He is the nephew of Sam Cooke. So his vocal chops are in his DNA. This was his 1st hit, but he did have another one called Always Something There To Remind Me. The two songs hit the charts in Oct. 69 & Feb. 70.
Bro. I am Very impressed with you. You Really Know your music. You are Very Gifted and Talented. Thank You So Much for your Hard Work. Please keep it UP.
R.B.Greaves has such a great storytelling voice, he's so believable. Not to mention the horns are owning the background. Always loved this song. Great choice Harri and Craig . Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦.
Recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama (Harri, yes it was named after the city in England) with the house band (they backed Aretha on her great soul classics of the late '60s).
I'm from Muscle Shoals..lots more music came out of the little place..Actually Muscle comes from the mussels in the Tennessee River that's here..And the shoals from the Tennessee River flowing...I'm 64 grew up listening to Muscle Shoals music..
Fantastic ! .. One of my very favourite songs from my childhood .. And yes, like many other songs, I always incorrectly assumed the singer was white .. So glad to see you reacting to this, and pointing out what a great voice he had .. Good point about the horns too .. They're not really typical for a pop song like this .. And of course, an excellent pick-up on the Sam Cooke connection !
recd. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama Aug 19, 1969 Eddie Hinton, Jimmy Johnson (gtr), Barry Beckett (pno), David Hood (bass), Roger Hawkins (dms), Mel Lastie (tpt) ...legend has it that the frenetic tempo of the track was cos Rolling Stones were scheduled later that day to cut Brown Sugar - the swampers needed this track done asap. ....Mel Lastie died circa two years later age 42 - IMVH the greatest horn wrangler in the business.
Too bad not EVERYONE is as "cool" in this situation as Mr. R. B. Greaves. Yes, sir, you should check out "Always Something There To Remind Me", & you simply MUST hear his cover of "Paperback Writer", by The Beatles. Thanks for reacting, sir, to this example of "cool-headedness"!
This is the first song I remember stopping me at five years old to stand next to the radio and listen to. That chorus with the horns. I was totally into it.
I've known this song most of my life, but I never knew he was SAm Cooke's nephew. Very interesting, and now that I know that, I can hear traces of Sam's tone in his voice. Nice!
Thanks for playing this song, it’s been a long time since I heard it. I have the 45, but I haven’t played this or any of my other 45’s in a long time. I love Sam Cooke too, but I didn’t know they were related.
LOVE this song! The voice and cadence remind me of old Jackie Wilson, but the music reminds me of Tony Orlando & Dawn. In either case, a fun fantastic song!
To be honest about their success - back in the day, each U.S. city had a few very mainstream AM pop channels, and maybe one FM. Their lineup was eclectic. It wasn't homogenized as it is today. Once a label got a channel to play its record(s) and one of those records gained popularity in sales, that channel would play those records in such heavy rotation one might hear the same track 3x in just one hour. This record was one of THOSE very lucky singles. They wore it out back then.
Growing up I listened to this all the time and play as much Sam Cooke as you can. Oh yes those horns you mentioned, they sound like Herb Alpert. Thanks for playing a favorite of mine!!
He was the nephew of the late great Sam Cooke. I can hear that same crisp clearness in his voice. The Hispanic flavor (the maraetteche horns) of this song reminds me of Billy Stewart. RIP RV Greaves!
It was recorded at Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, on the Gulf (of Mexico) coast. The horns have sort of a calypso sound to me. Did you hear that Wurly (Wurlitzer electric piano) playin' in there? Sam Cooke's nephew, eh? You R quite psychic, Harry!
Story story story. Country used to do it. It's a great spring time song. I felt the horns made the chorus feel very Mexicali Blues-ish . Party or celebration feel. Harry, good to the point thoughts and no yadda yadda yadda.
One of those working-class story records of the late '60s/early '70s. Glen Campbell did those too along with a few other one-hit wonders of the same genre. Very simple but strong melody with an equally strong yet simple lyric.
Hi harri ! Love your summaries of these great old songs I grew up with.This song was played nonstop on the great CKLW AM windsor detroit radio in the early 70's when I was a boy..Love it ! Thank you ! Btw you play the best songs of any reactioners
This song "Take A Letter Maria" was a big hit in 1969. I remember this song well. RB Greaves also recorded "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me" & "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" in 1970. Greaves had previously performed under the name Sonny Childe with his group the TNTs in the Caribbean & the UK.
One of my mother's favorites that she used to play all the time so I love it also. There just aren't black male voices or romantic black songs around like that anymore.🥲
Very nice pickup on the similarity to Sam Cooke.. only to be his nephew! You may be psychic.. but this has more to do with your musical acumen and great ear.
It's an interesting song in juxtaposition. Like Margaritaville, an absolute jam ... until you focus on the lyric which isn't all that happy at all. Mixed in with interesting accompaniment instruments. Here, mariachi style horns ala Trini Lopez et al
LOL, such an appropriate 1-2 punch of music reactions ... Take A Letter Maria and Roll With the Changes. Harri, you shoulda switched them around for greater effect ... Roll With The Changes, Maria! Seriously, though, these two tunes are symbolic of everything wrong with American culture .... low commitment levels and taking pain relievers to avoid hurting! Smh but enjoying the music!
A great song but did not have a lot of hits. Sam Cooke, his relative, was a revolutionary giant in music. His life, like John Lennon was stolen by gun violence. Such a tragedy but this song was one of my favorites!
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Such a great song! This got a ton of airplay into the seventies, when AM radio was king. The happy times!
Best decade of music imo
He is the nephew of Sam Cooke. So his vocal chops are in his DNA. This was his 1st hit, but he did have another one called Always Something There To Remind Me. The two songs hit the charts in Oct. 69 & Feb. 70.
Top 40 song that I took for granted. Great music everywhere, all the time. We were so spoiled.
Yes we were! And that’s okay.
This song has been a staple on US radio for many years. His voice reminds me a little bit of Aaron Neville.
I have always loved this song. I still hum the chorus to this day. Nice pick Craig Aust!!! 👍
I second that notion
Thanks!
Same!
Bro. I am Very impressed with you. You Really Know your music. You are Very Gifted and Talented. Thank You So Much for your Hard Work. Please keep it UP.
Thats how a real man handles a situation like this. No drama, no violence just a cool head and a great lawyer.
I prefer this version over Johnny Rivers. Both are great but I like the slight inflection in his voice. Great pick and analysis.
R.B.Greaves has such a great storytelling voice, he's so believable. Not to mention the horns are owning the background. Always loved this song. Great choice Harri and Craig . Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦.
Thanks!
This was a pretty big hit in the late sixties. I always liked the premise of it. Nice choice. 🌺✌️
Recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama (Harri, yes it was named after the city in England) with the house band (they backed Aretha on her great soul classics of the late '60s).
I'm from Muscle Shoals..lots more music came out of the little place..Actually Muscle comes from the mussels in the Tennessee River that's here..And the shoals from the Tennessee River flowing...I'm 64 grew up listening to Muscle Shoals music..
@@tonythegoodman That studio was magical something in the air.
I worked at a place where the secretary was named Marie and you can imagine how many times she had to hear "take a letter Marie"
😂😂😂😂😂😂
So glad you got around to this one! What a snappy tuneful song about breakup!
Fantastic ! .. One of my very favourite songs from my childhood .. And yes, like many other songs, I always incorrectly assumed the singer was white .. So glad to see you reacting to this, and pointing out what a great voice he had .. Good point about the horns too .. They're not really typical for a pop song like this .. And of course, an excellent pick-up on the Sam Cooke connection !
A one-off classic. You're right in that this is exactly the kind of thing the great Sam Cooke would have been doing, had he survived until 1968.
He is related to Sam Cooke. He is his nephew!
@@georgeandy6923 Wow - didn't know that. Thank you.
A gold nugget from 1969.
I remember it well.
❤
The baby boomers are great singers and great story telllers and gives fgreat rhythmic vibes.
Moon signifies adultery.
This song is so underrated. Love it! ❤️
I was thinking if anyone else ever heard this song, it always had place in my heart for 40 years. Lost the girl of dreams.
I absolutely love this song
recd. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama Aug 19, 1969
Eddie Hinton, Jimmy Johnson (gtr), Barry Beckett (pno), David Hood (bass), Roger Hawkins (dms), Mel Lastie (tpt) ...legend has it that the frenetic tempo of the track was cos Rolling Stones were scheduled later that day to cut Brown Sugar - the swampers needed this track done asap. ....Mel Lastie died circa two years later age 42 - IMVH the greatest horn wrangler in the business.
Too bad not EVERYONE is as "cool" in this situation as Mr. R. B. Greaves. Yes, sir, you should check out "Always Something There To Remind Me", & you simply MUST hear his cover of "Paperback Writer", by The Beatles. Thanks for reacting, sir, to this example of "cool-headedness"!
You know Harri, I just heard this song the other day and was thinking how great it would be if you reacted to it!
This is the first song I remember stopping me at five years old to stand next to the radio and listen to. That chorus with the horns. I was totally into it.
Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III, he grew up on a Native American reservation move to England in 1963. (11/28/1943-9/27/2012).
I've known this song most of my life, but I never knew he was SAm Cooke's nephew. Very interesting, and now that I know that, I can hear traces of Sam's tone in his voice. Nice!
Thank you! So much! ❤️ It’s been decades….
Thanks for playing this song, it’s been a long time since I heard it. I have the 45, but I haven’t played this or any of my other 45’s in a long time. I love Sam Cooke too, but I didn’t know they were related.
LOVE this song! The voice and cadence remind me of old Jackie Wilson, but the music reminds me of Tony Orlando & Dawn. In either case, a fun fantastic song!
To be honest about their success - back in the day, each U.S. city had a few very mainstream AM pop channels, and maybe one FM. Their lineup was eclectic. It wasn't homogenized as it is today. Once a label got a channel to play its record(s) and one of those records gained popularity in sales, that channel would play those records in such heavy rotation one might hear the same track 3x in just one hour. This record was one of THOSE very lucky singles. They wore it out back then.
Growing up I listened to this all the time and play as much Sam Cooke as you can.
Oh yes those horns you mentioned, they sound like
Herb Alpert.
Thanks for playing a favorite of mine!!
The horns! A good secretary to me….lol! Such an upbeat song! You’re beginning to sound psychic! Wow!
Oh my, I haven’t heard this song in many years and I totally forgot about it, thank you
He was the nephew of the late great Sam Cooke. I can hear that same crisp clearness in his voice. The Hispanic flavor (the maraetteche horns) of this song reminds me of Billy Stewart. RIP RV Greaves!
So I had a check, and RB Greaves wrote this song as well. Excellent!
Yeahhhhhhh 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩👌👌👌
It was recorded at Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, on the Gulf (of Mexico) coast. The horns have sort of a calypso sound to me. Did you hear that Wurly (Wurlitzer electric piano) playin' in there? Sam Cooke's nephew, eh? You R quite psychic, Harry!
love this song!
OMG Harri, you have the best songs!! I haven't heard this in forever. Love it!! ❤😊
The horns sound like Herb Alpert arranged them
Story story story. Country used to do it. It's a great spring time song. I felt the horns made the chorus feel very Mexicali Blues-ish . Party or celebration feel. Harry, good to the point thoughts and no yadda yadda yadda.
Long Live Rock & Roll...
Too bad nobody cheered a rallying cry for R & B.....⚰️
Buenas uuuuubella canción
One of those working-class story records of the late '60s/early '70s. Glen Campbell did those too along with a few other one-hit wonders of the same genre. Very simple but strong melody with an equally strong yet simple lyric.
The Great Roger Hawkins On Drums
Hi harri ! Love your summaries of these great old songs I grew up with.This song was played nonstop on the great CKLW AM windsor detroit radio in the early 70's when I was a boy..Love it ! Thank you ! Btw you play the best songs of any reactioners
Very good !
Good job Watchman
I did not know he was black I like this song
Wow remember this from late 60s i havent heard it since
It's just a great fucking song sung a great singer
This song "Take A Letter Maria" was a big hit in 1969. I remember this song well. RB Greaves also recorded "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me" & "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" in 1970. Greaves had previously performed under the name Sonny Childe with his group the TNTs in the Caribbean & the UK.
Great song from way back in the day.
One of my mother's favorites that she used to play all the time so I love it also. There just aren't black male voices or romantic black songs around like that anymore.🥲
Craig Aust has my taste in music. seems everything he chooses for you to react to is music i love.
Thanks! Maybe we are related!
Listen to Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, similar, but very different.
This is a fantastic song.
Cool tune, Craig!
Thanks!
Nice comparison of Sam cooke👍,love his phrasing for sure
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
My friends ''the Pleasure Barons '' did a cover of this song that was great
I was about 10 and this was a huge hit. I had the words to the chorus memorized. Lol I don't think my mom appreciated that.
PSYCHIC Harri!!!!
Very nice pickup on the similarity to Sam Cooke.. only to be his nephew! You may be psychic.. but this has more to do with your musical acumen and great ear.
this was a huge hit....but he only had one hit. 1970??
The horns sounds like Herb Alpert
I just love your reactions and perspective, Harri.
Don't do it, Maria! He'll just ignore you too.
hes Sam Cookes nephew
Sam Cooke is his Uncle I think..
It's an interesting song in juxtaposition. Like Margaritaville, an absolute jam ... until you focus on the lyric which isn't all that happy at all. Mixed in with interesting accompaniment instruments. Here, mariachi style horns ala Trini Lopez et al
I believe Sam Cooke is his uncle.
He is NEPHEW of Sam Cooke
Thanks for not talking through the song
LOL, such an appropriate 1-2 punch of music reactions ... Take A Letter Maria and Roll With the Changes. Harri, you shoulda switched them around for greater effect ... Roll With The Changes, Maria! Seriously, though, these two tunes are symbolic of everything wrong with American culture .... low commitment levels and taking pain relievers to avoid hurting! Smh but enjoying the music!
A great song but did not have a lot of hits. Sam Cooke, his relative, was a revolutionary giant in music. His life, like John Lennon was stolen by gun violence. Such a tragedy but this song was one of my favorites!
Don’t make great music like this anymore.
Sam Cooke, that's a good call. Great song.