SYL JOHNSON
Previously posted April 10, 2019
Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (NUM032) [2010] (4 x CDs)
Joining Otis, Wilson, and Percy, plus both Sam and Dave, is a new deity in the eternal soul pantheon. Take it from Syl Johnson himself: “This box set is the history of a masterful artist whose time has just arrived.” The self-proclaimed “most sampled artist ever,” Syl finally gets his due on this 4CD+6LP box covering his most productive period, 1959 through 1972. Collected for the first time are all of Syl’s Federal, Twinight, Zachron, Special Agent, Cha Cha, and TMP-Ting 45s, plus period cuts from his Japan-only LP Goodie Goodie Good Times, and a murderer’s grip of previously unreleased and little-heard out-takes. Lovingly remastered from the original source tapes, these 81 songs never sounded sharper, clearer, or funkier. And historian Bill Dahl’s comprehensive track-by-track annotations bring deep-research backstory to every one. Our handsomely detailed and artfully crafted 40 page, 12” x 12” booklet also features a 13,000-word biography, scores of unpublished photos, a must-read index covering the history of every Syl-sampling artist (paid-up or otherwise), and the most complete and accurate discography you’re likely to find in this universe. Packaged to deliver top-quality vinyl and CDs together, along with replica LP pressings of both the original Is It Because I’m Black and Dresses Too Short albums, Complete Mythology, five years in the making, makes up for every lost nanosecond by being the definitive Syl Johnson document.
For casual soul and funk fans, Syl Johnson's career began in 1967 with the funky, oft-sampled "Different Strokes" and was followed by the burning socially conscious anthem "Is It Because I'm Black." In the 1970s, Johnson's name became synonymous with Hi Records in Memphis -- "I Hear the Love Chimes" was immortalized in Quentin Tarantino's film Jackie Brown. But his story begins many years and labels before, in 1959 to be exact. He cut "Teardrops" and "They Who Love" for King Records' subsidiary Federal, based on the strength of a demo he walked in off the street with -- on his way to a Chess session! Johnson recorded a slew of singles for Federal between 1959 and 1962, before leaving and recording for a series of labels that included Cha Cha, One-derful!, TMP-Ting, Zachron, Twinight, and P-Vine, all but the last cut before moving to Memphis and Hi in 1972. The story told here reveals that Johnson -- despite his off-the-chart talent as a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer -- never quite got over in the way that peers James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green did.
The evidence is collected convincingly on Complete Mythology, a massive 80-track, six-LP, four-CD set (the CDs mirror the LPs) that is the crowning achievement in archival music freak label Numero Group's catalog thus far. Johnson's career is documented chronologically, from "Teardrops" all the way through to "All I Need Is Someone Like You" (an elegant, Philly soul-inspired duet with wife Brenda), "Annie Has Got Hot Pants Power" (which directly inspired Brown's "Hot Pants"), and "Let's Start All Over Again." None of the Hi material is documented here; it needn't be because it's available elsewhere. This is Johnson's Chicago output before and after Memphis, during the first decade and a half of his career, the vast majority of it for Twinight, a label he helped to found. Johnson is no ordinary soul singer as the sounds here attest: they range from R&B-laced Chicago blues and soul to hard, edgy, jazzy uptown funk that rivals Brown's, to latter-day soul. Along the way are Johnson-penned originals as well as the hits he chased by other artists -- "I'll Take Those Skinny Legs" was written and recorded in response to Joe Tex's hit "Skinny Legs and All." There are even innovative covers of some Motown nuggets recorded in Detroit! There are seven unreleased tracks included in the package, too. In addition, as with all things Numero, the box features an exhaustively researched and annotated book with indispensable liners by Bill Dahl and loads of photos. While Johnson is known for creating myths surrounding his long career -- at 74 he's still going strong -- this set reveals the truth about his true worth as an artist, adding weight and heft to the story, thereby creating a new, and more than likely enduring, mythology. (AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek)
===================================================
ALL
Joining Otis, Wilson, and Percy, plus both Sam and Dave, is a new deity in the eternal soul pantheon. Take it from Syl Johnson himself: “This box set is the history of a masterful artist whose time has just arrived.” The self-proclaimed “most sampled artist ever,” Syl finally gets his due on this 4CD+6LP box covering his most productive period, 1959 through 1972. Collected for the first time are all of Syl’s Federal, Twinight, Zachron, Special Agent, Cha Cha, and TMP-Ting 45s, plus period cuts from his Japan-only LP Goodie Goodie Good Times, and a murderer’s grip of previously unreleased and little-heard out-takes. Lovingly remastered from the original source tapes, these 81 songs never sounded sharper, clearer, or funkier. And historian Bill Dahl’s comprehensive track-by-track annotations bring deep-research backstory to every one. Our handsomely detailed and artfully crafted 40 page, 12” x 12” booklet also features a 13,000-word biography, scores of unpublished photos, a must-read index covering the history of every Syl-sampling artist (paid-up or otherwise), and the most complete and accurate discography you’re likely to find in this universe. Packaged to deliver top-quality vinyl and CDs together, along with replica LP pressings of both the original Is It Because I’m Black and Dresses Too Short albums, Complete Mythology, five years in the making, makes up for every lost nanosecond by being the definitive Syl Johnson document.
For casual soul and funk fans, Syl Johnson's career began in 1967 with the funky, oft-sampled "Different Strokes" and was followed by the burning socially conscious anthem "Is It Because I'm Black." In the 1970s, Johnson's name became synonymous with Hi Records in Memphis -- "I Hear the Love Chimes" was immortalized in Quentin Tarantino's film Jackie Brown. But his story begins many years and labels before, in 1959 to be exact. He cut "Teardrops" and "They Who Love" for King Records' subsidiary Federal, based on the strength of a demo he walked in off the street with -- on his way to a Chess session! Johnson recorded a slew of singles for Federal between 1959 and 1962, before leaving and recording for a series of labels that included Cha Cha, One-derful!, TMP-Ting, Zachron, Twinight, and P-Vine, all but the last cut before moving to Memphis and Hi in 1972. The story told here reveals that Johnson -- despite his off-the-chart talent as a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer -- never quite got over in the way that peers James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green did.
The evidence is collected convincingly on Complete Mythology, a massive 80-track, six-LP, four-CD set (the CDs mirror the LPs) that is the crowning achievement in archival music freak label Numero Group's catalog thus far. Johnson's career is documented chronologically, from "Teardrops" all the way through to "All I Need Is Someone Like You" (an elegant, Philly soul-inspired duet with wife Brenda), "Annie Has Got Hot Pants Power" (which directly inspired Brown's "Hot Pants"), and "Let's Start All Over Again." None of the Hi material is documented here; it needn't be because it's available elsewhere. This is Johnson's Chicago output before and after Memphis, during the first decade and a half of his career, the vast majority of it for Twinight, a label he helped to found. Johnson is no ordinary soul singer as the sounds here attest: they range from R&B-laced Chicago blues and soul to hard, edgy, jazzy uptown funk that rivals Brown's, to latter-day soul. Along the way are Johnson-penned originals as well as the hits he chased by other artists -- "I'll Take Those Skinny Legs" was written and recorded in response to Joe Tex's hit "Skinny Legs and All." There are even innovative covers of some Motown nuggets recorded in Detroit! There are seven unreleased tracks included in the package, too. In addition, as with all things Numero, the box features an exhaustively researched and annotated book with indispensable liners by Bill Dahl and loads of photos. While Johnson is known for creating myths surrounding his long career -- at 74 he's still going strong -- this set reveals the truth about his true worth as an artist, adding weight and heft to the story, thereby creating a new, and more than likely enduring, mythology. (AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek)
===================================================
ALL
or
ALL
======================================================
Track lists
CD1
01 Syl Johnson - Teardrops 2:30
02 Syl Johnson - They Who Love 2:17
03 Syl Johnson - I've Got Love 2:46
04 Syl Johnson - Lonely Man 2:37
05 Syl Johnson - I Need Love 2:42
06 Syl Johnson - His Gift 2:44
07 Syl Johnson - I've Got To Find My Baby 2:34
08 Syl Johnson - She's So Fine - I Just Gotta Make Her Mine 2:28
09 Syl Johnson - Little Sally Walker 2:34
10 Syl Johnson - I Resign From Your Love 2:35
11 Syl Johnson - I Wanna Know 2:18
12 Syl Johnson - Well Oh Well 2:42
13 Syl Johnson - Please, Please, Please 2:29
14 Syl Johnson - I'm Looking For My Baby 2:32
15 Syl Johnson - She's Alright 2:41
16 Syl Johnson - I Know 2:09
17 Syl Johnson - A Half Love 2:50
18 Syl Johnson - I've Been Talked About 1:42
19 Syl Johnson - This Heart Of Mine 2:44
CD2
01 Syl Johnson - Falling In Love Again 2:27
02 Syl Johnson - I've Got To Get Over 2:23
03 Syl Johnson - Straight Love, No Chaser 2:24
04 Syl Johnson - Surrounded 2:12
05 Syl Johnson - Try Me 2:04
06 Syl Johnson - Half A Love 2:13
07 Syl Johnson - Do You Know What Love Is 1:53
08 Syl Johnson - The Love I Found In You 2:39
09 Syl Johnson - Do You Know What Love Is 1:53
10 Syl Johnson - Things Ain't Right 2:32
11 Syl Johnson - Come On Sock It To Me 2:27
12 Syl Johnson - Different Strokes 2:19
13 Syl Johnson - Sorry 'Bout Dat 2:15
14 Syl Johnson - Ode To Soul Man 2:33
15 Syl Johnson - I'll Take Those Skinny Legs 1:58
16 Syl Johnson - Send Me Some Lovin' 1:41
17 Syl Johnson - Soul Drippin' 2:24
18 Syl Johnson - Fox Hunting On The Weekend 2:32
19 Syl Johnson - Try Me 2:34
20 Syl Johnson - I Feel An Urge 2:25
21 Syl Johnson - I Resign 2:08
22 Syl Johnson - Love Condition 3:05
CD3
01 Syl Johnson - My Funky Band 3:23
02 Syl Johnson - Sockin' Soul Power 2:52
03 Syl Johnson - Double Whammy 2:18
04 Syl Johnson - Dresses Too Short 2:47
05 Syl Johnson - I Can Take Care Of Business 3:01
06 Syl Johnson - Same Kind Of Thing 2:24
07 Syl Johnson - I've Got The Real Thing 2:42
08 Syl Johnson - Take Me Back 2:50
09 Syl Johnson - I Take Care Of Homework 2:19
10 Syl Johnson - Let Them Hang High 2:20
11 Syl Johnson - Don't Give It Away 2:48
12 Syl Johnson - Going To The Shack 2:43
13 Syl Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black 7:34
14 Syl Johnson - Concrete Reservation 2:27
15 Syl Johnson - Together Forever 2:52
16 Syl Johnson - Come Together 3:15
17 Syl Johnson - Black Balloons 2:39
18 Syl Johnson - Walk A Mile In My Shoes 2:43
19 Syl Johnson - I'm Talkin' 'Bout Freedom 3:41
20 Syl Johnson - Right On 7:13
21 Syl Johnson - Everybody Needs Love 3:38
CD4
01 Syl Johnson - One Way Ticket To Nowhere 2:30
02 Syl Johnson - Kiss By Kiss 2:33
03 Syl Johnson - Thank You Baby 2:37
04 Syl Johnson - We Do It Together 2:42
05 Syl Johnson - Try My Love 2:34
06 Syl Johnson - That's Why 2:31
07 Syl Johnson - Get Ready 3:04
08 Syl Johnson - The Way You Do The Things You Do 3:26
09 Syl Johnson - Annie Got Hot Pants Power (Part 1) 3:09
10 Syl Johnson - Wouldn't Change My Lady 2:53
11 Syl Johnson - All I Need Is Someone Like You 2:58
12 Syl Johnson - Let's Start All Over Again 4:18
13 Syl Johnson - Hot Pants Lady 2:53
14 Syl Johnson - Wiggle In Your Hips 2:02
15 Syl Johnson - Your Love Is Good For Me 2:28
16 Syl Johnson - Trying To Get To You 2:19
17 Syl Johnson - Soul Strokes 2:41
18 Syl Johnson - Annie Got Hot Pants Power (Part 2) 2:59
19 Syl Johnson - Soul Heaven 2:35
======================================================
======================================================
Excellent post, BB. I have yet to hear a bad Syl Johnson song. Just like OV Wright, he gave that classic sound at Hi Records a little extra grit and, well, soul. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThanks BG.
DeleteI haven't heard OV Wright for a while. I should do that, Thanks for the reminder.
Cheers.
Thanks BB This will be a deep dive into the mans music.
ReplyDeleteHi lemonflag.
DeleteIt's all there and a wonderful listening experience it is.
Cheers.
Great, oft overlooked, soul singer. Many thanks, BB!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, pmac.
DeleteEnjoy listening to these again.
Cheers.