The Staple Singers – I'll Take You There / Respect Yourself (45 tours, 200g)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
The Staple Singers (Cleotha Staples; Mavis Staples, Pops Staples, Yvonne Staples) - vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring The Staple Singers]
Guitar – Pops Staples, Edward C. Hinton
Baritone Saxophone – Lee Williams
Bass – David Hood
Drums – Roger G. Hawkins
Keyboards – Barry Becket
Rhythm Guitar – Jimmy R. Johnson
Saxophone – Harvey Henderson
Trumpet, Leader – Ben Cauley
Arranged by Al Bell
Written by Alvertis Isbell (A1), Bonny Rice (B1), Luther Ingram (B1)
1LP, standard sleeve
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : Black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Stax
Engineered by Jerry Masters, Ralph Rhodes, Terry Manning
Produced by Al Bell
Mastered and lacquer cut by Kevin Gray, Steve Hoffman at AcousTech Mastering
Originally released in 1977
Reissued in January 2003
Tracks:
Side A:
-
I'll Take You There
Side B:
- Respect Yourself
Reviews:
“Like a few other gospel-trained artists, the Staples Singers made the transition back and forth between church and secular songs effortlessly, with little distinction in approach between the two areas of subject matter. The family's message was almost always a positive one, whether the song of the moment is intended as a church hymn or a radio pop song; the lyrics usually concern empowerment, faith, love, peace, and respect. And as they sing in "Respect Yourself," the latter begins within.
Beginning with a bluesy funk riff on an electric piano, "Respect Yourself" begins like many a Sly & the Family Stone tune: a slow-building gospel approach that establishes the message, then stoking it up to a blazing end. Roebuck "Pops" Staples begins Luther Ingram and Sir Mack Rice's lyric: "If you disrespect anyone that you're running to/How in the world do you think anybody's supposed to respect you/If you don't give a heck about the man with a Bible in his hand/Just get out the way and let the gentleman do his thing." Pops' daughter Mavis -- one of pop music's most powerful and expressive vocalists -- takes over the song's other verse: "If you're walking round thinking that the world owes you something 'cause you're here/You're going out the world backwards like you did when you first come here/You curse around women but you don't even know their name/Then you're dumb enough to think it'll make you a big ol' man." The switching off on the lead vocal duties, as well as the call and response with the backing ensemble -- of sisters Yvonne and Cleotha-- is straight from gospel music and the church tradition. The words certainly had resonance for a burgeoning self-empowerment movement for African-Americans during the post-civil-rights-movement 1970s, as well as women demanding more respect during those same years, but the message had a universal and inspirational appeal.
Rice is also known for writing "Mustang Sally," while Ingram was a well-known Stax recording artist in his own right. The 1972 recording of "Respect Yourself" was produced by Memphis legend Al Bell for Be Altitude: Respect Yourself soon after the Staples Singers joined Stax Records. Bell teamed the group with the equally storied Muscle Shoals (Alabama) session men, musicians who laid down classic tracks for Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin. The sound is, therefore, predictably full, fat, and funky, with a snaking synth line, lending a contemporary updating to a classic style and theme. The arrangement builds from a simmer to full boil by the end, the tension increasing on the four-bar, one-chord pre-chorus -- a musical device known as pedaling -- releasing for the chorus itself. After Mavis' verse and chorus, the group vamps on the chorus, with the band pumping by the song's fade-out, horns bleating and drum fills pounding. The recording was a hit for the Staples Singers, reaching number two on the R&B chart and just missing the Top Ten on the pop chart.” AllMusic Review of Respect Yourself by Bill Janovitz
Ratings:
Discogs : 4.88 / 5