Moon Memphis

Primal Scream are to release the original ‘Memphis Recordings’ that eventually became their 1994 album Give Out But Don’t Give Up. Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings is a document of the sessions with Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section (David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums)). These took place at Ardent Studios in Memphis and these sessions are said to showcase a more ‘country soul/rock ‘n’ roll’ side to the band. These recordings were apparently found in Andrew Innes’ basement.

On Memphis, Boz Scaggs pays tribute to the city's magnificent soul tradition, Al Green, and producer Willie Mitchell and his Royal Recordings studio, whose location and personnel were used to cut it in three days. Produced by drummer Steve Jordan, the core band includes the singer and Ray Parker, Jr. on guitars, and bassist Willie Weeks, augmented by the Royal Horns & Strings, a small backing chorus, sidemen, and guests. Green's influence is celebrated in the opener, Scaggs' "Gone Baby Gone." Its wafting B-3, Rhodes, fluid electric guitars, and a tight backbeat underscore his baritone croon to excellent effect. If there were doubts about the quality of his voice at this juncture, they're immediately dispelled when his sweet falsetto emerges. In his cover of Green's "So Good to Be Here," Scaggs references him but digs deeper into his own trick bag with more rounded, earthier highlights.