CoronaVinyl Day 132 (Memphis Soul): Greatest Hits by Wilson Pickett

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is Memphis soul, which is a genre that is one of my favorites.  From the mid '60s to the mid '70s, Stax Records in Memphis was essentially the heart of American soul music.  And that shouldn't be seen as a knock on Motown because I kind of consider Motown as its own genre.  The Memphis soul sound was different than the more pop-influenced Motown sound.  Memphis soul had horns, organs, and more of an emphasis on the rhythm section.  When I hear the term "soul music," it's the Memphis sound that first comes to mind.

Backed by arguably the best studio house band there has ever been -- Booker T. & The MGs -- not to mention the Memphis Horns and other staff musicians and songwriters like Isaac Hayes and David Porter, some of the most important and influential soul songs and records ever made were recorded in Memphis for Stax and its sister label Volt.  Artists like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, the Staple Singers, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Booker T & The MGs, William Bell, Arthur Conley, the Mar-Keys, and the Bar-Kays were either signed to Stax or Volt or recorded at Stax's studio for Atlantic Records (which had a distribution deal with Stax and often sent its artists to record at Stax).  The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is located at Stax's old studio ("Soulsville, U.S.A.") in Memphis, and if you're ever in Memphis, I highly recommend a visit.

I'm going with Wilson Pickett's 1973 Greatest Hits double LP.  Pickett was one of the artists who was signed to Atlantic Records, but often recorded in Memphis.  While not all of the songs on his Greatest Hits album were recorded in Memphis, Pickett is certainly considered one of the most important names in Memphis soul, as hits like "In the Midnight Hour," "Mustang Sally," "Land of 1,000 Dances," "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)," and "Funky Broadway" leading the way.  The album is a fantastic selection of Pickett's songs released between 1963 and 1972.  In that time period, Pickett would have 16 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including two Top 10 hits -- "Land of 1,000 Dances" (#6) and "Funky Broadway" (#8).  He also had 18 songs that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B chart, including five #1s -- "In the Midnight Hour," "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)," "Land of 1,000 Dances," "Funky Broadway," and "Don't Knock My Love – Pt. I."

The album has 24 of his hits, tracing Pickett's journey from soul to more of a funk sound in the early '70s.  Its just generally great music to listen to, especially while you're working from home for the fifth month in a row and you have the windows open because it's a nice day.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "In the Midnight Hour"

Pickett's breakthrough song is the legendary "In the Midnight Hour," which was recorded in 1965 at Stax.  It was co-written by Pickett and Booker T. & The MGs' guitarist Steve Cropper at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, which would become infamous as the hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968.  The song is a Memphis soul classic, and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 (his first Top 40 hit) and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
While this is a cover of Solomon Burke's 1964 R&B classic, I love pretty much any version of this song.  Pickett and Burke had a history, as Burke had recorded one of Pickett's early songs, "If You Need Me," in 1963 and turned it into a hit, going to #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart.  Pickett returned the favor in 1967 with "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," taking Burke's song to #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #19 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Favorite song from Side 3:  "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"
This one is from 1971, and it was a hit for Pickett, hitting #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart.  It has a seemingly happy vibe, but it's really about trying to convince your lover not to leave you.

Favorite song from Side 4:  "I Found a True Love"
The last song on the album is a song from 1968 that reached #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Billboard R&B chart.  It's an uptempo soul song that culminates with Pickett letting out some fantastic screams, letting the subject of the song know that she is his.