Al Green sang some of the most acclaimed soul records of the 1970s. So when he decided to leave it all behind for the church, many questioned why. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot discuss Al Green’s life and his pivotal first gospel album, Belle with biographer Jimmy McDonough. Plus, they review the new album from Mitski.
Mitski’s eighth studio album “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” was released in February. In many ways it is her most accomplished album to date- and the one with the most songs inspired by cats.
Classic Album Dissection: Al Green’s The Belle Album
Soul legend Al Green had a string of hits in the 1970s before shocking the music world by turning to the church. Jim and Greg speak with Jimmy McDonough, author of the Al Green biography Soul Survivor, about Green’s life and music. They also examine Green’s underrated 1977 transitional record The Belle Album.
Featured Songs:
Al Green, "Belle," The Belle Album, Hi, 1977
The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967
Mitski, "Where's My Phone?," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026
Mitski, "That White Cat," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026
Mitski, "Lightning," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026
Mitski, "Charon's Obol," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026
Mitski, "If I Leave," Nothing's About to Happen to Me, Dead Oceans, 2026
Al Green, "I'm Still in Love with You," I'm Still In Love with You, Hi, 1972
Private Wives, "Haymaker," Three of Swords, Farmer & The Owl, 2026
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!
Please consider becoming a Sound Opinions member by giving whatever you can via Patreon or with a one-time donation through PayPal. Thanks for listening, and thanks for your support!