[ January 15, 2004 ]
Uncut: Paul on Al Green
Uncut
The Record That Changed My Life - Paul Heaton
15 Jan 2004
Courtesy of Gina Dipper
The Beautiful South singer on the blinding light of soul legend Al Green
I have dozens of records that changed my life but the first was Al Green's Greatest Hits. Actually it was a cheap compilation, Spotlight On Al Green. I first heard it in 1983 and was completely entwined with it for the next two to three years. I was on the dole at the time and a bloke in the record shop persuaded me to buy it. I was really into more gospel-based soul singers like Wilson Pickett, but he kept insisting 'You've got to listen to Al Green. It's not what he puts in that matters, it's what he leaves out'.
Anyway I took the record home and fell completely in love with it. It wasn't just the fact there's a lot of brilliant songs on there - it was his unique Southern drawl. I've still not heard the original of 'For The Good Times', but the way he leaves gaps and adds vocals where there aren't supposed to be any has been a massive influence on me and the way I've used my voice.
You probably can't tell as much listening to The Beautiful South, but when we started The Housemartins, I used to spend a couple of hours a day singing along to Al Green, trying to impersonate him. I have quite a high voice naturally, and I'd listen again and again, trying my hardest to follow him and hit the really high falsetto notes. I probably drove the rest of the band mad, but at the time they were quite happy to add in bits of soul and gospel. In fact 'You' on the B-side of Flag Day was a straight rip-off of an Al Green song from one of his religious records!
I've not got about 35 to 40 of his albums, but I still play that 'Best Of' the most. His versions of 'Unchained Melody' and 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?' are just fantastic. I know a lot of people think of Al Green as shagging music, but I would never ever lower the piece of vinyl by doing something like that!
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