In the 60s SAM AND DAVE (Sam Moore & Dave Prater) bestrode the real soul world. Working out of Memphis and with songs provided (mainly) by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, they scored hit after hit and things like ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, ‘I Thank You’ and their signature hit ‘Soul Man’ helped define exactly what “soul” music was all about.
Inevitable music differences between the duo, record label politicking and changing public tastes meant that Sam and Dave split in 1970 but a year later they were back together again. Without a label, they were still a major live draw and in 1975 they eventually got back into the studio to record an album with their old pal Steve Cropper. That LP, ‘Back At Cha’, failed to reignite their recording career but the public still enjoyed their live shows, lapping up all the old classic hits, so it became a no-brainer for Sam and Dave to re-record them so that they could recoup some cash from the old songs. And those 1978 re-recordings are the basis of an upcoming new release, ‘Soul Man Explosion’.
The 13 track album offers new mixes and reimagined versions of the tunes Moore and Prater laid down in 1978 in Nashville and to make the music even more special, Memphis guitar legend Steve Cropper is involved. Cropper adds his distinctive guitar licks to ‘Soul Man’ which is here in two versions… vocal an instrumental. The album’s other’s “guests” are The Courettes who give a garage rock feel to ‘Hold On, I’m Coming” and Brian Auger who features on ‘I Thank You’
Most of Sam and Dave’s big hits are included (sadly, no room for ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’) and they’re augmented by songs not usually associated with the duo – things like Sam Cooke’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ and ‘Another Saturday Night’.
SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man Explosion’ is released on April 28th on CD and digital with vinyl on the way. Find out more and pre-order @ https://orcd.co/samanddave_soulmanexplosion
