album rating: ★★★★☆
a) Genre
Southern soul / R&B / Blues. Diamond in the Rough is Syl Johnson's second album for Hi Records and a product of the Memphis soul production system that Willie Mitchell had built at Royal Recording Studios. The album blends heartbreaking ballads with joyous uptempo tracks and blues-inflected workouts, with Johnson demonstrating what Derek's Music Blog describes as the ability to adjust his voice to suit each song across a range spanning raw blues grit, tender romanticism, and euphoric funk. The backing ensemble -- the Hi Rhythm Section augmented by the Memphis Horns and Memphis Strings -- gives the album the lush, cushioned yet rhythmically authoritative sound that defined Hi Records' output throughout the period.
b) Release
Original US release: Hi Records (1974; catalogue SHL 32085), vinyl LP, phonographic copyright Hi Recording Corporation; copyright London Records, Inc. The album was distributed by London Records. It was pressed at multiple plants, including Bestway Products Inc. (the earliest pressing, with cream-coloured labels; matrix SLH 668 BW/SLH 669 BW), H.V. Waddell Co. (a subsequent pressing; catalogue SHL32085 printed on spine and back cover), and Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute, Indiana (a further pressing, identifiable by 'TH' in the matrix and distinct label typesetting). Lacquer cutting on all pressings was by Howard Craft (HC) at Mastercraft. Art direction and photography by Glenn Ross; design by Richard Kriegler; art coordination by Judith C. Schulman. A remastered CD reissue was released by Fat Possum Records on 24 March 2014, making the album available in that format for the first time and bringing it to a new audience. A comprehensive two-disc retrospective, The Complete Syl Johnson on Hi Records (Demon/Hi Records, 2000), includes Diamond in the Rough in its original track sequence alongside the three other Hi albums.
c) Production
Produced and engineered by Willie Mitchell. Lincoln Wayne 'Willie' Mitchell (born 3 January 1928, Ashland, Mississippi — died 5 January 2010, Memphis, Tennessee) was a trumpeter, bandleader, and the master architect of the Hi Records sound. He joined Hi Records as a recording artist in the early 1960s before transitioning to production, where he created a series of landmark Southern soul records for Al Green, Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, and others throughout the 1970s. His production philosophy emphasised the live ensemble sound and the particular acoustics of Royal Recording Studios -- a former movie theatre with a naturally sloping floor. String arrangements were by James Mitchell (baritone saxophone and arranger of string arrangements, also part of the Hi Records studio team). Backing vocals were provided by Rhodes, Chalmers and Rhodes (Donna Rhodes, Charles Chalmers, and Sandra Rhodes), the legendary backing vocal trio who contributed to many of the finest Hi Records productions. The tension between Diamond in the Rough and Johnson's labelmate Al Green is documented by Numero Group: the simultaneous release of Al Green Explores Your Mind, which contained Green's own version of 'Take Me to the River', 'effectively quelled any interest that might've been building around Syl's sophomore album for Hi.'
d) Recording
Recorded at Royal Recording Studios, 1320 South Lauderdale Street, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Royal Recording Studios was a former movie theatre converted into a recording facility by Willie Mitchell, whose sloping wooden floor contributed to the room's characteristic acoustic warmth. The performing ensemble comprised: Teenie Hodges (guitar), Leroy Hodges (bass), Howard Grimes (drums), Charles Hodges (organ), Archie Turner (piano), Andrew Love and Ed Logan (tenor saxophone), James Mitchell (baritone saxophone), Jack Hale (trombone), and Wayne Jackson (trumpet) — constituting The Memphis Horns. Syl Johnson sang all lead vocals. String section (Memphis Strings) also contributed to selected tracks.
e) Reception
Upon its release in 1974, Diamond in the Rough failed commercially, overshadowed by the simultaneous release of Al Green Explores Your Mind and Johnson's inability to escape Green's dominant position at Hi Records. Its singles fared modestly: 'Let Yourself Go' reached number 54 on the US R&B chart, and 'I Want to Take You Home (To See Mama)' reached number 40. The album is nevertheless considered by many specialists one of the finest Hi Records productions of the era and an unjustly overlooked gem of Southern soul. A Discogs reviewer called it 'my pick so far for greatest 70s soul record, just amazing track after amazing track, especially the masterpiece Could I Be Falling In Love.' Derek's Music Blog praised Johnson's versatility and the album's synthesis of Southern Soul, R&B, funk, and blues, and noted that 'despite its quality, Diamond in the Rough failed commercially.' Amazon's editorial review describes it as 'some of Mitchell's best production work, using all of the songwriting and musician resources the label had.' The 2014 Fat Possum reissue represented the first serious attempt to bring the album to the audience it deserved.
Syl Johnson
Sylvester Thompson (born 1 July 1936, near Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA — died 6 February 2022, Chicago, Illinois, USA), known professionally as Syl Johnson, was an American blues and soul singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer whose career spanned over five decades. He grew up near Holly Springs and moved to Chicago in 1950 with his brothers Jimmy and Mack Johnson (the latter later becoming bassist for Magic Sam). He honed his guitar skills working as a session musician from the mid-1950s, backing Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells, Elmore James, and others. His debut single appeared on King Records' Federal sublabel. In 1967 he scored his first major hit with 'Come On Sock It to Me' on his own Twinight label; further Twinight hits included 'Different Strokes' and the landmark social protest record 'Is It Because I'm Black' (1969, number 11 R&B). In 1971 Willie Mitchell signed him to Hi Records, where he recorded four albums. His cover of 'Take Me to the River' (1975, number 7 R&B / number 48 Hot 100) became his biggest pop crossover hit; the song was later made famous by the Talking Heads (1978). His later career was complicated by a lengthy copyright dispute with Prince and Warner Bros. over Prince's uncleared sample of Johnson's 'Different Strokes' in 'Alphabet St.' (1988). The five-disc Numero Group box set The Complete Mythology (2010) anthologised 81 tracks from his pre-Hi career. Johnson died in Chicago on 6 February 2022.
This text was generated by Claude (Anthropic). It may contain errors or inaccuracies.
