Sweet Touch of Love: Raven Collects Three Albums From Allen Toussaint

Of all the great names in the annals of R&B history, there is only one Allen Toussaint. A pianist, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and all-around renaissance man, the Louisiana native is responsible - in one capacity or another - for some of the most memorable songs and recordings in the modern pop and soul canon: "Working in the Coal Mine," "Southern Nights," "Mother-in-Law," "Lady Marmalade" and "Yes We Can Can" among them. Though those hits for Lee Dorsey, Glen Campbell, Ernie K-Doe, Labelle and The Pointer Sisters are all well-known, Toussaint's small but vital solo catalogue is much less so. Raven Records has recently collected his first three albums of the 1970s in one package as Toussaint: The Real Thing 1970-1975.

This 2-CD set opens with the self-titled 1970 album Toussaint, originally released on the Tiffany label and subsequently reissued on Scepter. With a supporting cast including Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, on organ and guitar, and Merry Clayton and Venetta Fields on background vocals, Toussaint featured both vocals and instrumentals, and songs old and new. In the latter category, the album introduced three of his most celebrated compositions - "Sweet Touch of Love," "From a Whisper to a Scream" and "What is Success." He also revitalized "Working in the Coal Mine" and "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" and covered Vince Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and Harlan Howard's "The Chokin' Kind." Raven has retained two bonus tracks, "Number Nine" and "Poor Folks," appended to past CD reissues of the album.

Before Scepter could get the word out about Toussaint, he had moved on to the Reprise label. 1972's Life, Love and Faith was a singer-songwriter album of the funkiest variety, tapping into those very personal themes via such powerful compositions as "Victims of the Darkness" and "On Your Way Down." With contributions from members of Toussaint's longtime collaborators The Meters, the LP was distinctively New Orleans with a contemporary touch. His next solo record didn't arrive until 1975, though he could be forgiven for the delay. In the interim, he produced "Lady Marmalade" and the Nightbirds LP for Labelle and wrote the horn charts for The Band's Rock of Ages concerts, among other equally impressive credits.

Produced and arranged by Toussaint and his Sea-Saint Studio partner Marshall Sehorn, Southern Nights incorporated tastes of funk, sweet soul, pop, R&B and psychedelia into one New Orleans stew. The LP linked its songs with instrumental passages for a loose concept album feel, but it will, of course, always be remembered for introducing its title track. One of Toussaint's most enduring melodies, "Southern Nights" was reinvented in pop-country style by Glen Campbell who took it straight to the top of the charts in 1977, but Toussaint's original has an altogether different groove and feel. The album also featured "What Do You Want the Girl to Do," later recorded by artists including Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt and Lowell George.

Raven's set includes a full-color booklet with new liner notes by Terry Reilly, and all three albums have been remastered by Warren Barnett. The sizzling soul of Toussaint: The Real Thing is available now at the links below!

Allen Toussaint, Toussaint: The Real Thing (Raven RVCD-386, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1

From a Whisper to a Scream
Chokin' Kind
Sweet Touch of Love
What is Success
Working in a Coal Mine
Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
Pickles
Louie
Either
Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Number Nine
Poor Folks

CD 2

Victims of the Darkness
Am I Expecting Too Much
My Baby is the Real Thing
Goin' Down
She Once Belonged to Me
Out of the City (Into Country Life)
Soul Sister
Fingers and Toes
I've Got to Convince Myself
On Your Way Down
Gone Too Far
Electricity
Last Train
Worldwide
Back in Baby's Arms
Country John
Basic Lady
Southern Nights
You Will Not Lose
What Do You Want the Girl to Do?
When the Party's Over
Cruel Way to Go Down

CD 1, Tracks 1-10 from Toussaint, Scepter SPS 24003, 1970
CD 1, Tracks 11-12 included on Toussaint reissue, 2007
CD 2, Tracks 1-12 from Life, Love and Faith, Reprise MS 2062, 1972
CD 2, Tracks 13-22 from Southern Nights, Reprise MS 2186, 1975

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.