Sweet Soul Music - Dan Penn, Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton, Muscle Shoals sound in general, etc - C or C?

Joe McEwen talking about Dan Penn on Peter Guralnick's blog:

http://www.peterguralnick.com/post/40594431605/a-word-from-mr-c-dan-penn-the-fame-recordings

This is coming to my town next month, with a post-screening q&a with the director! Can't wait.

If you go into it with the knowledge that it's largely the story of Rick Hall and what was going on in his sphere, you'll realize that veering off into things like Penn and Oldham talking about the writing process didn't have any relevance to the story being told. Anecdotes, perhaps. But no real meaty content.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, October 21, 2013

Not sure I buy this completely. I think adding more in about Hall benfited from Arthur Alexander's singing and songwriting early on; and about how Hall benefited from Penn/Oldham's writing and from Candi Staton and others vocals, would tell a fuller and more complete story about Rick Hall and the studio and region. Instead we got more Bono, plus Skynard.

about how Hall benefited

You act like Bono was all over the film. He had probably a minute of screen time.

Alright, then how about a minute less of Skynard, who Hall didn't really work with.

watched it tonight - loved it

I didn't really know anything about Hall's personal life going in - helluva lot of tragedy he's carried around with him.

:D

Any word yet on when PBS is going to air it? I should've gone back for a second screening while it was here.

Monday April 21, 2014 - 9-11pm ET

(according to the PBS/Independent Lens site)

Yes!

also I need to FP curmudgeon for suggesting there be LESS skynyrd

cmon mayne

If the choice is between Muscle Shoals soul folks and Skynyrd, I have to stand my ground and stick with the soul folks

imagine there's a skynyrd, and a muscle shoals

imagine alllll the peeeeeoppllleeee

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/09/today_tickets_on_sale_for_perc.html

Percy Sledge has liver cancer and the following folks are doing a benefit show to help him with his expenses: Eddie Floyd, Pat Upton, Gary Baker, Walt Aldridge, Donnie Fritts, The Decoys, Travis Wammack and Three Wheel Drive are scheduled to perform on September 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center

Best wishes to Percy.

Tried to watch that doc but it was painful. Of the talking heads I'll take Keef and Jimmy Cliff and leave the rest.

Looking forward to Ed King and Gregg Allman though.

ok

Changed it up. Watched "A Band Called Death" instead.

Okay giving this another try. That Irish guy with the tinted glasses I can take or leave.

Just enjoy the good and fascinating stuff, persevere through the rest and don't think about what was left out( that is, how Hall benefited from Arthur Alexander's singing and songwriting early on; and about how Hall benefited from Penn/Oldham's writing and from the vocals of Candi Staton and others; and how all of those folks together made Muscle Shoals)

That's the approach I decided to take, more or less, thanks, enjoy the good stuff, sit through the humdrum stuff, go back to Sweet Soul Music and Get A Shot of Rhythm and Blues for the details.

Okay, there is some good stuff in there, great retelling of the story of Duane Allman convincing Wilson Pickett to record "Hey Jude," or how the sessions with Aretha finally got going but then went astray. But there was a lot of stuff that was under-emphasized or ignored, including your examples of Arthur Alexander's star power that ignited the whole thing (or in fact the entire musical scene centered around the movie house across the street from the drugstore and studio, is that theater even mentioned) and the Penn/Oldham contribution (do they ever really explain what Dan Penn did at all?) There was also no mention of any of the Memphis musicians that took part in these recordings-especially Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman. Chips played lead guitar on "Land of a Thousand Dances" and Tommy played bass on all of those Wilson Pickett tracks as far as I know.

I know, I know, some people think it is all about Rick Hall and the rest is just superfluous detail but...

Chips and Tommy also played on "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"

David Hood might have still been mainly playing trombone at that time.

Hm. David Hood actually has that tune listed on his discography on his website, even though every other source says he was working on a horn chart that wasn't used and Tommy C played the bass.

I saw Holly George-Warren (who did that Chilton book) do a presentation on Arthur Alexander at the EMP in New Orleans. I think she is also credited with having worked on the movie, so I am guessing the director and producer of the movie made the decision to keep the story focussed on Hall and not mention all those folks whom Hall worked with

For whatever reason, they decided the story was easier to tell if it focused on Rick Hall and then filled in space around him with whatever details would fit. That was the wrong way to go about it imo, but it was still an exceedingly pleasing doc to watch and I learned some stuff I never even knew despite living there for most of the 90s.

Convenience link to brief discussion of Muscle Shoals reggae connection: Big Star

David Hood interview: http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/09/post_266.html

Great interview!

Interesting stuff

RIP Percy Sledge. There's a separate thread on his passing

Hadn't seen this before, great stuff. Ye olde Southern Rock thread has some relevant bits as well (ditto the Big Star thread, occasionally). So far, I'm digging the way Alabama Shakes are finding self-expression in reconfigurations of sounds usually confined to nostalgia these days: like the mix is the remix, but no turntables etc., far as I can tell.
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/12/398068310/first-listen-alabama-shakes-sound-color

Have not been a fan of the Shakes so far, while the singer's voice can be impressive, other times she is too Janis Joplin like. The band's playing I like even less. Have not heard their new one yet, though.

That link leads to the new album, Sound and Color, which I got into a lot faster than the debut full-length (liked the EP before that right away). I think they re-work/respond to their influences in a pretty creative way.

Oh yeah, do yall know Beale Street Caravan? Weekly sets, from clubs, concerts, festivals, even cruises sometimes. Pretty good range of artists and styles, usually blues and vintage R&B.
Another young band making good use of classic influences, whom I think of as soul-rock (horns and arrangements def soul, guitar and vocals can be more impulsive, keys--!): Birmingham's St. Paul and the Broken Bones. good at Coachella, even better here: http://bealestreetcaravan.com/listen/shows/2015-04-08Shows can be streamed or downloaded, usually.

They got a sweet set by Allen Toussaint too!
http://bealestreetcaravan.com/listen/shows/2012-01-18

American Routes also post shows, 2 hours weekly. Unlike Beale Street Caravan, AR's mostly from records (with an original interview in each hour). The Original Pinettes Brass Band are a find: immediately engaging sound of young female players, who have a lot of dayjob and family obligations, but they've really gotten it together. The following playlist gives the title of the track, then the album (the latter italicized in AR's original post).

Can stream or (if have Firefox's FlashGot, maybe other apps elsewhere) download: http://americanroutes.wwno.org/archives/show/895/soul-sisters

Hour One

Open Bed: Soul Sister Yusek Lateef
1984, Impulse
I Can't Stand It The Soul Sisters
The Sue Story: The Sound of Soul, New York City, Parlophone
I'm a Woman Peggy Lee
The Best of Miss Peggy Lee, Capitol
Sally Go Round the Roses The Jaynetts
Chess Rhythm & Roll, MCA/ Chess
SEGMENT Justine "Baby" Washington
Listen
Workout Baby Washington
45rpm, Neptune
Clean Up Woman Betty Wright
Best of Betty Wright, Rhino
Instrumental: The Soul Explosion Illinois Jackquet
The Soul Explosion, Prestige
Reconsider Me Margaret Lewis
Shreveport Stomp: Ram Records Volume 1, Ace
Why Not Me The Judds
Why Not Me, RCA
Soul Deep Tina Turner
Country My Way, K-tel
Five Long Years Tina Turner
Bold Soul Sister: Best of the Blue Thumb Recordings , Blue Thumb
Tramp Otis Redding and Carla Thomas
The Complete Stax Volt Singles 1959-1968, Stax/ Volt
Instrumental: Soul Twist King Curtis & The Noble Knights
Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol.4: Soul, Rhino
SEGMENT Maxine Brown
Listen
Soul Serenade Maxine Brown
Greatest Hits, Tomato
Angel from Montgomery Bonnie Raitt
Streetlights, Warner Bros.
Far Celestial Shore Mavis Staples
One True Vine, Anti
End Bed: Soul Serenade Willie Mitchell
Hot Rods Rock: Big Boss Instrumentals Vol. 3, Right Stuff

Hour 2

Open Bed: All For You The Funk Brothers
The Best of the Funk Brothers, Motown
Go To The Mardi Gras The Original Pinettes
Finally, self-produced
Mary Mack Lilly's Chapel School, recorded by Harold Courlander
Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol.6: Ring Game Songs and Others, Folkways
Spirit in the Dark Aretha Franklin
Spirit in the Dark, Rhino
Soul Sister Allen Toussaint
The Complete Warner Recordings, Rhino
SEGMENT Chris Clark
Listen
Instrumental: Whitey Lambchop
Nashville: The Other Side of the Alley, Bloodshot
These Boots are Made for Walking Loretta Lynn
Honky Tonk Girl, MCA
I'm a Honky Tonk Girl Eilen Jewell
Eilen Jewell Presents Butcher Holler, Signature Sounds
Blues a Catin Bonsoir Catin
Blues a Catin, Bridgetown
Down on Me Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin
Big Brother & The Holding Company, Sony
You'll Lose a Good Thing Barbara Lynn
You'll Lose a Good Thing, Jaime/ Arctic
Careless Love Dr. Michael White with Cynthia Girtley
Adventures in New Orleans Jazz, Part I, Basin Street
Instrumental: One Naughty Flat AFO Executives
Compendium, AFO
SEGMENT The Original Pinettes Brass Band
Listen

Oh nice---Concord's Stax/Volt series continues (would also like to check new McCrary Sisters release at end of this column: they were compelling in recent public media fundraise--joined by Lee Ann Womack, even---and on archived Music City Roots livestream [show re Nashville's soul side history] w Fairfield Four, one of whom is their Dad) http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20150416_Stax_leads_a_pack_of_strong_roots_releases.html

Some interesting discussion on the Yahoo southern soul email digest re who worked with Percy Sledge in the early days and where-Sheffield or Florence, Al vs Muscle Shoals ( and with Marlin Greene, later Malaco label heads Tommy Couch and Mitchell Malouf, Jimmy Johnson), and other great songs of his-- "Out Of Left Field", "Cover Me" and "It Tears Me Up".

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/03/-country-soul-by-charles-hughes-review.html

I heard Charles Hughes speak at an EMP conference in New Orleans a few years back. I was impressed. I rarely read Paste, but this was one of the first reviews of the book that I have seen.

Country Soul, a brilliant new exploration of the racial politics of the southern music recording scene from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, paints a less black-and-white picture than Sweet Soul Music or any other book on southern music that’s come before it.

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/author-charles-l-hughes-takes-a-swing-at-conventional-wisdom-about-country-soul-and-race/Content?oid=5228976

I need to get and read that book

paints a less black-and-white picture...

o rly?

Another set from xpost Beale Street Caravan: The City Champs, veteran back-up for Rufus Thomas, Alex Chilton, Otis Clay, many others, and one of 'em's currently in St. Paul and The Broken Bones (whose own BSC show is posted upthread).
But this is not just the typical result of support aces left to their own jammy, foggy notions:
http://bealestreetcaravan.com/listen/shows/2015-01-14

http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/457263-muscle-shoals-to-become-johnny-depp-produced-series

Johnny Depp wants to produce a scripted series based on the events/people in the Muscle Shoals doc. I...don't know about this.

idk, seems like a cool project? he seems like a p thoughtful dude in interviews, even if his movies are annoying

i mean unless he makes everyone wear thirty scarves & dumb hats who cares if he's just producing it

Maybe should have put that on Memphis music thread that includes Stax

There's a Memphis thread? Memphis posts are pretty standard on here too, it's cool.
that xpost Dusty Sings Soul comp isn't on any streams that I've come across, although Spotify has a playlist from whatever sources, might be okay. Meanwhile I just checked hot excerpts of all 24 tracks via label site: https://acerecords.co.uk/sings-sou

Was thinking of 100 Great Records from Memphis thread

100 great records from Memphis

This is cool: https://www.discogs.com/release/4364232-The-Meadows-The-Meadows

I've been mildly obsessed with Wilson Meadows the past few years for his later southern soul stuff (check out Transformation) and never realized he did an album in muscle shoals back in 1981 with his brothers.

My Love Was Sleeping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP2fBxLCbeg

Nice song there. Not familiar with Meadows brothers. Will have to dig in