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Positive : 0 (0%)
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Neutral : 1 (100%)
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Total : 1
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On 10/25/2014 by BadCatRecords_deleteaccount
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3 / 5
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Produced by Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford and backed by the Muscle Shoals crew (along with Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey - misspelled as Dennis Coffee), 1971's "Don't Knock My Love" was one of Pickett's last classic releases. Musically the album was fairly diverse with Pickett taking stabs at a wide variety of genres including pop ('Call My Name, I'll Be There'), old-school soul ('(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Way Long'), funk ('You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover'), and even AOR rock (a cover of Free's 'Fire and Rain'). Pickett's instantly recognizable voice was in wonderful form throughout In fact, the only complaint here was the absence of Pickett originals - only three of the twelve songs were Pickett originals. Curiously, for some reason the songs were programmed so they all segued into one another.
"Don't Knock My Love" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Fire and Water (Andy Fraser - Paul Rodgers) - 3:35
I've got to admit to being surprised by how good Pickett's cover of Free's 'Fire and Rain' was. He stayed pretty close to the original melody, but managed to inject some classic soul moves into the song that Paul Rodgers could only dream about (nobody yelps as good as Pickett). YouTube has a nice performance of the track - love the silver suit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dTggduPfBE rating: **** stars
2.) (Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Way Long (Jackie Avery - Earl Simms - Carlton McWilliams) - 3:02
'(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Way Long' found Pickett diving into old school soul with stunning results. Propelled by some tasty Pickett harmonica and those patented yelps, this one was every bit as good as his mid-'60s classic releases. rating: **** stars
3.) Covering the Same Old Ground (George Jackson - Raymond Moore - James Dotson) - 3:25
Wade Marcus' heavily orchestrated opening was a bit jarring, but when it faded out and Pickett started singing things rapidly improved. Not nearly as impressive as the first two songs, but a petty ballad that showed he could do it all. rating: *** stars
4.) Don't Knock My Love - Pt 1 (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 2:39
Opening up with some heavy Latin percussion, 'Don't Knock My Love - Pt 1' found Pickett taking a stab at lightweight urban funk. Yeah, the chirping female backing singers were distracting, but the overall effect was impressive. Here's a link to a Soul Train performance of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-03-clz9h4 rating: *** stars
5.) Don't Knock My Love - Pt 2 (instrumental) (Wilson Pickett - Brad Shapiro) - 4:054
The instrumental 'Don't Knock My Love - Pt 2' opened up with some gurgling sound effects and what sounded like Dennis Coffey's guitar. To my ears this one sounded like Norman Whitfield penned incidental music for an early-'70s blaxploitation flick. It actually had kind of a nightmarish quality to it and was notable for giving the Muscle Shoals crew an opportunity to stretch out far beyond their normal limits. Check out bassist David Hood's work. rating: *** stars
6.) Call My Name, I'll Be There (Willie Martin - Dave Crawford - Brad Shapiro) - 2:27
One of the most pop-oriented things he ever recorded, 'Call My Name, I'll Be There' sounded like it had been written specifically for radio airplay. It's a bit cheesy, but had a catchy hook. rating: *** stars
(side 2)
1.) Hot Love (Clarence Reid - Willie Clarke - Brad Shapiro) - 3:06
'Hot Love' wasn't going to win any awards for lyrical content, but was pretty funky, even if Pickett sounded like he was largely going through the motions. The song also had some great work from the Muscle Shoals Horns. rating: *** stars
2.) Hot Enough Love To Satisfy (Clyde Wilson - Ronald Dunbar) - 3:05
Opening up with some Dennis Coffey fuzz guitar, things got back on track with the breezy 'Hot Enough Love To Satisfy'. Complete with killer melody and pleading vocals, this was another song that recalled classic '60s Pickett. One of my favorite tunes on the set. rating: **** stars
3.) You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover (Stevie Wonder - Henry Cosby - Sylvia Moy) - 2:58
Probably the album's funkiest number, Pickett's cover of 'You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover' was good enough to give the Stevie Wonder original a run for the money. Personally, this is one of the tracks I would have tapped as a single. rating: **** stars
4.) Pledging My Love (Don Robey - Fernand Washington) - 3:22I
think the Johnny Ace and Delbert McClinton cover versions are better known, but Pickett's low-keyed cover of 'Pledging My Love' wasn't half bad - made even better because he didn't push it. rating: *** stars
5.) Mama Told Me Not To Come (Randy Newman) - 2:46
Randy Newman wrote the tune and Three Dog Night sold it, while Pickett's cover of 'Mama Told Me Not To Come' toughened the song up. While I like Pickett's arrangement, the Three Dog Night version remains the standard. rating: ** stars
6.) Woman Let Me Be Down Home (Wilson Pickett - Clyde Otis) - 3:06
The album ended with the Pickett-penned 'Woman Let Me Be Down Home'. Sporting another catchy melody and some of Pickett's dark, almost ominous lyrics, you were left with a clear vision of a frustrated, hen-pecked husband who was about to blow a gasket. Cool song. rating: **** stars
Atlantic tapped the album for a series of three singles.
- 1971's 'Don't Knock My Love - Pt 1' b/w 'Don't Knock My Love - Pt 2' (Atlantic catalog number 45-2797)
- 1971's 'Call My Name, I'll Be There' b/w 'Woman Let Me Be Down Home' (Atlantic catalog number 45-2852)
- 1971's 'Fire and Water' b/w 'Pledging My Love' (Atlantic catalog number 45-2852)
True he was no longer the commercial juggernaut of the past, but anyone listening to this set had to wonder why Atlantic let Pickett go.
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