ALLEN TOUSSAINT "SOUTHERN NIGHTS"

Artist: Allen Toussaint
Album: Southern Nights
Label: Reprise
Catalog: MS-2186
Released: 1976
Genre: soul
Grade: **** 4stars
Condition: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Comments: --
Quantity available: SOLD
Price: SOLD ($40.00)



Crap, what was I thinking ?   Over the last ten years I've sold at least a dozen copies of this album and though I always intended to give it a spin, I never got around to doing so.   No idea why it didn't happen.  I've always liked Allen Toussaint and have a bunch of his albums in my collection.   Maybe it had something to do with Glenn Campbell's hit cover of the title track ?  Indifference ?  Laziness ?  Whatever the reason, having finally listened to the album, al I can say I was stupid, stupid, stupid ...

 

While Toussaint had been recording since mid-'50s, 1975's "Southern Nights" was only his fourth studio album.  Co-produced by Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, and his sophomore release for Reprise Records, the collection was apparently intended as an autobiographical concept piece, perhaps focusing on Toussaint's life in New Orleans. The "concept" comment comes from the fact the title track melody popped up repeatedly throughout the collection.   I'll readily admit much of the plotline was lost on me, but that doesn't detract anything from this album's charm.  I've always loved Toussaint's honey-smooth voice and surrounded by a totally unique mix of psych, funk, soul, and Creole touches, he's never sounded better.  having a top notch collection of backing musicians, including The Meters didn't hurt - bassist George Porter Jr was superb throughout. Other than the fact the album was too short (clocking in at about 35 minutes), my only problem with the collection was trying to decide which facet of Toussaint's talents I liked the most.   If pushed to make a choice, I guess I'd go for his class soul moves - tunes like 'Back In Baby's Arms', 'What Do You Want the Girl to Do ', and 'When the Party's Over'.   But then the funk moves were equally good ('Worldwide').  Darn, so were the more experimental efforts ...  At least in my book, this is one seriously rare album.  Literally a collection where there isn't a single song that I dislike.  Sure, there are a couple I don't like as much as the others, but there wasn't a tune that I would skip over.   

And finally a quick word on the title track - In my earlier comments I meant no disrespect to the Glen Campbell cover.   Campbell and his producer turned in a killer cover, made even more impressive by the fact they were able to recognize the song's potential in Toussaint's strange, lysergic-tinged nightmare arrangement.

"Southern Nights" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Last Train   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:01
'Last Train' opened the album with a tune that should have been released as a single.  Kicked along by some amazing horns and one of the best bass lines I've ever heard (courtesy of George Porter Jr.), the tune had universal appeal with a fantastic blend of rock, soul, and funk influences and a refrain that was simply a classic - "You got me huffing and puffing and chugging like a choo choo train..."   I'm smiling as I type this.   rating: ***** stars
2.) Worldwide   (Allen Toussaint) - 2:42
Funk-meets Creole with dazzling results !!!   Wonder platform for Toussaint's mesmerizing voice.  I dare anyone to try to sit still through this one.   It's become a staple for sampling (OutKast grabbed if for 'We Luv Deez Hoez' and  KRS ONEborrowed it for 'Take These Rappers Out').      rating: **** stars
3.) Back In Baby's Arms   (Allen Toussaint) - 4:49
Propelled by another sterling Porter bass line 'Back In Baby's Arms' had a classic soul melody and feel, sounded way more 1965 than 1975.  By the way, that was meant as a major compliment.  Another magnificent Toussaint vocal with a great set of power-of-love lyrics.  Kudos to background singers Joan Harmon, Deborah Paul, and Sharon Neborn.    rating: **** stars
4.) Country John   (Allen Toussaint) - 4:45
On the surface this sounded a bit like one of those "story" soul tunes Clarence Carter rode to stardom.  The difference was Carter and his contemporaries never came up with a refrain as funky, or cool as this one.   While I love the song, it isn't the tune I would have tapped as a single

- 1975's 'Country John' b/w When the Party's Over' (Reprise catalog number RPS-1334)   rating: *** stars

5.) Basic Lady   (Allen Toussaint) - 2:58
Unexpectedly sandwiched by opening and closing snippets of the 'Southern Nights' melody, 'Basic Lady' was the album's most straightforward and commercial soul offerings.   Nice double tracked Toussaint vocal with a killer sax solo.   rating: **** stars

(side 2)
1.) Southern Nights   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:36

As mentioned above, for better or worse, most folks know the title track from Glen Campbell's hit cover.   If you grew up with the hit version, then Toussaint's swampy, ghostly original was likely to come as a major surprise.  The underlying keyboard-propelled melody was familiar, but with Toussaint's vocals bathed in all sorts of strange effects (it sounded like it was channeled through a Leslie speaker), it took a moment to get your barings.   Once you got acclimated to this version, it was great.  YouTube has a wonderful version of Toussaint playing the song solo.  His opening comments are worth the price of admission, and yes he gets the same edgy sound without any effects:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAFOz5GA8I   The song was simply too strange for American radio, but it was released as a single in the UK:

- 1975's 'Southern Night' b/w 'Out of the City (Into the country Life)' (Reprise catalog number K14385)
2.) You Will Not Lose   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:42
The album's sleeper tune, 'You Will Not Lose' had a strange counterpart structure and a melody that fell somewhere between swamper and German oom-pa-pa band.   Yeah, I can't even begin to describe it adequately, but it's great.   For what it's worth, Glen Campbell recorded a upbeat and poppier version of the tune for his 1990 album "Walkin' in the Sun".  Toussaint's original was tapped as a promo single, but seemingly never released in stock format:

- 1975's 'You Will Not Lose' b/w ' Basic Lady' (Reprise catalog number PRO-599):

3.) What Do You Want the Girl to Do   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:40
Sweet ballad with a stunning vocal and an almost criminally addictive hook.  It's one of his best known tunes with covers from a slew of artists including Lowell George (the best cover), Bonnie Raitt (with a slight change to the title 'What Do You Want the Boy to Do?'), and Boz Scaggs (the hit version).  YouTube has a nice clip of Toussaint performing the song at Seattle NPR radio station KPLU:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liVv4PMPx2o    rating: **** stars
4.) When the Party's Over   (Allen Toussaint) - 2:38
Back to the old school sound that Toussaint manages to effortlessly churn out ...  Swaying beat, breezy vocal, great horns ...   near soul perfection.   rating: **** stars
5.) Cruel Way To Go Down   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:52
Nice bluesy ballad which showcased Toussaint's keyboard talents.   rating: *** stars