electric sting to Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" and slunk behind Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" (the unedited guitar intro to this latter tune, as heard on the 2002 CD reissue of "Lady Soul," is worth seeking out), before providing the foundation for these two solo albums.

The bittersweet opener "All My Hard Times" is a microcosm of all that is great about South's writing and singing -- a hopeful lyric with a husky, soulful vocal that edges perfectly into gospel. It's truly a wonder that this didn't burn up the chart. South's rendition of his own "Rose Garden" utilizes a Spectorian "Be My Baby" beat and castanets on the title that would later become a hit for Lynn Anderson. The familiar electric sitar of "Games People Play" also powers the funky "Mirror of Your Mind," and South's gutiar is heard on the bluesy "Redneck" and swampy "Don't Be Ashamed." The latter borrows so liberally from "River Deep, Mountain High" is surprising no lawsuit ensued.

The Beach Boys' styled backing vocal intro of "Clock Up on the Wall" gives way to a melancholy tune that brings to mind turn-of-the-decade hits like "Smile a Little Smile for Me" and "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)," and the gospel chorus returns for the faith-in-love "Shelter." The swamp-blues "A Million Miles Away" is a wonderfully trippy instrumental, and "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home" closes its original album with a moving song of discouraged nostalgia. Raven's CD reissue adds the psych-soul bonus track "Hole in Your Soul," plucked from the "Games People Play" reissue of "Introspect."

Both albums perfectly captured the crossfire of mid-60s pop craft, late-60s psychedelia, and rootsy Southern country and gospel. The result is a perfect blend of tuneful melodies, reflective lyrics, funky guitars and soulful vocal performances. Elvis and Tony Joe White would mine similar ground a year or two later, but never so effectively as South did here. An astounding freshman and sophomore one-two punch. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

Two artists you could tell were REALLY from the south when you heard their songs on the radio in late '60s were Joe South and Tony Joe White. Even a city boy from Illinois could tell these two guys were the real deal. Listening to these two records on one CD now makes one realize just how genuinely American a song-writer Joe South was. To hear songs like Gabriel and Hole in Your Soul without surface noise is a dream come true. Joe's voice was always very distinctive and never phony-sounding like John Fogerty's, and hearing it again in these well-crafted songs has made my day. Great stuff! The only complaint I have is of the Aussie liner-note writer who criticized (and got it completely wrong) "A Million Miles Away" as a pro-Nixon song. Thanks, though, to Raven for getting these two wonderful American records onto CD together.

My buddies and I listened to Joe in Vietnam, we just seemed to relate to him. This album is filled with so much good music, a lot of it has been recorded by many other artists and topped the charts. When I first heard Don't if make you want to go home,I had a little moisture build up. If you are nostalgic and liked Joe South this is the CD for you. I guarantee you'll love it.

Wonderful to find an album with the music of one of the all time greats in country and rock music. There has really never been another one better than Joe South.

It is great to once again have "Introspect" in my music library. I bought my first copy while in Japan in 1969 and had it with me for many years. It is an album that I would turn to at various times of trouble, confusion, frustration, etc. Always after a listening I would feel comforted.
Somewhere along the way I lost the album and have missed it greatly. Now it is back!