Soul '67
Five more classic albums from a year of soul, picked by GEOFF BROWN.
THE FOUR TOPS Reach Out TAMLA MOTOWN
Reach Out I’ll Be There had been a UK/US Number 1 in 1966 and when it came the album was no disappointment, Levi Stubbs’ majestic tenor exhorting and crying five more hits – Bernadette, Standing In The Shadows Of Love, 7 Rooms Of Gloom, If I Were A Carpenter, Walk Away Renee – and stage fave I’ll Turn To Stone.
GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS Everybody Needs Love TAMLA MOTOWN
Aretha’s only serious rival down the decades, Knight already had major R&B hits when she signed to Motown. This debut album, with a strong title track, Norman Whitfield’s first pass at I Heard It Through The Grapevine, eternal dancer Just Walk In My Shoes, soul smoulderer Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me served notice of further greatness to come.
JAMES CARR You Got My Mind Messed Up GOLDWAX/STATESIDE
Arguably the classic Southern soul album is centred on arguably the classic Southern soul song, Dan Penn and Chips Moman’s The Dark End Of The Street and its brooding, shadowy drama of cheating in love. Carr is every bit as effective on the more uptempo Pouring Water On A Drowning Man, tearful These Ain’t Raindrops and bereft I Don’t Wanna Be Hurt Anymore.
DIONNE WARWICK
The Windows Of The World
SCEPTER/PYE
Sophisticated, well-orchestrated New York pop-soul, Dionne’s eighth album had six songs by producers Bacharach & David including versions of Always Something There To Remind Me and the original I Say A Little Prayer, which would be a hit, smaller than Dionne’s, for Aretha in 1968. The show tunes – Somewhere; What’s Good About Goodbye – recorded for, but bumped from, On Stage And In The Movies (also ’67) are a tad over-egged, though.
OTIS REDDING & CARLA THOMAS King & Queen STAX
As well as soul triumphs, 1967 was marked by genuine soul tragedy – December saw the death of Otis Redding. For many, his passing marked the end, too, of Stax Records. This duets set was the sixth and last album released during his lifetime and starred a relaxed, witty version of Lowell Fulson’s Tramp, Otis teasing and joshing with Rufus Thomas’s daughter.