Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
43. Last Train -- Allen Toussaint (from Southern Nights)
New Orleans producer/songwriter/arranger Allen Toussaint is best known for the songs he wrote/records he made for other people, but in his prime he would put out an album of his own every few years. 1975 was one of those years, gracing us with Southern Nights, the title track of which would become a major hit for Glen Campbell 2 years later.
The opener Last Train strikes you with its brilliance within the first 10 seconds. The horns* punch in right as Toussaint changes his vocal inflection, giving the listener a hair-raising experience right off the bat. The groove the bass and guitar start around 0:30 is an incredible foundation, and Toussaint's piano work dances around it beautifully. Toussaint wasn't known for his singing (and didn't really like singing), but here he wrote something very well-suited for his limited range.
I was fortunate to see Toussaint live with Elvis Costello in 2006 when they were touring for their collaboration The River in Reverse. I was invited the day of (or maybe the day before) by a friend who had an extra ticket, and went in having no idea what to expect. The night was mindblowing. More details on that can be found in @krista4's solo Beatles thread.
Tomorrow: Stuff we might have expected Tim to pick, but he didn't.
* - none of which were played by David Sanborn
New Orleans producer/songwriter/arranger Allen Toussaint is best known for the songs he wrote/records he made for other people, but in his prime he would put out an album of his own every few years. 1975 was one of those years, gracing us with Southern Nights, the title track of which would become a major hit for Glen Campbell 2 years later.
The opener Last Train strikes you with its brilliance within the first 10 seconds. The horns* punch in right as Toussaint changes his vocal inflection, giving the listener a hair-raising experience right off the bat. The groove the bass and guitar start around 0:30 is an incredible foundation, and Toussaint's piano work dances around it beautifully. Toussaint wasn't known for his singing (and didn't really like singing), but here he wrote something very well-suited for his limited range.
I was fortunate to see Toussaint live with Elvis Costello in 2006 when they were touring for their collaboration The River in Reverse. I was invited the day of (or maybe the day before) by a friend who had an extra ticket, and went in having no idea what to expect. The night was mindblowing. More details on that can be found in @krista4's solo Beatles thread.
Tomorrow: Stuff we might have expected Tim to pick, but he didn't.
* - none of which were played by David Sanborn
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