Gettin’ Next To Al Green
They Call Him Super-star
Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell found Al Green two years ago, doing a show, walking on tables, in Midland, Texas. It took a year for the results to be made public but right now, there’s probably not a bigger performer in all of soul music. Green has had three hits: “I Can’t Get Next to You,” a strange, funky, reworking of the Temptations’ number, “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Let’s Stay Together,” his current smash.
This has led Green’s record company to dub him “superstar,” and James Gant, Bill Withers’ drummer, to comment: “They’re grooming him to take Otis Redding’s spot as a star — where Otis would be now, if he hadn’t passed.”
“The studio down there at Hi,” Al said, his voice growing soft, for emphasis, “is one where you could stomp out a good rhythm, and a good soulful song. It made me feel good. The pace is relaxed, you can get yourself together.”
And what exactly had Al Green wanted to get together?