Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Al Green Edition

Very few sounds in pop music are as insinuating as the classic sides Al Green recorded for Hi Records back in the early ’70s. Interestingly enough, Green initially tried to follow the soul shouter path of singers like Otis Redding. Thankfully, producer Willie Mitchell instructed Green to dial things down, and with those classic rhythms, Green embarked on making some of the sexiest and most romantic music ever made. From there, Green turned to God, and produced some fine Christian music (like 1978’s The Belle Album), but never lost his soul prowess, as more recent comeback records have shown. Let’s pay tribute to the Reverend Green by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. Pet Shop Boys — Hit Music (Actually): This is from the second Pet Shop Boys album, which is my second favorite PSB albums. I think that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are pop geniuses, reviving disco in a synth-pop context and crafting melodies and middle eights that meld perfectly with the dance beats. Throw in Tennant’s witty and knowing observational lyrics and you have some stellar stuff. This song is so catchy.
2. Stevie Wonder — Creepin’ (Fulfillingness’ First Finale): Lately, my iPod has been in a real Stevie Wonder mood, so I’m not surprised to see this crop up. And I’m certainly not disappointed. Even though these songs are roughly 40 years old (holy crap!), these songs still sound very fresh. This is one of those mid-tempo ballads that he effortless tossed off in his prime, which have sublime melodies with undercurrents of sadness and reflection.
3. Sam Cooke — You Send Me (Portrait Of A Legend): Before Stevie, there was Sam Cooke, straddling the gap between R & B and pure pop. Oh, and he was one of the best pop singers ever. And this is a swoonworthy love song, one of his best.
4. Hans Rotenberry & Brad Jones — Ain’t Gonna Hurt No One (Mountain Jack): This collaboration between the lead singer of The Shazam and the superb producer wasn’t the classic I hoped for, but it’s a nice, relaxed, fun record. The sound here is a bit more Rolling Stones and Faces than The Shazam’s power pop sound (incorporating The Move, Cheap Trick, and others). This is an instantly likeable song.
5. The Kinks — Village Green (The Village Green Preservation Society): Picking out a favorite Kinks album during the mid-to-late ’60s is an impossible task. Though I often favor Something Else, this album and Arthur are equally amazing. This is the essence of pastoral British pop, with woodwind accompaniment and the stately melodies. The sophistication of Ray Davies’ songwriting is astounding, as he was still shy of 30th birthday at this point.
6. Styx — Renegade (Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology): Styx’s prog laced pop songs struck a chord with me back in the ’70s, and I think they still sound good today. This is one of Tommy Shaw’s tunes, with the great a capella intro and dramatic middle eight (or more dramatic? The whole song is dramatic). This song get bonus points for being used very well in an episode of Freaks And Geeks.
7. Wiley — Evolve Or Be Extinct (Evolve Or Be Extinct): The title cut from the latest album by the father of grime. I really dig this LP, as I enjoy Wiley’s rapid fire rapping and sometimes goofy lyrics, and the upbeat, exciting backing tracks. I wish there were a few more hooks, but the energy and beats go a long way for me.
8. Kylie Auldist — Ship Inside A Bottle (Made Of Stone): The best track on the strong second album from this fine Australian soul singer. Auldist is the primary vocalist for the Down Under soul outfit The Bamboos, who back her on her solo records. This song sounds like a classic cosmopolitan ’70s R & B smash. Auldist is an amazing vocalist, she has a great sense of rhythm, knows how to engage with her words and she effortlessly soars to hit high notes, but she never oversings. I hope that she and The Bamboos can make it to Chicago sometime, they are the real deal.
9. Gray Matter — Phobias (Food For Thought + Take It Back): A solid slice of Dischord punk, to play alongside one’s Minor Threat and Dag Nasty records. I like the stabbing lead guitars, as this song is structured like a hardcore song, but played a little bit slower with intelligible singing. Cool tune.
10. Tubeway Army — We Are So Fragile (Replicas): A non-LP single by Gary Numan’s original band. One can hear the transition to his later Pleasure Principle sound, as the meaty guitar riff is contrasted by a metronomic electronic rhythm (augmented by real drums), a hooky keyboard melody and handclaps. I wish he had done more songs with this approach, but he had some avenues he was exploring.