Call Me is the sixth album by soul singer Al Green, released in April 1973. It is widely regarded as Green's masterpiece, and has been called one of the best soul albums ever made.[9] In 2003 the TV network VH1 named it the 70th greatest album in any genre. Call Me was a Top 10 Billboard Pop Album, and the third #1 Soul Album. In 2003, the album was ranked number 289 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and 290 in a 2012 revised list.[10] Praised for his emotive singing style, Green here incorporates country influences, covering both Willie Nelson and Hank Williams. This album contained three top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "You Ought to Be with Me," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and "Call Me (Come Back Home)."
| Call Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Royal Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:07 | |||
| Label | Hi | |||
| Producer | Willie Mitchell, Al Green | |||
| Al Green chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A+[5] |
| Tom Hull | A+[8] |
| Rolling Stone (1973) | (favorable)[6] |
| Rolling Stone (2004) | [7] |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Al Green, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Call Me (Come Back Home)" | Al Green, Al Jackson Jr., Willie Mitchell | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Have You Been Making Out O.K." | 3:42 | |
| 3. | "Stand Up" | 3:25 | |
| 4. | "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" | Hank Williams | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Your Love Is Like the Morning Sun" | 3:09 | |
| Total length: | 16:29 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" | Green, Teenie Hodges | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Funny How Time Slips Away" | Willie Nelson | 5:33 |
| 3. | "You Ought to Be with Me" | Green, Jackson Jr., Mitchell | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Jesus Is Waiting" | 5:36 | |
| Total length: | 18:38 | ||
Personnel
edit- Al Green – vocals, producer
- Willie Mitchell – producer, engineer
- Charles Chalmers – background vocals, horn arrangements
- Margaret Goldfarb – assistant producer
- Howard Grimes – drums
- Jack Hale Sr. – trombone
- Charles Hodges – Hammond organ, piano
- Leroy Hodges – bass
- Mabon "Teenie" Hodges – guitar
- Wayne Jackson – trumpet
- Kathy Kinslow – assistant producer
- Charles Levan – assistant producer
- Ed Logan – tenor saxophone
- Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
- The Memphis Strings – strings
- James Mitchell – baritone saxophone, horn arrangements
- Bud O'Shea – executive producer
- Eli Okun – executive producer
- Cheryl Pawelski – assistant producer
- Donna Rhodes – background vocals
- Sandra Rhodes – background vocals
- Archie Turner – piano
- Al Jackson Jr. – drums
- Robert Gordon – liner notes
- Jim Cummins - photography
Chart positions
editBillboard Music Charts (North America) – album
edit- 1973 Pop Albums No. 10
- 1973 Black Albums No. 1
Billboard (North America) – singles
edit- 1972 "You Ought To Be With Me" Pop Singles No. 3
- 1972 "You Ought To Be With Me" Black Singles No. 1
- 1973 "Call Me (Come Back Home)" Pop Singles No. 10
- 1973 "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" Pop Singles No. 10
- 1973 "Call Me (Come Back Home)" Black Singles No. 2
- 1973 "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" Black Singles No. 2
Later samples
edit- "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)"
- "Slang Editorial" by Cappadonna from the album The Pillage
- "You Ought To Be With Me"
- "260" by Ghostface Killah from the album Ironman
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shapiro, Peter; et al. (2003). Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (2nd ed.). Rough Guides. p. 451. ISBN 1858284570.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (June 23, 2004). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
Green and Mitchell found R&B perfection...
- ^ "AllMusic - Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 2007). "Al Green: Back Catalogue". Blender. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Landau, Jon (5 July 1973). "Call Me". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Blashill, Pat (29 June 2004). "Call Me (Reissue)". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Hull, Tom (May 2005). "Recycled Goods (19)". A Consumer Guide to the Trailing Edge. Tom Hull. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock, p. 451. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-105-4.
- ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.