Beale Street Soul Man: The Sounds of Memphis Sessions

by Dan Greer

Overview

Dan Greer was a songwriter, producer, and the head of A&R for the Sounds of Memphis Studios. In his spare time, he sang. He never had a hit but he was a supple, skillful singer whose gifts are clearly on display on Beale Street Soul Man, a 2013 compilation by Ace that digs deep into the vaults to offer a portrait of Greer's talents. This 22-track compilation has a handful of songs that were released at the time -- the opening "Thanks to You Girl," "Bless You," "Share" -- with the rest sitting in the vaults until this release. Some of this stuff does sound like a demo -- compressed, thin, not completely fleshed-out ("Natural Reaction" feels like it's missing natural elements)-- but most of it draws attention to Greer's honeyed voice, which is rich and textured even when the music is stripped to its barest bones. This gives Beale Street Soul Man ballast even when the songs are just a shade slim, as they are on occasion throughout this compilation. Greer is responsible for the songs, apart from "She's Not Mama's Little Girl Anymore," and they're solid Memphis soul with the slightest pop bent; given the right production, they perhaps could have crossed over. Greer had a voice that could've appealed to a broad audience: the recordings here are certainly sketches, but they're warm, engaging blueprints, perhaps calling out for a little more color but nevertheless sounding engaging on their own rights. Ultimately, Beale Street Soul Man is a bit of an artifact of its time, music cut at the tail-end of the '60s and lost to its time, but hearing it decades later, everything on this collection seems seductive, suggesting just how fertile a time in soul and in Memphis music this era was. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/27/2013
Label:	Kent / Kent Soul
UPC:	0029667239622
Rank:	128126

Tracks

1. Thanks to You Girl
2. Shell of a Man
3. She's Not Mama's Little Girl Anymore
4. Hook Line and Sinker
5. You're Slipping Away
6. Take a Look at Yourself
7. You Can't Prove That
8. Peace & Love
9. Hell Paso, Pt. 1
10. Voodoo Woman
11. Bless You
12. I'm a Lucky Guy
13. How Does It Feel
14. It Hurts to Lose at Love
15. What Good Is a Man
16. Any Moment Now
17. Only the Beginning
18. Natural Reaction
19. Mistaken Identity
20. When Will It All End
21. Share
22. So Good to Be Young

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dan Greer   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Alex McMillan   Composer
Tony Rounce   Source Material
Dean Rudland   Liner Notes,Memorabilia,Source Material
Roger Armstrong   Memorabilia
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Dan Greer   Composer
Linda Lucchesi   Cover Photo,Photography,Executive Producer
Colin Dilnot   Source Material
Stanley Cater   Composer
Ernest W. "Ernie" Bernhardt   Source Material