The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land

The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land
Studio album by
J.J. Jackson
Released1969
GenreSoul-jazz
LabelCongress CS-7000
ProducerLew Futterman
J.J. Jackson chronology
The Great J.J. Jackson
(1969) 		The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land
(1969) 		J.J. Jackson's Dilemma
(1970)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land is J.J. Jackson's third album. The album was released in 1969 on the Congress label, which had been relaunched that year by MCA as a subsidiary of Uni Records.[2] The single released from the album was "Fat, Black and Together", which was co-written by Jackson and Al Stewart.[3] One reviewer described the single as" a truly heavyweight funk jam that is the highlight of this gritty, soulful LP".[4]

The album is notable as featuring some of the same British musicians who had backed Jackson on his 1966 hit, "But It's Alright", including Dick Morrissey and Terry Smith, and was recorded contemporaneous to Jackson becoming a permanent resident of England.[5] In the liner notes, the album is described as being Jackson's attempt to fuse soul music and jazz music, with the album being critically described as one where Jackson "achieves a sound recalling Ray Charles' most deeply funky outings, complete with big band-inspired horn arrangements".[4] The centerpiece of the album is considered to be "Jackson's raw, impassioned vocals".[4] Another described the album as containing "tons of horns and great singing here, plus 60's progressive moves, such as weaving walking bass interludes into the tracks. There is no filler on here."[6] The album is also notable for containing "Tenement Halls', a song co-written by Scott Fagan, a psych-folk artist rediscovered in the 2000s.[7]

  1. ^ The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land at AllMusic
  2. ^ Callahan, Mike and David Edwards and Patrice Eyries (2013) "Congress Album Discography" Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  3. ^ Particulars of "Fat, Black and Together"; funky16corners. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  4. ^ a b c Jason Ankeny, Review of The Greatest Little Soul Band in the Land; Allmusic. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  5. ^ Joe Troiano, Review of "But It's Alright"; Joe T's Soda Shop. Retrieved 2017-11-02. Some report that Jackson became a British citizen at that time: John Bush, Review of "But It's Alright"; Allmusic. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  6. ^ Comment by "Bill Your Free Form FM Print DJ". Amazon.com, January 27, 2012. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  7. ^ Jim Farber, Scott Fagan's long strange trip, with detours. The New York Times, November 25, 2015. Retrieved 2017-11-06.