Customer Reviews

Let's Stay Together [Vinyl]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Denmon Records from 1986 is the equal, at least, of this sorry edition. Why buy a remaster if you can't tell even a slight increase in quality compared to a version that was released 19 years ago. Even the liner notes are better in the older version.

The title track to Let's Stay Together has become Al Green's signature song and a certified r&b classic. The song is one of the definitive Memphis soul songs with its smooth organ punctuated by horns , Rev. Green comes in a low voice and then in the chorus reaches up to a heavenly falsetto. The song became his only his only number one on the pop charts. The album also contains one of his most underrated songs, a stirring version of the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". Rev. Green sings it with a true pain in his voice and the emotion practically oozes out of your speakers. Other excellent songs include "So You're Leaving", "I've Never Found A Girl" and "Judy".

This is one of Al greens best albums he ever did.I used to have the original CD but I decided to get the new remastered version,and boy was I shocked the sound qualitiy is not good at all the highs are very muffled and the songs that fade out are faded out faster. So don,t get this version get the original it only has 2 less songs but the sound is A lot better and it is cheaper.

The title track to Let's Stay Together has become Al Green's signature song and a certified r&b classic. The song is one of the definitive Memphis soul songs with its smooth organ punctuated by horns , Rev. Green comes in a low voice and then in the chorus reaches up to a heavenly falsetto. The song became his only his only number one on the pop charts. The album also contains one of his most underrated songs, a stirring version of the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". Rev. Green sings it with a true pain in his voice and the emotion practically oozes out of your speakers. Other excellent songs include "So You're Leaving", "I've Never Found A Girl" and "Judy".

Al is the MAN. I love his music. He is the greatest soul singer of all time. Interestingly, the spiritual peak of his work came before he turned to religion. Having listened my LPs to death, and I hate to give more money to the music companies, I have to shell out some more bucks for the CDs. This albums is simply timeless beauty, and I need the deep feeling in my life. Thanks Al. God bless you man -- through your gift he has certainly blessed us.

Whilst the Al Green selection in most stores consists of three different best of's, nothing beats an orginal album capturing the high point of an artists career. This is the one for Al Green. A beautiful, smooth, soulful piece with a kickass cover. Very cool.

Al can sing. That's all you need to know. The most soulful falsetto voice out there (makes mincemeat out of Barry Gibb on 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'), and songs made up of beautifully laid-back arrangements. My faves include 'So You're Leaving Me' and 'I've Never Found a Girl'. Good grooves and great vocals.

And then there's the title cut. First heard by these years under a conversation between Ving Rhames and Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction, on its own it stands out as a monster. A great cross between deceptively complex songwriting and deceptively complex emotions. 'Let's Stay Together' is really about a couple who's breaking apart. And you can feel Al's pain when he sings it. One of the all time great songs, let alone a great performance by my man here.

This is simply Al Green! Forget anything and everything you have heard other than this is Al Green, early in his career, moanin', groanin', and just plain old fantastic soul singing. If you really are a soul singer subject matter expert, and I rank myself as the best, you will play "young Al" over and over. I first fell in love with this cd when it was an album. I was a young soldier, living off post, in an apartment furnished with a component set, a water bed, and my Al Green albums. Needless to say, I was well entertained, and trust me, I entertained well! Al Green will still work for you. Buy the cd and play it to death!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not going to fawn over the title track, because it speaks for itself. Get this CD for the other tunes. My personal faves are How can you mend a broken heart, Never found a Girl, and most especially, Judy. Judy is a beautiful, yet underrated ballad. It oozes mood. Heck, the entire album does that. Hook up with someone special to you, pour the drinks, light a candle, turn off the lights, PUT ON THIS CD, and feel the soulfulness of 'Staying Together'.

PS: Also check out Al's 'I'm still in love with you' CD. I feel that it laid the musical foundation for this musical masterpiece.

Aside from the Talking Heads' seminal cover of "Take Me to the River," my exposure to the music of Al Green has been very limited. I first heard the song "Let's Stay Together" over a decade ago on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and it quickly became one of my favorites. I was still mostly a metalhead at that time and just chalked up my enjoyment of the this one track as a fluke.

Now that I'm older and my primary musical tastes have drifted quite a bit, I've been able to come to terms with the idea that I might actually like R&B. Last night I was singing the title track of this album as karaoke to my wife. Today I saw the album pop up for $1.99 on Amazon and snatched it up.

On my first listen through, I can say I'm really enjoying Green's vocal mastery. The instrumentation is smooth and comfortable, though it can feel samey after a few tracks. Still, there are some interesting chord progressions and counterpoints between the backing music and the sung melody. This is probably most evident on "La-La for You" - in my opinion, the second best piece on the album.

Having listened to "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Billy Corgan was an Al Green fan from way back. The guitar picking and string part bring to mind the slower parts of the Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness. Also, the final track, "It Ain't No Fun to Me" reminds me of CCR.

Throughout the album, Green plays with the percussive and tonal qualities of his voice. In this way, he goes beyond being a technically good singer to being an interesting singer. That brings me back to my love of the Talking Heads, just check out "Stop Making Sense" to see how David Byrne's vocals have many similar characteristics.

Well, to sum up, "Let's Stay Together" is a memorable album and a great entry to the genre for someone like me, whose tastes have traditionally run to classic rock or to those bloated catch-all genres, indie & alternative. And Amazon's pricing and easy mp3 purchasing made it a fantastic impulse buy. If you're curious, give it a shot.