Listen

by Johnny "Guitar" Watson

Overview

When Johnny "Guitar" Watson recorded Listen for Fantasy in 1973, he was three years away from the major comeback he would enjoy with 1976's Ain't That a Bitch. The singer/guitarist still had some very devoted fans, who remembered him for his blues output of the 1950s. But Watson was going after young R&B audiences in 1973, which is why Listen is a soul-funk album and not a blues album. You won't find another "Gangster of Love" or "Hot Little Mama" on Listen, an LP that was produced and arranged by Watson himself and makes it clear that he was paying close attention to what black radio (or "soul radio," as it was called) was playing at the time. Black radio, of course, was playing very few 12-bar blues numbers in the early '70s; nonetheless, R&B still had plenty of blues feeling, and Watson knew that soul and funk (just like rock) were very much an outgrowth of the blues. So he sounds quite comfortable on soul items like "You're the Sweetest Thing I've Ever Had," "It's All About You," and the sentimental "You Stole My Heart." However, Listen isn't a great record -- decent, but not great and not in a class with subsequent DJM gems like Ain't That a Bitch and 1977's A Real Mother for Ya. This LP, although likable, is only recommended to serious Watson collectors. [Listen was reissued on CD in 2017.] ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2017
Label:	Concord Music Group / Culture Factory / Fantasy
UPC:	0819514011194
Rank:	41822

Tracks

1. If I Had the Power
2. You've Got a Hard Head
3. Lovin' You
4. It's All About You
5. You're the Sweetest Thing I've Ever Had
6. I Get a Feeling
7. Why Don't You Treat Me Like I'm Your Man
8. You Bring Love
9. You Stole My Heart

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny "Guitar" Watson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar
Chico Hamilton   Primary Artist
Maxayn   Vocals (Background)
Emery Thomas   Drums
Maxayn Lewis   Vocals
Henry Redd   Guitar,Sax (Tenor)
J.D. Reed   Sax (Alto)
Hank Redd   Sax (Tenor),Guitar (Rhythm)
Andre Lewis   Bass (Electric),Clavichord,Clavinet
Rudy Copeland   Vocals,Organ

Technical Credits

Eddie Bill Harris   Second Engineer
Jim Stern   Engineer,Recording
Jimmy Jones   String Arrangements
Tony Lane   Photography,Art Direction
Johnny "Guitar" Watson   Recording Producer,Producer,Arranger,Composer
Johnny Watson   Composer
Eddie Harris   Recording