New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Carl Hall's four-octave range first came into prominence on the gospel sides he cut in the 1950s for labels like Vee-Jay and Savoy. His later acting work on Broadway (Inner City, The Wiz, and Truly Blessed: A Musical Celebration of Mahalia Jackson) and in the film version of Hair was renowned. But it's the soul sides he cut for the Loma and Atlantic labels, with producer Jerry Ragovoy, that are truly sought after. You Don't Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972 not only fills that need, but delivers in spectacular fashion.
This 19-track CD, set for release on Omnivore Recordings on June 23, 2015, collects the singles from this era and adds an astonishing 13 previously unissued tracks, brand new to soul collectors, who up until now have only had the aforementioned single sides issued on the original 45s. In addition to the title track, "I Don't Wanna Be (Your Used to Be)," and Hall's take on Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" (re-titled "Need Somebody to Love" for Hall's version) You Don't Know Nothing About Love gathers unreleased versions of hits from The
Beatles ("The Long and Winding Road"), Broadway's Stop the World — I Want to Get Off ("What Kind of Fool Am I") . . . and even The Rolling Stones, who themselves had a hit with their cover of Ragovoy's "Time Is on My Side," represented here in a pair of unissued versions.
You Don't Know Nothing About Love acts as both a primer and a definitive statement on Hall's six years under the Warner Bros. umbrella. The mystery of why so much of this music lingered in the vaults for so many decades and a historical overview of both Hall's and his colleagues' careers are brought to life via an essay from musicologist Bill Dahl.
From Dahl's notes: "The stratospheric four-octave vocal range of Carl Hall was truly a gift from on high. No less an esteemed authority than Anthony Heilbut declared him the finest male soprano in gospel. But after establishing himself in the sacred field, Hall crossed over to the secular arena, cutting a series of mesmerizing soul singles that showcased his uncanny vocal mastery just as vividly as those spirituals had."
Omnivore Recordings is proud to present yet another set of recording that many have talked about, but few have had the pleasure of hearing. You Don't Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972 guarantees you'll know about Carl Hall. And, make you wish it hadn't taken so long to find out.
Track Listing:
1.You Don't Know Nothing About Love*
2.Mean It Baby*
3.Just Like I Told You
4.He'll Never Love You
5.It Was You (That I Needed)
6.The Dam Busted*
7.I Don't Wanna Be (Your Used To Be)*
8.Dance Dance Dance
9.What Kind Of Fool Am I?
10.Sometimes I Do
11.The Long And Winding Road
12.It's Been Such A Long Way Home
13.Time Is On My Side
14.Need Somebody to Love*
15.Change With The Season*
Alternate Takes:
16.Just Like I Told You
(Take 7)
17.It Was You (That I Needed) (Take 12)
18.The Dam
Busted (1971 Remake)
19.Time Is On My Side (Takes 1 & 2)
All selections previously unissued except *
