THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505250172
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Preview record reviews
SOURCE: By MARK MOBLEY, MUSIC CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
``Hi Times: The Hi Records R&B Years'' (The Right Stuff) - A few years ago, singles from the legendary Memphis soul studio Stax/Volt were rolled out in a justifiably acclaimed 9-CD box set. Now the scrappy crosstown competitor, Hi Records, is the subject of a 3-CD collection. While not as sweeping as the Stax/Volt box, it boasts contributions by Ann Peebles, the legendary Al Green and the amazing rhythm section that backed them.
In its early years, Hi was known for rock instrumentals, and a few are included here. Willie Mitchell's 1969 ``Teenie's Dream'' hints at the loping quality that was to come in the Green sides. But Disc One is mostly tunes that almost made it, tunes that - charming as some of them are - sound derivative or just undercooked. Janet & The Jays' ``Love What You're Doing To Me'' is second-rate Motown and Kim Melvin's ``Doin' the Popcorn'' is JB lite.
Yet at the end of Disc One, the start of the '70s, Hi's biggest stars emerge. Peebles' slow ``Walk Away'' has the long lines and ``I Pity The Fool'' has the holler that would make her a soul diva. Green's early cover of ``I Want To Hold Your Hand'' finds his passion needing focus; so does his stunningly slow version of ``The Letter,'' which has almost more pleading than the song can bear.
By the early '70s material on Disc Two, the team of Green, the Hi Rhythm Section and producer Willie Mitchell hit its stride. ``Tired Of Being Alone,'' ``Let's Stay Together'' and ``Call Me'' are masterpieces of pop music, each with the steady, gentle beat of a contented lover's heart and the achingly beautiful entreaties of one of America's sexiest, and greatest, singers. And from the opening plinks of its Hammond organ, Peebles' ``I Can't Stand the Rain'' is an unforgettable record.
As with most such box sets, some of the more interesting tracks are the one-off curiosities. Saxman Ace Cannon sings the gruff, entirely believable lead vocals on ``Drunk,''a cover of a '50s hit. Hidden in the Hi vaults was ``Fried Chicken,'' a disco paean to finger lickin' food by Stax star Rufus Thomas. Gene Anderson hits a winning falsetto in the title line of ``Your Love Must Be Voodoo.'' Green's ``Take Me To The River'' is heard in the Syl Johnson cover that made it a hit.
The collection ends, fittingly, with ``Belle,'' the title track from Green's last purely secular pop album. After being seriously injured by a girlfriend, Green turned to the ministry and made a series of gospel records. Hi was sold soon afterwards, and Mitchell left the label in 1979. In the years since, few have made music as deeply funky, as romantic and as moving as this.
The Beau Hunks, ``The Beau Hunks Play the Original Little Rascals Music'' (Koch Screen) - An irresistible collection from the collective memory. The ``Little Rascals'' theme - a slow waltz titled ``Good Old Days'' - is one of the most evocative themes Hollywood has produced. This disc reveals the composer, Roy Shields, to be a major talent of the early sound era.
Shield began his career as a concert pianist, and a harmonically adventurous cue titled ``Drunk'' attests to his experience with the modern music of Stravinsky and Schoenberg. Shortly after the advent of talkies, he found himself pressed into service writing music on the fly for comedic short subjects. He had a sure hand with memorable melodies, jaunty rhythms and funny instrumental effects. And once a short number was written for a scene, it was used again and again by the studio. Thus Shield's joyous and wistful tunes enlivened not just Little Rascals episodes but Laurel & Hardy films as well.
Amsterdam-based group The Beau Hunks includes members of another revival outfit, Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The Hunks meticulously edited snippets of the films to create working versions of the tunes, then copied them out by ear. The ensemble work swings.
This disc has 50 short tracks, ranging from the jaunty ``Bells'' to the punchy reeds of ``Cops'' and the background barking of ``Dog Song.'' Perhaps the happiest is the irrepressible ``It is to Laugh'' - a ragtime cousin of the ``Sabre Dance'' as fresh as it was 65 years ago. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
AL GREEN
by CNB