''Green Is Blues'' is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer and songwriter
Al Green
Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
. Released by
Hi Records
Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partn ...
on April 15, 1969, two days after Green's 23rd birthday, critics and fans alike consider the album his breakthrough release, following the lukewarm reception of his 1967 debut, ''
Back Up Train''. ''Green Is Blues'' marks the first collaboration of Green and musician
Willie Mitchell, who also served as the album's main
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
; the co-founder and President of Hi Records, Joe Cuoghi, acted as the recording supervisor.
Upon the album's '40th Anniversary' re-release, as a digital deluxe package in July 2009, noted soul writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' stated: "Significant for matching for the first time Green's soulful refined vocal brilliance with the skilful production of co-writer/producer
Willie Mitchell and the tight arrangements of Memphis' renowned Hi Rhythm Section, the album ushered in a new era for "The Memphis Sound" – effectively kick-starting a studio partnership between Green and Mitchell that would see Al go on to become the premier soul superstar of the early Seventies – and arguably the last great Southern soul singer, period."
Al Green interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2009
/ref>
Track listing
# "One Woman" (Charles Chalmers
Charles Chalmers is an American saxophonist, session musician, backup singer, songwriter and producer. He has written several hit songs for many recording artists, and has also arranged and performed on many Grammy winning recordings. Seven of tho ...
, Sandra Rhodes) – 3:05
# "Talk to Me" (Joe Seneca
Joe Seneca (January 14, 1919 – August 15, 1996) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for Willie Brown in ''Crossroads'' (1986), Dr. Meadows in ''The Blob'' (1988), and Dr. Hanes in ''The Cosby Show''.
Life and care ...
) – 2:06
# " My Girl" (Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
, Ronald White
Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form of ...
) – 2:55
# " The Letter" (Wayne Carson Thompson
Wayne Carson (born Wayne Carson Head; May 31, 1943 – July 20, 2015), sometimes credited as Wayne Carson Thompson, was an American country musician, songwriter, and record producer. He played percussion, piano, guitar, and bass. His most fam ...
) – 2:28
# "I Stand Accused" (Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the Rhythm and blues, R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Rol ...
, Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. , Billy Butler) – 3:18
# "Gotta Find a New World" (Carl Smith, Marion "Doc" Oliver) – 2:25
# "What Am I Gonna Do with Myself?" ( Willie Mitchell, Marshall "Rock" Jones) – 2:27
# "Tomorrow's Dream" (Al Green, Willie Mitchell) – 2:19
# "Get Back Baby" (Al Green) – 2:16
# "Get Back
"Get Back" is a song recorded by the British rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, and written by Paul McCartney though credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to ...
" (John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
) – 2:22
# " Summertime" (George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
, Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
, DuBose Heyward) – 3:08
40th Anniversary Edition
The track listing for 40th anniversary edition, released 2009, includes four additional tracks:
# "I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment.
With advance orders ...
" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 2:20
# "Nothing Impossible With Love" (Jimmy Reed) – 2:37
# "Baby, What's Wrong with You" – 3:41
# "Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
" (Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
) – 3:15
Later samples
*"The Letter"
**"L.A. L.A." by Capone-N-Noreaga
Capone-N-Noreaga (also known as C-N-N) are an American hip hop duo formed in 1995 from Queens, New York. The duo features East Coast rappers Capone and N.O.R.E.
History
In October 1995, Capone-N-Noreaga appeared in ''The Source'' magazine's ...
from the album ''The War Report
''The War Report'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N). The album features the singles " L.A., L.A.", "T.O.N.Y.", " Illegal Life" and " Closer". Tragedy Khadafi appears on more than half of the album's song ...
''
**"Long Kiss Goodnight" by The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
from the album ''Life After Death
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
''
**"Creation & Destruction" by Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.
Immortal Techn ...
from the album ''Revolutionary Vol. 1
''Revolutionary Vol. 1'' is the debut album by rapper Immortal Technique, released on September 18, 2001, and re-pressed in 2004 (by Babygrande Records). The first edition had no distribution and no bar code; it was sold by the artist on the stree ...
''
**"Somma Time Man" by Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...
from the album ''Very Necessary
''Very Necessary'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 12, 1993, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. The album spawned four singles, including " Shoop" (their first top-five single on the ...
''
*"Gotta Find a New World"
**"Iron Maiden" by Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...
from the album ''Ironman
Iron Man, Ironman or Ironmen may refer to:
*Nathaniel "Iron Man" Avery (1939–1985), American caddie for Arnold Palmer
*Travis Fulton (1977–2021), American mixed martial arts fighter
*Gunnar Graps (1951–2004), Estonian musician
*Mick Murphy ...
''
References
{{Authority control
Al Green albums
1969 albums
Hi Records albums
Albums produced by Willie Mitchell (musician)