[BOPITY FUNK]

I refer to the studio cut of 'Soul Serenade' The King plays the horn like a pentecostal preacher, promising eternal bliss and damnation at the same time!
45 years on this track is still killin'! The band and Arif Mardin's string and horn arrangements are fabulous.
Stuff like this made Atlantic records the hippest on the planet and inspired a generation of working class lads like myself to play music and "be in a band"
'Soul Serenade' still makes my hair stand on end --check out Curtis' 9 bar trill and the wonderful guitar line playing a counterpoint to the horn--Reggie Young???-or maybe a youthful Duane Allman?
This track is on King Curtis 'Sweet Soul' it will never date, all the tunes have become standards from the '60's.
King Curtis was brilliant he could do the lot, no wasted notes, or waffling around.
Avoid this Album at your own peril!

 

[Koen88]

wow my hair litterly stood up! thank you thats some nice playing..

 

[Honeyboy]

Cornell Dupree recorded and performed alot with King Curtis on guitar.

 

[rhythmisking]

Amen

 

[Frank D]

When I was a really little kid my parents would take us to this restaurant/diner about once a month. This song would play on the juke box every time we went there, and it wasn't until many years later that I learned it was King Curtis playing Soul Serenade. Sounds as good today as it did back then.

 

[empressdiver]

I bought the vinyl album when it came out - still have it. I used to play some tracks over and over, and sometimes at 16 rpm, to learn the song, note for note, and Curtis' style, on tenor.

However, this song does have some accidental flubs, and it makes me wonder why Curtis didn't do another take to get it right. Maybe he did, and this take was the best.

 

[JL]

However, this song does have some accidental flubs, and it makes me wonder why Curtis didn't do another take to get it right. Maybe he did, and this take was the best.

If there are flubs on there, I don't mind them. Some 'flubs' (note I said some)can actually add character to a solo. This is a great tune and he plays the hell out of it, but I really much prefer KC on tenor and I could do without the heavy reverb or delay on this track. Still, KC was one of the greatest, imo.

 

[Nevillesax]

love the King but never heard this before...only know the tune from a Sanborn album...

sorry but personally prefer the Sanborn version...this one seems a little...um..half cooked...

 

[Frank D]

You have to remember that recording technology has come a long way since that recording. Back then everybody played together at the same time with very little opportunity to overdub separate tracks or fix mistakes w/o doing an entire new take of the tune. Effects were also limited to a bit of reverb and maybe some echo and that was about it - no compression or heavy EQ. So yes, it doesn't have the highly produced or "polished" sound of a modern recording like Sanborn's cover (which I love as well), but still has a great feel.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

Like JL, I prefer KC on tenor. But I've heard this track many times and I've always liked it.

I just discovered a Sunnyland Slim album recorded in the early 60's. King Curtis plays bluesy solos throughout. The piano playing is mediocre (my piano-playing business partner called it clichéd) and has some flubs but there's good organ playing to fill out all the cuts.

KC plays throughout and takes a solo about 2:02

KC comes in about 2:17 here

 

[MartinMusicMan]

And if you've never heard Memphis Soul Stew, you need to. When he comes in on the chord change at about 1:29, it just takes the top of your head off. It's my all-time fave R&B sax solo.

 

[Frank D]

OK, the solo on The Devil Is A Busy Man is the answer to the question "How do you play a blues solo on a sax?). The solo on Slim's Shout is the answer to "how do you play a rock 'n roll sax solo?" and Memphis Soul Stew just speaks for itself.

If you want to learn how to play in those genres, just listen to the King, you'll learn all that you need to know.

And as always, thanks for the cool post MMM.