Anyway by most measuring sticks this is the 'Sweet Spot'. I'm listening while writing and there is no question you are hearing a more mature artist. Willie is such an expressive singer I'm betting he was a blast to see live.
One thing I'm noticing here is that is seemingly a little more 'designed' to show off John's stunning vocal capabilities. An understandable move for the producers but I'm not sure I don't find the earlier disc a tad more exciting because it is less produced.
That all expressed it does not at all mean this isn't incredible stuff, I'm sure many a LWJ fan would say I was crazy and that THIS is the SHIT. At the end of the day I would say that ANY Little Willie John is better than 90% of what else is out there.
So here ya go, Volume 2 (of 4) of one of the greatest soul singers ever. Sam Cooke seems to get all the credit these days and no doubt much of it is deserved but as you can see over and over again with so many guys, the story is WAY deeper than that.
9 comments:
I just put in 12 hours at work, but now I am totally rejuvenated!! Thanks dawg!!
Well this is far too soon to make any real assessments, I am barely half way through but oooooooowee! LWJ has got that real thing...
You kinda freaked me out when mentioning production. I was expecting orchestration or some corny Phil Spector treatment, so when it wasn't there I thought..."what's KC on about?"
After a few tracks in I started to realise what you meant. The early stuff had that real gutbucket feel throughout, but here we have it more sprinkled in. There's definitely a more straightahead approach, but LWJ just can't be held back. And man, by the time the album reaches Tell It Like It Is, he starts givin it up! There must have been alot of pressure on him to compete with Sam Cooke and his goody goody style.
Still, just a great vibe from a superior, soulful voice. I'm totally enamoured with this music, but I think you're right... the early stuff has a charm and feel unlike this set...preferrable to be sure.
The pressure was even greater because from age 12 or 13 he was his family's bread winner. The other side of that coin is that no one ever said no and he grew up mal-adjusted in the extreme. HBow many different ways would that situation screw with a boy going thru puberty and learning to be a man?
I hear an incredible lack of imagination in the second half of the disc on the part of the King producers. They turn him into a one-trick pony at the height of his career and are slow to see how the music is changing.Meanwhile they have an 'Enfant Terrible' on their hands who has drug and alcohol and ego issues and does not hear NO.
Fortunately for us but not for his career, the material becomes more diverse and interesting again on the 3rd disc. Even better, there is one final triumphant session in 1966 while between trials where he shows he would have returned to major stardom had he survived prison and somehow won release. Those recordings sat unreleased for 30 years due to dumb lawsuits.
a very welcome upgrade of this fine music from 128k!
thank you, KC!
Got this from somewhere in '09. Always liked it and it is essential LWJ. Thank you KC.
Many thanks. This is real fine music.
Thanks KC
I have the earlier LWJ on CD and the 1966 Kent CD but I didn't have this - Another great artist with a real destinctive style - Incidently I got my first LWJ CD in 1990 and it featured Fever with added strings - Totally unnecessary
Thanks KC - have only this week got to hear LWJ. Just this moment I've read some of your comments. I'm afraid his relative obscurity lies in his or his producers song choices. Enjoyed the first King collection but the third was disappointing - so here goes with the Sweet Spot. By the way I'm no soul expert but do I detect some influence of LWJ in Smokey Robinson's early efforts?
Hallo! Can you please re-upload all the Little Willie JOhn stuff? Thanks
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