Too busy to cobble a only half-decent review together. Luckily someone else did the job much better than i could:
His second album for RCA Victor after ending his decade long partnership with Atlantic, the album found Wilson working with producer Brad Shapiro (Pickett co-produced).
- The album certainly got off to a rousing start with the Pickett-Shapiro original 'Take a Closer Look at the Woman You're With' which was as driving and funky as anything he'd done for Atlantic.
- While I initially yawned at the thought of hearing the second song; a cover of Chuck Berry's 'Memphis, Tennessee' Wilson breathed new life into the song giving it a strange but beguiling Caribbean lilt. Sounds weird, but somehow it worked.
- The same was true for 'Soft Soul Boogie Woogie'. It initially came off as being a too-cute novelty song, but propelled by a nice mini-moog rhythm pattern and a driving vocal, Pickett won me over.
- Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' has always been one of those songs I disliked and there was not reason to think a Pickett cover would save it. Amazingly he almost pulled it off. The song still sucks, but by going up tempo with it he came close to salvaging the track.
- In contrast slowing down the old Association hit (mis-credited to the Addrisse brothers - no 'e' at the end), was a mistake. All he did is stretch 'Never My Mind' to the limits of endurance.
- Yeah, 'You Lay'd It On Me' had that 'tossed off' feel with one or two too many of those patented Pickett shrieks. 'Course mediocre Pickett was better than 95% of disco acts.
- At least to my ears 'Is Your Love Life Better' was one of the three tracks that came the closest to replicating Pickett's classic sound. Would have made a nice single.
- The second song that replicated his classic soul sound was the Pickett-Shapiro composition 'Two Women and a Wife'. With a great melody, catchy lyric, and dynamite performance, it was perfect for radio play, but somehow got stuck as a 'B' side.
- Pickett's always been in peak form when he was pissed off at a woman, or another man. The last two tracks 'Why Don't You Make Your Mind Up' and 'Take the Pollution Out Your Throat' found him in that state of mind and were my two favorite efforts.
- Another Wilson-Shapiro composition, the hyper speed 'Why Don't You Make Your Mind Up' would have sounded good on any of his Atlantic albums.
- I remember seeing the title of the second song and wondering if Pickett was making an environmental statement. He wasn't, rather was taking on a trash-talking ex. Classic pissed off Pickett !!!
Having listened to the album dozens of times, I'm at a loss as to why critics overlooked the set and why it didn't sell better. One of the best post-Atlantic things the man ever recorded.
(http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/PICKETTwilson.htm)
Wilson Pickett: Miz Lena's Boy
RCA Victor APL1-0312
1. Take a Closer Look at the Woman You're With (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 2:52
2. Memphis, Tennessee (Chuck Berry) - 3:50
3, Soft Soul Boogie Woogie (Seals - Goodman - Jennings) - 2:37
4. Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson) - 3:00
5. Never My Love (Don Addrisse - Dick Addrisse) - 4:26
1. You Lay'd It On Me (Wilson Pickett - Don Covay - Brad Shapiro) - 3:15
2. Is Your Love Life Better (Fox - Raleigh) - 3:15
3. Two Women and a Wife (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 2:45
4. Why Don't You Make Your Mind Up (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 2:45
5. Take the Pollution Out Your Throat (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 2:45
8 comments:
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Ha! This is one I was going to post from my radio-promo vinyl copy with a totally messed up jacket, but I'm glad you did instead. Like you I can't really come up with much to actually say about the record. The playing and singing are all top-notch and it's a lot of fun to listen to. But while there's a lot of good tunes here, somehow after I'm done listening to it I can't seem to remember much of it very distinctly. They just don't have quiet the same meaty hooks as his earlier stuff, so maybe that answers your reviewer's question at the end about why it gets overlooked. He's probably right about it being his best Atlantic release but I don't really have an opinion on that.
thanks for the needdledrop again!
No Mustang Sally or Midnight Hour here for sure.
Apart from this, i only know his Atlantic sides, so i can't compare the RCA albums.
I thought the review was pretty accurate as well. It was fun to hear the somewhat unusual covers of "Memphis Tennessee" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night". As a person who has done a bit of singing in bands etc. I'm always impressed when a good soul singer kicks it into high gear as Wilson does on some of the other cuts too. How the hell a person can keep that up on a tour is beyond me. Overall, a pretty darn good album. Thanks LPR!
...meant to say, "how the hell a person can keep that up on a tour without hurting their voice is beyond me".
Which reminds me of an Otis Redding interview, where he talks of a tour he did with Sam & Dave and how the duo and Otis tried to outdo each other every night.
Otis said he sang himself hoarse every night - and never wanted to tour with Sam & Dave again...
I will spin this with an open ear...
thanks, this one is new to me!
just finished my FIRST run with this.....THANK you, it is the best Otis I heard in many years...brilliant!
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