LP Review: Involved and Hell Up In Harlem
INVOLVED
Released: 1971
LP Charts: #45 R&B, #178 pop
With the success of “War”, Motown just went ahead and gave Norman Whitfield total production control on Involved. Ole Whitfield was spread mighty thin at this point and just goes about recycling songs left and right here. Hell, “War” was already a recycling having first been done by the Temptations. And Edwin Starr already had it on his previous album, War & Peace. And yet… AND YET! it is included on this album. Not a good sign.
“Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)” yet another cover of the Temptations, gets significantly reworked. No longer a funk song, it is a nearly 13-minute excursion of mood music with Starr speaking the lyrics that the Temptations had so masterfully sung (their version is a 10/10). Also, Whitfield has his other pet group, Undisputed Truth, singing (or talking) backup vocals on this adventure. Don’t fret, Undisputed Truth would get their own crack at “Ball Of Confusion”, produced by Whitfield of course, that was only 11 minutes long.
With “Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On” (#6 R&B, #64 pop) Starr got the first crack, but the Temptations would record a superior version just a year later. “Stop the War Now” (#5 R&B, #26 pop) is an obvious forced attempt to recreate the passion of “War”. And as you might suspect, it does not measure up to its parent track.
Now we get even more bullshit filler. There’s “Cloud Nine”—YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHITFIELD GOING INTO HIS BACK CATALOG!—which starts out okay enough with some strumming acoustic guitar, but falls apart midway through with some dumb ass unnecessary studio tricks. We don’t need the echoey vocals. “Stand” is an abominable cover of the Sly & Family Stone classic. “Way Over There”(originally by the Miracles) is totally out of place on an album otherwise filled with early 70s psychedelic soul and funk. Also… IT ALREADY APPEARED ON STARR’S 1968 ALBUM SOUL MASTER!
The album’s best song comes at the very end courtesy of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord”. Starr’s rough baritone softly tackles the song and is supplemented by Undisputed Truth’s vocals, some happenin’ electric piano, and some fuzzy electric guitar.
ALBUM GRADE: D
This album is one big piece of crass cashin’ in. Rehashing songs left and right. Two of Starr’s own songs are repeated from earlier albums plus plenty of warmed over, rushed recordings of other artists’ songs to pad out the LP. Edwin deserved better.
Song Scores
War: 7.5/10
Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today): 6/10
Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On: 6.5/10
Stop The War Now: 6/10
Cloud Nine: 4/10
Way Over There: 5/10
Stand: 3/10
My Sweet Lord: 7/10
HELL UP IN HARLEM
Released: 1973
LP Charts: nada
Edwin Starr gets a blaxploitation album and there’s one undeniable theme.
The songs with vocals stink or are mediocre while the instrumentals are decent or even good. The murky “Easin’ In” is the only vocal track that manages to be interesting, but it’s definitely more of a mood piece than a full-blown song.
Meanwhile the fully instrumental “Runnin’” makes for good writing/chilling music. “Airport Chase”, while not as a good, manages the same feel.
But the best example of the instrumentals running roughshod over the vocals is “Ain’t It Hell Up In Harlem”, which is present in both a vocal and instrumental form. The vocal version is fine, but the instrumental is some good stuff.
I don’t blame Starr for this. He’s a not a great vocalist, but the vocal arrangements on these songs largely stink. Just let the instrumentals do the work.
ALBUM GRADE: D+
Song Scores
Ain’t It Hell Up In Harlem: 5/10
Easin’ In: 8/10
Big Papa: 5.5/10
Love Never Dies (Helen’s Love Theme): 4/10
Don't It Feel Good to Be Free: 5/10
Runnin’: 6.5/10
Jennifer’s Love Theme: 6/10
Airport Chase: 6/10
Mama Should Be Here Too: 5/10
Like We Used To Do: 4/10
Ain’t It Hell Up In Harlem [Instrumental]: 7/10