Project 1001: Dusty in Memphis by Dusty Springfield
The only one who could ever reach me / Was the son of a preacher man / The only boy who could ever teach me / Was the son of a preacher man
Other than the single “Son of a Preacher Man” I don’t know anything about Dusty Springfield. My interest was piqued when I read about her somewhat tumultuous experience recording Dusty in Memphis. She was unhappy with the song choices given to her by the producers, a whopping eighty songs. Springfield’s insecurities played a major part in the difficulties until producer Jerry Wexler finally understood them and altered his approach to get the best performance from his singer. Springfield kind of stormed off until Wexler narrowed down the selections to numbers she felt comfortable with. And she ended up recording the songs in New York without the musicians present.1 Quite a ride.
The songs that made the cut were written by an all-star team of songwriters including Mann & Weil, Goffin and King, Hurly and Wilkins, Randy Newman, and Bacharach and David among others. With these heavy hitters it would seem impossible to make anything other than a great album.
That’s exactly what we have here. Springfield’s vocal performances are amazing. Full of a wide range of emotion and beautiful tone. She cements her status as a high-level interpreter of terrific songs.
The musicianship cooks and burns throughout this record. That’s something you might expect for pros who supported greats like Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and Elvis Presley.2 For an example check out the blistering guitar work by Reggie Young on “Don’t You Forget About Me.” The guitar is buried a bit in the mix, but if you listen closely, you’ll appreciate Young’s groove.
My rating:
Greil Marcus wrote in 1969 for Rolling Stone that, “Listening to this album will not change your life, but it’ll add to it.”3
AllMusic raved:
Sometimes memories distort or inflate the quality of recordings deemed legendary, but in the case of Dusty in Memphis, the years have only strengthened its reputation. The idea of taking England's reigning female soul queen to the home of the music she had mastered was an inspired one. The Jerry Wexler/Tom Dowd/Arif Mardin production and engineering team picked mostly perfect songs, and those that weren't so great were salvaged by Springfield's marvelous delivery and technique.4
From an L.A. Times 1995 retrospective review:
It was uncharted territory for Springfield, but all the tracks were laid down in a week, and they combined to make a grooving manifesto of just what a voice can do.
Commercially, the album never took off (it was the era of Woodstock, Zeppelin and “Hey Jude”), but even Springfield was surprised by the critics, though she said the best review came from the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin:
“All Aretha ever said to me--and I died--we were in a lift, and she just put her hand on my arm and went, ‘girrlll!’ ” Franklin had turned down “Son of a Preacher Man,” but after hearing Springfield’s take, she ran out and recorded it herself.So sly and suggestive yet stable are Springfield’s performances on this album that, to this day, women singers cite her as a major influence. “Dusty Springfield was very cool,” Patti Scialfa told Rolling Stone. “When she sang, it was very womanly. She didn’t sing girlie. She was great.”5
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, David Hutcheon wrote:
(Despite all the difficulties) (t)he results could hardly have been improved upon. For all Springfield’s tantrums, the material is top notch, by excellent composers at the top of their game. The arrangements are incredible, the vocals imperious. The first single, “Son of a Preacher Man,” returned her to the Top Ten.
It took Dusty a year before she could listen to the album. Record buyers were not even that forgiving: despite rave reviews, Dusty in Memphis bombed, registering only a lowly No. 99 (in the U.S.). Her career never recovered.6
Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed
Cheers!
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #99 7
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Son of a Preacher Man”, #10; “Don’t Forget About Me”, #69; “Breakfast in Bed”, #91; “The Windmills of Your Mind”, #31 8
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on March 31, 1969. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe9
• Number one album: Blood, Sweat & Tears by Blood, Sweat & Tears10
• Number one movie: Funny Girl by William Wyler11
• Most watched TV programs: Rowan &Martin’s Laugh-In, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., Bonanza12
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth13
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Money Game by "Adam Smith" (George Goodman)14
Some other albums released that month
• Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde by The Byrds
• From Genesis to Revelation by Genesis
• Tons of Sobs by Free
• Freedom Suite by The Rascals
• Bull of the Woods by The 13th Floor Elevators
• At Your Birthday Party by Steppenwolf
• Just to Satisfy You by Waylon Jennings
• My Way by Frank Sinatra
• Outta Season by Ike & Tina Turner
• Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud by James Brown
• The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground
• Wheatfield Soul by The Guess Who
• Galveston by Glen Campbell15
Sport
• Mar 22 31st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Purdue 92-72; Bruins' 3-peat; center Lew Alcindor tournament Most Outstanding Player for 3rd consecutive year.
• Mar 22 Ethiopian double Olympic marathon gold medalist Abebe Bikila (36) is paralyzed in auto accident near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; regained upper-body mobility, but never walked again.16
• Mar 31 Eddy Merckx Wins First Tour de France: Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx achieved a historic milestone by winning his first Tour de France, marking the beginning of his legendary cycling career. This victory would be the first of many, establishing Merckx as one of the most dominant cyclists in the sport's history and earning him the nickname 'The Cannibal' for his extraordinary competitive spirit.17
Notable Births
• Mar 27 Mariah Carey, American pop singer-songwriter ("Without You"; "All I Want For Christmas Is You"; "Hero"; "We Belong Together"), born in Huntington, Long Island, New York.
• Mar 28 James Atkin, British rock singer, and guitarist (EMF - "Unbelievable"), born in Birmingham, England.
• Mar 30 Marco Foddis, Italian-Dutch heavy metal drummer (Pestilence), born in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy.18
Historical Events
• Mar 26 Soviet-Chinese Border Conflict: A significant military confrontation occurred between Soviet and Chinese forces on the disputed Zhenbao/Damansky Island in the Ussuri River. The Soviet Union later disclosed 31 Red Army soldiers were killed and 14 wounded, marking a tense period in Sino-Soviet relations during the Cold War.
• 27 Mar 27 Mariner 7 Space Mission Launch: NASA launched Mariner 7, a critical Mars exploration spacecraft that would provide unprecedented scientific data about the Red Planet. The mission was part of the early Mars reconnaissance efforts during the Space Race.
• Mar 29 Communist New People's Army Founded in Philippines: The Communist New People's Army (NPA) was established in the Philippines, marking a significant moment in the country's political and revolutionary history. This armed communist movement would become a long-standing insurgent group challenging the Philippine government.19
Notable Deaths
• Mar 26 John Kennedy Toole, American novelist known for "A Confederacy of Dunces", commits suicide at 31.
• Mar 28 34th US President (1953-61) and World War II general, dies of a congestive heart failure at 78.
• Mar 30 Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34.20
Hutcheon, David, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 168.
Ibid.
Truly one of the greats. Unfortunately very much overlooked.
I've always loved Dusty Springfield. Great piece!
Covered her later career last year.
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