(Aug. 8, 2003) *Al Green fans, take those old Al Green records off the shelf and give them a final spin because on Sept 16 the definitive Al Green box set, Al Green: "The Immortal Soul of…" (The Right Stuff Records), will be released.

The 4-CD set, comprised of 75 classic Al Green ballads, features 24-bit digitally remastered versions of the originally released analog recordings from Hi Records.

Growing up near the banks of the Mississippi River, which flows through Memphis, TN, it was by a chance meeting in a club that Al Green and soul singer Willie Mitchell became friends and formed one of the most monumental collaborative relationships the world of soul and R&B has ever seen.

The tracks they created are featured on the new box set that follows Green's budding growth as a singer, as a composer, and his timeless work with Mitchell and their band The Hi Rhythm Section.

The box also includes Al Green doing numbers by The Doors and The Beatles, extensive liner notes and all the classics you're still in love with.

al green box set...gettin ready to save some money for it...it's about time, man!!!

Yes!!! Thank you Jesus!

Sounds great,but Al Green already has a 4-CD box set that came out in the late 90s.Hopefully,this one will include stuff that's not featured on the earlier box set.

Great but, uh, is he going to make new music again? I saw him live last year and in 2001. The 2nd show was kind of dissapointing and both were too short (IMHO). However, in the 2nd show he did a duet with Ann Nesby (his opening act) called "Put It On Paper". It was a hot song. I looked up it and saw that it was new on her latest album and was his return to "pop" music in...a hundred years or whatever in the making. I expected a bigger commoition about this but I guess since he waited so long, no one really cared (which sucks considering it was a good song). Anyway, is he going to be doing that pop album that we've all been waiting for or not!

Harlepolis said:

Hallelujah! I love the Rev Al.

Supernova said:

ah-ha...then why haven't i ever seen the first box set in stores, i'd sure as heck buy that one then...


true...i'm doubtin if al would wanna go back on the secular route...

Supernova said:

I think that Ann Nesby duet with him was a good indication that he doesn't mind singing about the secular again. However, the thought of Al Green singing "Put It On Paper"

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Because you're not looking for it. Ya see.

It's called Al Green Anthology:
"The Ultimate Al! 4 CD SET
61 TRACKS. Including interviews, unreleased
performances and RARE recordings.

64 PAGE COLOR BOOKLET with many never before
seen photos, complete annotation & discography."

Also, as described in the first post in this thread:

it DOES contain his cover of the Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and The Doors' "Light My Fire."
Good Lawd, it even contains his dog Roma barking in the background while Rev. Al is being interviewed.

Copyright release year 1997.

Pictures of early Al prior to stardom, pictures of '70s
Al with his shirt off, pictures of Willie Mitchell at the
piano, pictures of the late Al Jackson, Jr.
(drummer extraordinaire) at the mixing console,
pictures of Al with a King's crown on his head onstage,
pictures of Al with big bifocals playing geetar,
pictures of the musicians in Al's band, pictures
of early '80s Al, pictures of Al preaching to his
congregation, yada, yada, blahhhyaddablahhh.

This is a legit release, I didn't get any special favors
with this one. I even got it from that awful Tower Records.

I don't know why you can't find this one, Dansa.

With this description in the original post:
"The 4-CD set, comprised of 75 classic Al Green ballads"
I know it doesn't literally mean 75 BALLADS, so the
difference would seem to be the 14 extra tracks that
the original box set (61 tracks) doesn't have.

Supernova said:

i'm in the midwest, it's hard as hell to find good shit here! i just got around to findin a couple of al's albums on vinyl, and those were both like findin needles in haystacks...maybe the 1st version of the box set will turn up one of these days in a store somewhere 'round mpls...

the last box set was crap. Poor remastering, awful sequencing, and the interview was spread out over the box, making "leisure listening" impossible.

This year they reissued his first 4 (Hi) albums with 24-bit remastering (The drums will break windows!!!) and bonus tracks. Original artwork etc.

Just buy these 4 cds, then find Rev. Al's autobiography for liner notes (it's currently on the cut-out shelves (in the midwest, too...) in bookstores).

he also put out a new secular CD in 1995. No one bought it (except me, and I can't blame anyone else), as it had bad production (Narada Michael Walden. Need i say more?).

EDIT: Just looked at liner notes again and I will listen to this tomorrow. Just noticed that Bernard Purdie and the Memphis Horns played on several cuts. So I will revisit, and review again...

The Ann Nesby cut was good, but check for the (I believe out of print) Red Hot & country (I think.. It was a cd of r&b singers doing country covers, and several duets mixing it up...) that has an Excellent cut...
[This message was edited Sat Aug 9 23:14:47 PDT 2003 by soulsike]

soulsike said: This year they reissued his first 4 (Hi) albums with 24-bit remastering (The drums will break windows!!!) and bonus tracks. Original artwork etc.

Yeah, Al Jackson Jr. was nothing to play with...BABBBYYY!!!

DavidEye said:

This was the exact same thing I was gonna say. I already have a 4-CD set from him, and I sure hope it's not the same thing with a just maybe a different track or two. I hate it when record companies do this, if this is the case.

alexnvrmnd said:

i did see the box-set d-eye was referring to. I didn't buy
it only cuz i was getting other records at the time (plus
i had al' greatest hits...which was cool enough.)

but record companies will do this. its call getting as much
money from consumers as they can!

a few tid-bits on the rev:
i saw him on a music special a year or so ago (it was called
"say it LOud" ) where he said the LOrd told him it was
alright singing his old songs...and they showed some
clips of him singing his old classics!

i got the impression that he was comfortable doing both
secular & spiritual,now.(which is cool)

the other personal thing is this funny thang:
one of the best concerts i ever saw (this was mentioned in
a previous thread ) JAMES BROWN at the arie crown theatre
circa 1969-70 you're not going believe this!
AL green was the opening act!

what made this special was:at the time his local hit was
his soul-rocking version of the TEMPtations "can't get next
to you "...hE was pretty good then...but the audience
reacted like "something wrong with this brotha!"

i kid you not! his style was performing didn't go over too
well with james's fans!

and a few months later al finally hits paydirt (big time)
with "tired of being alone".

and from there the rev never looked back!

this goes to show you everybody starts as somebody's opening act!

anyway...that's a trip.

looks like i gotta grab my charge card for a AG box-set!

charles" i'm wrapped up in love...doncha know that i'm still
in love with you...sho nuff in love with U...aHHH...!'

Hey everybody remember the 70's based movie Dead Presidents {which also has that great 70's soundrack with those songs from the 70's} starring Larenz Tate and Chris Tucker.

A priceless scene in the movie is the scene in which the police/FBI bust in on Chris Tucker's character and he is laying in his chair dead...and there's Soul Train on the tv in front of his chair...

And there was Al singing "I'm So Tired Of Being Alone"...but what got me WAS what he had on. Ole Al had on some short pants with what look like a fur coat on and a t-shirts and about 4 or 5 gold chains around his neck..and to top it off he had that huge afro with a brim had tilted to the side...{LOL}... man, that was classic right there!!! That one Soul Train scene was worth the price of the movie alone.

Don Corneilus GOT to released these old Soul Train episodes{or at least the performances} on DVD one day!!!
[This message was edited Thu Aug 14 10:10:10 PDT 2003 by BRO915]

BRO915 said:

I'm sure it's gotta be in the works sometime soon. Too much money to be made and older shows being re-released on DVD these days for it to not happen.

alexnvrmnd said:

Hey, I certainly hope so!!!

BRO915 said:

i have a few of the SOul Train shows on video tape and some
of Al's performances,too. i wish they'd put these out on
DVD!

BRO915 said:

I agree because just the 70's version of Soul Train alone would be all I Need to watch.

mistermaxxx said:

A box set of that would be worth it's weight in gold, man!

Harlepolis said:

This is why I loves you girl, you bring so much love and happiness into my life.