Name: Love Ritual
Brand: Al Green

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

fph12152

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2014-03-24

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

The Orchard

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0767981121529

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Al Green

Genre GB

Funk / Soul

Label GB

<p>Soul/gospel singer and songwriter, Al Green, was born on 13 April 1946 in Forrest City, Arkansas, USA. He started his career as Al Greene but has used the name Al Green since the late 1960s. In addition to his music career, he has been a pastor at Memphis' Full Gospel Tabernacle since 1976. Al Green was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as a performer and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.</p>

Remastered version on Fat Possum. As a pop / R&amp;B singer throughout the '70s, Green always produced intriguing and challenging work with producer Willie Mitchell. But by late 1974, Green's work seemed to get a little more eccentric, and he often had to contend with the breakdown of the Memphis sound as well as his own changing persona. This album complies many of the odds and ends from his final four '70s albums with Mitchell. In many respects the final three albums, 'Al Green Is Love', 'Full of Fire', and 'Have a Good Time' took great pains at attaining a sense of normalcy. 'Love Ritual' doesn't seem to care and offers more truthful look at some of Green's edgier, left-of-center work. The hypnotic title track with its sharp rhythm and often incoherent lyrics is made even more striking and emotional due to the string arrangement. The harder edged 'I Gotta Be More (Take Me Higher)' and 'Let It Shine' sounded better here than they did on their original albums. During this time frame, Green's voice remained intact even when his confidence and attention span seemed to waver. More often than not, he was tiring of conventional love songs. 'Glory, Glory' on the surface seems like a love song but upon closer inspection it vacillates from romance to religion in a manner that only Green could pull off. 'Love Ritual' was released after Hi Records switched distribution from London to Cream. Although the motives for this release still remain unclear, 'Love Ritual' does offer a good array of Green's hits, grazes, and misses.

Love Ritual

Music GB