Most of JT's gospel masterpieces with the Soul Stirrers and Highway QCs have already been posted here. I assume that most people here are already familiar with much of Johnnie Taylor's output during the time of his huge national commercial success on Stax and Columbia during the 1970s. So I have dipped into his large output on Malaco from 1984-1999 to pull out this gem from 1991 that may not be as familiar.
The Malaco period was the time when Johnnie Taylor moved from the large concert halls that he filled in the wake of "Disco Lady" back to the Chitlin' Circuit, where he had worked exclusively in the early-mid 1960s before striking gold with "Who's Making Love." (In fact, before that hit, JT cashed in for a while on confusion about his name in the wake of Little Johnny Taylor's #1 R&B smash, "Part Time Love." JT's
promotional posters and materials from the early 1960s included a citation of that song!). During the 1980s and 1990s, Johnnie Taylor continued to draw some of the largest crowds on the Circuit as one of the reining Kings of Southern Soul, and as someone who actually helped to define the genre itself. In general, I am quite fond of most of JT's Malaco records. It is true that the Malaco sound can sometimes get to feel rather formulaic. But they always took Johnnie Taylor very seriously at Malaco, and worked hard to provide him with high quality material from George Jackson, Sam Mosley and other talented songwriters. Almost all of Johnnie Taylor's Malaco albums have at least a few first rate compositions and performances. " ...Just Can't Do Right" has not received as much attention as some of the other Malaco albums, but I consider it to be one of his very best of the period. Most of the material is of notable high quality, and succeeds in putting JT solidly in his element. It is one of JTs many albums that I still spin quite often. I hope that you enjoy it too.
13 comments:
https://rapidshare.com/files/2667943520/_.. Just Can_t Do Right (MP3).zip
Thanks for this. I liked his Malaco stuff too but it is the Stax stuff i keep coming back to. I see he has an album Rare Stamps which i'm not familiar with. Do you have that to post? I really appreciate your keeping old soul alive.
Moe - Rare Stamps was a compilation of early Stax recordings that are now available elsewhere. In the CD era, the Rare Stamp tracks not on Raw Blues or Who's Making Love were covered by the Little Bluebird compilation. Here is the contents of Rare Stamps, which you can check against your collection:
Who's Making Love
You Can't Get Away From It
Toe Hold
Just The One (I've Been Looking For)
I Ain't Particular
Take Care Of Your Homework
I've Got To Love Somebody's Baby
Little Blue Bird
I Had A Dream
Outside Love
Somebody's Sleeping In My Bed
If I Had To Do It All Over
Rare Stamps pretty much covers JTs "Blues Wailer" period plus his first two hits that extended the formula (Who's Making Love, Take Care of Your Homework).
Thanks Preslives!!
this is a nice album, but for me johnnie's immortal performance came in 1972. his live album from the summit club is everything soul can be...
That Summit Club LP is a beauty. It was only released well into the 90s, as I recall.
I love JTs recordings from all stages of his career. One group of Johnnie Taylor recordings that I find to be much weaker than I would have expected is the SAR and Derby singles that he made under the production of Sam Cooke. His last Soul Stirrers recording for SAR, Stand By Me Father, was brilliant. But I find the secular singles on SAR and Derby to be suprisingly weak, given the stylistic affinities between Sam and Johnnie. I can't help but feel that Sam Cooke really didn't know what to do with Johnnie Taylor.
After Sam Cooke died, JT had invitations from both Motown and Stax. Thank God that he had the sense to go South!
Got this one, it' a fine album. There's no doubt that the Malaco formula could leave it sounding a bit like a tribute to southern soul sometimes and there were one or two missteps for JT with drum machines but there were some beauties too that were right on the money - Last Two Dollars and Walk Away With Me to name just two.
Last Two Dollars is one that I often perform myself. It gives me the feeling of being one with the spirit of JT!
Thanks Pres! JT is one of my all time favourites.
Just a thought. For JT completists, you should check out the Don Davis produced tracks from the late 70s, especially Heaven Bless This House. They were released on the appallingly named Funk Soul Brother on Fuel 2000 Records.
Preslives, what you say about the SAR recordings is interesting. I think there may be a straightforward explanation. Sam saw JT following the same route he had and tried to give him the crissover success he himself had achieved on leaving gospel; that would account for the poppiness of the material. I think it was calculated but JT was never going to a matinee idol. Of course that might be too simplistic.
Ceedee Thanks for the tip on Funksoulbrother. Is it possible for you to post that? Thanks so much!!
Moe, happy to but this is my first time uploading and, being embarrassingly hopeless, I've contrived to upload the tracks individually.
I'm still trying but if you want them one by one I can do that.
Heaven Bless This Home is a nice track, but I have never been too fond of that session in general. I would have expected more from a reunion of Johnnie Taylor and Don Davis. But, hey, with JT, I'll take what I can get! :) I have it on a CD released in the 90s called "Stop Half Loving These Women."
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