Al brings his love to the UK (From Redditch Advertiser)

Al brings his love to the UK

7:00am Saturday 26th June 2010

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Soul legend Al Green embarks on a tour of Ireland and the UK on June 19 with former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald. Al tells us about the tour, plus reflects on some of his classic songs, such as Let's Stay Together, Tired Of Being Alone and Take Me To The River.

By Andy Welch Laughing heartily, recounting stories and breaking into song at the drop of a hat, at first Al Green comes across like some sort of endearing, crazy uncle.

Even though Al is bang on time for this interview, it's late actually starting because he's mid-chorus, and there's no stopping him.

"I think that's a great song," he says, finishing his version of Jennifer Hudson's Spotlight.

"And what a good message for a preacher to singing, don't you think?" he asks, referencing his other job as a pastor at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis, Tennessee.

He's right, of course, and hearing him sing in the flesh, as he does five or six times throughout the interview, is positively life-affirming, but Spotlight's subject matter, about a woman finally stepping out from an oppressive controlling relationship, is perhaps darker and more complicated than his own joyous material.

Since the early Sixties, when Al's dad kicked him out of the family gospel group for listening to the new, soulful sounds of Jackie Wilson, the Michigan-born singer has mostly sung about love. Whether you're madly in love, still pining after your ex, love someone who doesn't love you back, or even if you're not in love but want to be, there's an Al Green song for you.

"It just does something to me, you know, L-O-V-E," he says before bursting into song again.

Al is bringing his L-O-V-E train to the UK soon for a five-date tour.

It's a dual-headlining affair, with former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald performing for an hour each night before Al takes to the stage.

"We're playing with a 14-piece band, there are 21 of us in total, so we're going to bring a lot of party," Al says.

"We'll be doing all the old songs, Tired Of Being Alone, You Ought To Be With Me and things.

"I'm doing some songs from my last album too, Lay It Down, and Stay With Me," he adds, referring to his 2008 album.

Widely acknowledged to be his best work in years, Lay It Down, which features the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend and Anthony Hamilton, entered the US album charts higher than any of Al's records since I'm Still In Love With You hit No 4 in 1972.

"It was wonderful to have that, I was so happy," he explains. "Willie Mitchell (Al's long-time producer and co-writer) said 'Hey, enjoy it, because not everyone has this late on in their career', and he was right. I'm a lucky man."

Despite selling more than 20 million records worldwide, Al has only been to the UK three times in the past. The coming tour takes on an extra significance in that it's the 62-year-old's first time out on the road since his old friend Willie passed away earlier this year.

The records they produced for the Hi label in the early-Seventies will go down as some of the best of all time.

Unsurprisingly, Al is extremely fond of the time they spent in the studio, toiling away.

"He was my idol, you know. I think about him all the time, especially when I'm singing those songs," he says, with huge affection.

"I think about what we were doing when we were cutting that music, and I laugh, because I know what was happening.

"Willie would just play something on the piano, and I'd say 'What was that?' He'd look at me and say 'I don't know, I'm just making it up. Write something to it, quick!' and that's how those songs would start. Still In Love With You, Take Me To The River, You Ought To Be With Me or stuff like that.

"Other times I'd come up with a line, say 'Cause you make me feel so brand new', and he'd want more of it," he continues.

"The next line would be 'And I want to spend my life with you.' He'd say, 'Put that in there, it's great' and that's how Let's Stay Together came about.

With its brass stabs, luscious strings and some of the most romantic lyrics of all time, Let's Stay Together is an undeniable classic.

If seduction was to materialise in song form, this is surely what it would sound like - and it's easy to imagine there being hundreds of thousands of children all over the world whose very existence owes a great deal of thanks to this song.

"A lot of people say that to me," says Al with a laugh.

"I saw someone just the other day who said it was his and his wife's favourite song. So I asked how many kids they'd got, and he said 'Three. You told me to lay my head on the pillow!'

"I said 'You dirty rascal you! I didn't tell you to do all that!'

"If there are kids around because of my music, then it's a beautiful thing to be part of. And if someone was born that way, they become part of my family, my life.

"I'm made up of all these songs I've made and if you were made listening to them, then you're my family.

"Willie always used to tell me 'These songs will outlive you, boy. These songs are so good you can't wash them away or forget about them' and I'd tell him not to talk like that, being so silly," he continues.

"'How do you know, Willie Mitchell?' I'd say. But he was right, the emotion and character and compassion that's in these songs doesn't go away or get old fashioned.

"Still In Love With You and things... It's like Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison. You hear that riff, and the words - they ain't never getting old, and the feeling, seeing a pretty girl, is never old. It's the same thing for everyone."

Talk inevitably turns to the future and what may lie ahead. Perhaps retirement?

"Oh no!" he says, with genuine horror. "There are still so many things left to do," he says.

"I forgot I used to sing jazz on the streets in Chicago, and someone mentioned doing a jazz album. I said 'Jazz like Chicago jazz? Then yeah, I'm in!' I've also written five songs for a new album, which is always fun.

"Right now, I'm riding high and I got the bull by the horns. There ain't no stopping me."

Extra time - Al Green :: Al was born 'Albert Greene' in Forrest City, Arkansas, on April 13, 1946.

:: Al and his brothers appeared in a gospel quartet The Green Brothers until the family moved to Michigan. It was then Al was kicked out of the group for listening to soul music.

:: Al then formed his own group, Al Green & The Creations, and after a number of line-up changes and a name change to The Soul Mates, they had a hit with Back Up Train in 1968.

:: Soon after, Al met Willie Mitchell and signed to Hi Records as a solo artist. His debut album was released in 1970.

:: In 1974 a girlfriend of Al's assaulted him before killing herself. After the incident, he turned to God and was ordained as a pastor. By 1979, his sales had fallen considerably, and after being injured while performing, he decided to concentrate solely on religious gospel music.

:: He reunited with Willie Mitchell in the mid-Eighties, and fully returned to non-secular music in 1988.

:: Please note: Al Green begins his UK tour on June 22 in Cardiff. The tour also stops off in Birmingham, Manchester, Bournemouth and London.

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