306. Al Green, "I'm Still in Love With You"

 


Just feast your eyes on that cover.  Al Green, resplendent in a crisp white suit, the amount of jewelry appropriate for a soul singer of his caliber, impeccable white shoes and black socks, seated luxuriously in a white wicker chair, accented by a couple of plants and the green lettering.  To today's eye, he looks like the logo of the coolest cannabis dispensary on the block.  I'm sure those allusions weren't lost on the record buying public of 1972.  This cover is absolute fire.

Now, how can you not love Al Green?  Answer: you can't not love Al Green, because there's nothing not to love about Al Green.  HOWEVER, because I am a dick and I just can't help myself, I have to say, this is the third Al Green album in the first 195 albums, including Greatest Hits, and that's a lot of Al Green and even some of the same songs.  So maaaayyyyybe I didn't love it as much as I could have?  Plus, and absolutely no shame to Al Green for this, but a lot of his songs sound, well, exactly the same, with that slow beat, him moaning/wailing about being in love, that kind of thing.  At this point, I get it, Al Green.

Most of the songs on this record were written by Al Green (with some help), with two interesting exceptions.  One is a cover of "Pretty Woman," which has to be one of the most covered songs of all time.  In fact, I think I knew the Van Halen version before the Roy Orbison original, because I was a dirtbag preteen and my DAD liked Roy Orbison.  Anyway, Al didn't really blow me away with his version; it's Al singing "Pretty Woman," you can picture it in your head.  There's also "For the Good Times," a Kris Kristofferson jam that became a huge hit for country singer Ray Price.  It was also on Coal Miner's Daughter, which we saw at #440.  A good song always gets around.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? I suppose so but it's getting to be a lot at this point.

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