Released: April 1974
Main Street People was a delightful piece of work and the Four Tops produced an attempted facsimile of it with Meeting of the Minds. Well, it certainly has a similar feel to the previous album but Meeting of the Minds is definitely the lesser of the two.
It also did surprisingly poorly on the album charts stalling at #22 R&B and #118 pop; compared to Main Street People’s #8 R&B and #61 pop performance. It’s a worse album, but not that much worse. Jeez.
So, I think the main issue with this album was that it sounded like a retread. Main Street People had enthusiasm and dare I say inspiration. This one here is kind of going through the motions.
Take for example the message song, “I Found the Spirit”. It’s a faux gospel rave up that begins with a spoken intro. It’s not bad, but it sounds contrived.
Much better is “Right On Brother”, which is about taking care of each other and sounds like an extension of the songs “Main Street People” and “Am I My Brother’s Keeper” from the previous LP.
Then there’s “One Chain Don’t Make No Prison”, which appears to be another message tune given its title. Instead it’s a sorry plea from a man that just cuz he messed up once doesn’t mean “he deserves a lifetime of sadness” from his scornful or unforgiving lover. It still manages to be a good song, but it’s nowhere near the efforts of the previous albums singles. “Prison” managed to climb all the way to #3 R&B and #51 pop.
(“One Chain” does sound like the first attempt at Tavares’ “It Only Takes A Minute”, which was also written and produced by Brian Potter and Dennis Lambert. It’s a 9/10).
The album’s other single was “Midnight Flower”, which at least has some attempt at musical creativity with its faux reggae beat. This song about one night of love with a prostitute hit #5 R&B and #55 pop.
The final songs of note are “All My Love”, which has some twangs of country rock; and “Tell Me You Love Me (Love Sounds)”, which I guess was pioneering because it’s an early example of porno-soul (think Major Harris’s “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” or Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby”).
ALBUM GRADE: C+
Standing on its own merits, this is a fine album. Its main problem is that it doesn’t reach any high points, but instead kind of muddles in a zone of complacency. There’s a couple of duds, but if you’re a 70s soul fan, you’ll find enjoyment here.
Despite my griping, I still do like the album.
Song Scores
One Chain Don't Make No Prison: 7/10
Midnight Flower: 7/10
The Well Is Dry: 5/10
Love Ain't Easy To Come By: 5/10
No Sad Songs: 4/10
Right On Brother: 7.5/10
Tell Me You Love Me (Love Sounds): 7.5/10
All My Love: 7.5/10
I Found The Spirit: 5/10
Meeting of the Minds: 3/10