Dan Penn - Nobody's Fool(1973)Bell.....(2016)Sony-Japan......Soul/Country/Blues(FLAC)

 NOBODY’S FOOL WAS RECORDED BY PENN FOR BELL RECORDS IN 1973,AND REMAINED HIS ONLY
SOLO ALBUM FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES.PENN,THE CO-AUTHOR OF SUCH UNQUESTIONED CLASSICS
AS “THE DARK END OF THE STREET,” “DO RIGHT MAN, DO RIGHT WOMAN,” “I’M YOUR PUPPET,”
AND “CRY LIKE A BABY,” HAS A SOFT,REEDY DRAWL OF A VOICE THAT HE DEPLOYS TO SOULFUL
EFFECT ON TRACKS LIKE THE OPENING ANTHEM AND TITLE SONG, “NOBODY’S FOOL.” THE TRACK
INTRODUCES MIKE UTLEY’S WARM KEYBOARDS,JOHN HUEY’S STEEL GUITAR,AND THE COMBINED NASHVILLE
HORNS AND STRINGS. (RENOWNED ARRANGER BERGEN WHITE,NO SLOUCH IN THE SONGWRITING
DEPARTMENT HIMSELF,HANDLED THE STRINGS AND NASHVILLE HORNS,WHILE WAYNE JACKSON AND
ANDREW LOVE WROTE THE CHARTS FOR THE MEMPHIS HORNS HEARD ON LATER TRACKS.)  
THOUGH THE PERSONNEL SHIFTS FROM TRACK TO TRACK,THE FEEL REMAINS CONSISTENT AS IT
BLENDS DEEP SOUL AND COUNTRY WITH COMMERCIAL POP GLOSS(STRINGS,BACKGROUND VOCALS,
ETC.)CIRCA 1973. ONE COULD EASILY HEAR ELVIS PRESLEY SINGING THESE SONGS,THOUGH PENN
ACQUITS HIMSELF WELL. ALEX CHILTON,LEAD SINGER OF THE BOX TOPS AND LATER BIG STAR,
ACTUALLY DID COVER THE LONER’S ANTHEM “NOBODY’S FOOL” NEARLY FIFTEEN YEARS LATER.
“RAINING IN MEMPHIS,” CO-WRITTEN WITH MIC LIETZ AND PENN’S GREATEST COLLABORATOR,
SPOONER OLDHAM,HAS ONE OF THE ALBUM’S MOST POTENT MELODIES, ITH A CATCHY CHORUS AND
ATMOSPHERIC VERSES.IT COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN A MAJOR HIT FOR THE KING OR ANOTHER
BLUE-EYED SOUL GREAT LIKE BILL MEDLEY.BUT PENN’S LAID-BACK GROWL IS APPEALING ON
THIS TUNEFUL SLICE OF R&B,EVEN IF THE N’AWLINS BRASS AND VARIED ARRANGEMENT THREATENS
TO OVERWHELM THE DELICACY OF THE SONG. THE PENN/OLDHAM TEAM ALSO SUPPLIED “AIN’T
NO LOVE,” ALLOWING THE SINGER TO CUT LOOSE WITH A FIERY PERFORMANCE.
“TEARJOINT,” A CO-WRITE WITH VETERAN SESSION KEYBOARDIST DONNIE FRITTS,IS PURE
TWANGY COUNTRY-AND-WESTERN. PENN AND TOMMY RICHARDS SHARE GUITAR DUTIES,WHILE LEO
LABLANC ADDS THE REQUISITE STEEL TOUCH. “I HATE YOU,” AUTHORED BY PENN AND LEROY
DANIELS,IS SIMILARLY IN THE CLASSIC COUNTRY VEIN OF TEARS AND HEARTBREAK,AND
FEATURES THE GREAT SESSION PLAYERS DAVID HOOD AND ROGER HAWKINS ON DRUMS AND BASS,
RESPECTIVELY.
THE MASTER SONGWRITER OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT ENOUGH OF JOHN FOGERTY’S “LODI” TO MAKE IT
THE ONLY COVER SELECTION ON THE ALBUM,AND HIS DOWN-HOME TREATMENT IS FAR-REMOVED
FROM CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL’S SWAMP-ROCK ORIGINAL. WITH SPOONER OLDHAM’S GRACEFUL
KEYS AS FINE SUPPORT,PENN DIGS INTO THE LYRIC WITH ROUGH-HEWN PASSION.HE ALSO BRINGS
FIRE TO THE CLOSING TRILOGY OF SONGS THE SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS MINI-SUITE OF “PRAYER
FOR PEACE,” “IF LOVE WAS MONEY,” AND THE SPOKEN-WORD-OVER-INSTRUMENTAL “SKIN.” THE
AFFECTING “PEACE” IS ONE OF THE MANY TRACKS TO FEATURE BACKGROUND VOCALS BY MARY
AND GINGER HOLIDAY,HAS A GOSPEL FLAVOR AND EVEN A SPOKEN “SERMON” FROM THE GOOD REV
PENN. “IF LOVE WAS MONEY” IS ANOTHER SHOULDA-BEEN-A-HIT TRACK, WITH ITS PROPULSIVE
RHYTHM,BIG CHORUS,AND BRASSY ORCHESTRATION.  
THE ALBUM FINALE “SKIN” MELDS A MAWKISH IF HEARTFELT RUMINATION ON RACE OVER A
GRAND STRING COMPOSITION AND WHAT SOUNDS LIKE BACKWARDS MUSIC. IT MAKES FOR AN
UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION TO A LOW-KEY,ENJOYABLE ALBUM FROM THE MOONLIGHTING SONGWRITER.
WHILE PENN’S VOCALS ARE SOMETIMES LOST IN THE ALBUM’S VERY-SEPARATED STEREO MIX,
HIS VOICE AS A COMPOSER AND LYRICIST ALWAYS COMES THROUGH LOUD AND CLEAR.
DAN PENN RELEASED ONE OTHER SINGLE FOR BELL RECORDS,“STONY” B/W “BLIND LEADING THE
BLIND,” WHICH MIGHT HAVE MADE FOR A NICE ADDITION TO THIS FINE REISSUE.(INTERESTINGLY,
“NOBODY’S FOOL,” “PRAYER FOR PEACE” AND “IF LOVE WAS MONEY” WERE ISSUED ON DUNHILLS
HAPPY TIGER SUBSIDIARY PRIOR TO THE BELL ALBUM,ALONG WITH THE NON-LP TRACK
“BUCKAROO BILL.”)NOBODY’S FOOL WOULD BE WORTHY ALONE FOR THE TITLE TRACK, “RAINING
IN MEMPHIS” AND “IF LOVE WAS MONEY,” ALL OF WHICH CAN STAND TALL WITH PENN’S FINEST
COMPOSITIONS.IN ITS ENTIRETY THE ALBUM IS A FASCINATING LOST STATEMENT FROM AN
UNDERAPPRECIATED TALENT.THIS UNDER-THE-RADAR REISSUE IS ONE THAT CONNOISSEURS OF
DEEP SOUL AND LOST POP SHOULDN’T MISS.
DAN PENN IS ONE OF THE GREAT SONGWRITERS.HIS WORK AND HIS LIFE ARE WHAT LEGENDS ARE
MADE OF,AND SO IS THIS RECORDING.PENN WROTE OR CO-WROTE SUCH ’60S CLASSICS AS “DARK
END OF THE STREET”,“DO RIGHT WOMAN” AND “I’M YOUR PUPPET”;NOBODY’S FOOL,RELEASED IN
1972,WAS HIS FIRST SOLO RECORD.HIS VOICE AND DEMO RECORDINGS HAD BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT
WITH GREAT REVERENCE,AND HE HAD WRITTEN HITS,SO BELL RECORDS MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED
SUCH A RECORD FROM HIM.THE SAD TRUTH WAS THAT IT WASN’T VERY SUCCESSFUL SALESWISE
AND DIDN’T STAY IN PRINT VERY LONG.
PENN’S 1994 RELEASE ON SIRE RECORDS,DO RIGHT MAN,COVERED THE FAMOUS BASES.IT WAS A
REMINDER AND A TESTAMENT TO HIS TALENTS AND ABILITY.THAT WAS A FINE AND NECESSARY
WORK BUT NOBODY’S FOOL IS EVEN MORE INTERESTING BECAUSE IT DOESN’T RELY ON THE
TRIED AND TRUE.ON THIS RECORD,HE STINGS HARD WITH WHAT HE DOES BEST AND STILL FINDS
TIME,BY THE END,TO WALK OUT ON THE LIMB A BIT.
PENN HAD A HAND IN WRITING ALL THE MATERIAL HERE,WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JOHN FOGERTYS
“LODI”.PENN’S READING OF THE CREEDENCE CLASSIC IS A NATURAL,HIS INCREDIBLY SOULFUL
VOICE AND A GREAT ARRANGEMENT MAKE THIS AN IDEAL COVER CHOICE.THE TITLE TRACK,WHICH
OPENS THE DISC,IS A LONER’S ANTHEM THAT SOUNDS LIKE A STANDARD THE FIRST TIME YOU
HEAR IT.THE GREAT COUNTRY-SOUL OF “I HATE YOU” IS ALSO A STUNNER,WITH PENN’S WARM
VOICE LAMENTING IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
ONE OF THE MYSTERIES OF THIS RECORD IS WHY “IF LOVE WAS MONEY” WASN’T A MASSIVE HIT.
AT THE TIME THIS RECORD WAS RELEASED,RADIO WAS EATING THIS KIND OF THING UP.A SONG
THAT CATCHES YOU BIG-TIME FROM THE FIRST NOTE,IT’S 3:22 LONG,WHICH IS ABOUT RIGHT
FOR MOST GREAT SINGLES,BUT IT’S NEVER ENOUGH IT DEMANDS TO BE PLAYED AGAIN.
A COUPLE OF SLIGHTLY SELF-INDULGENT FORAYS IN TO THE SOCIAL CONCERNS OF THE DAY
MAKE THE END OF THE RECORD SEEM A LITTLE OVERBLOWN BUT THEY DON’T DIMINISH THE HIGH
WORTHINESS OF THIS WORK.THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL RECORDING BY AN ESSENTIAL ARTIST.THEY
JUST DON’T MAKE RECORDS LIKE THIS ANYMORE,AND IT’S A SHAME.

AMM

                                                                                         A TASTER BELOW!

LINE UP

VOCALS,GUITAR - DAN PENN
ORGAN - SPOONER OLDHAM,GREG REDDING,BILL PHILLIPS
GUITARS - CHARLIE FREEMAN,TOMMY RICHARD,TONY OTERRI,MARLIN GREENE
BASS - TOMMY MCCLURE,JIM JOHNSON,DAVID HOOD
DRUMS - SAMMY CREASON,DULIN LANCASTER,ROGER HAWKINS
KEYBOARDS - MIKE UTLEY
STEEL GUITARS - JOHN HUEY,LEO LABLANC
PIANO - JAY SPELL
BACKING VOCALS - CARGOE,JEANIE GREENE,MARY HOLIDAY,
SUSAN DOTSON,SUSAN COLEMAN,GINGER HOLIDAY
NASHVILLE STRINGS
NASHVILLE HORNS
MEMPHIS STRINGS
MEMPHIS HORNS

TRACKS(FLAC)

01 NOBODY.S FOOL

02 RAINING IN MEMPHIS

03 TEARJOINT

04 TIME

05 LODI

06 AINT NO LOVE

07 I HATE YOU

08 PRAYER FOR PEACE

09 IF LOVE WAS MONEY

10 SKIN