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WILLIAM BELL
Soul Of A Bell (Stax)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
By the time his first album, Soul Of A Bell, appeared in 1967, William Bell had been a recording artist for over 20 years, making his debut as a teenage member of the Del-Rios on a 78 rpm single in 1955. He had recorded the first pop crossover single for Stax in 1962 with "You Don't Miss Your Water." That Stax single also featured the organist from Bell's church, a certain Booker T. Jones, who would join Bell as part of one of the greatest Stax songwriting partnerships and who would organize the house band that defined the Stax/Volt sound. When he was drafted in 1963, though, Bell was cut off from the musical world for two years and, as a soul artist on a regional level, found few waiting for him when he returned.
Return he did, though, with a new crop of original tunes and some thoughtfully selected covers, to release a string of singles that achieved R&B chart success culminating in this, his first album release. The Stax heavyweights were aboard - Jones, Isaac Hayes, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Al Jackson and the Memphis Horns - and Bell held his own with them, displaying his exceptional skill as a soul balladeer and producing some of his best up tempo tracks as well. While labelmate Otis Redding had passed by Bell as the top crossover singing talent, Bell had been an important early influence on Otis, so there are valid comparisons to be made between them, and William Bell does not suffer in the comparison. I can't think of any higher praise for a southern soul singer.
This reissue includes a pair of rare alternate versions of the Bell classics "You Don't Miss Your Water" and "Any Other Way," along with the original eleven album cuts. It's an often overlooked landmark recording in the annals of Stax, and a joy to hear in the full clarity of this remastered edition.
Track List:
Everybody Loves A Winner * You Don't Miss Your Water * Do Right Woman, Do Right Man * I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) * Nothing Takes The Place Of You * Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye * Eloise (Hang On In There) * Any Other Way * It's Happening All Over * Never Like This Before * You're Such A Sweet Thang * You Don't Miss Your Water (alternate version) * Any Other Way (alternate version)
© 2002 - Shaun Dale