Be What You Are
| Be What You Are | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 51:56 | |||
| Label | Stax | |||
| Producer | Al Bell | |||
| The Staple Singers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
Be What You Are is a soul album by the Staple Singers, released in September 1973. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart. The first single, "Be What You Are", fared poorly; however, the follow-up, "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)", was a top ten hit, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B Singles chart. The third single, "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" charting at number 23 on the Hot 100 and number three on the R&B chart in 1974.
Guitarist Jimmy Page played acoustic and electric guitars as well as a solo on the last song, "Heaven." Stax engineer Terry Manning was a friend of Page's and worked on Led Zeppelin III.[3]
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Be What You Are" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton | 5:03 |
| 2 | "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton | 4:29 |
| 3 | "Medley: Love Comes in All Colors/Tellin' Lies" | Bettye Crutcher/Carl Smith | 8:51 |
| 4 | "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton | 4:04 |
| 5 | "Drown Yourself" | Bettye Crutcher | 4:38 |
| 6 | "I Ain't Raisin' No Sand" | Darryl Carter, Mack Rice | 6:33 |
| 7 | "Grandma's Hands" | Bill Withers | 2:43 |
| 8 | "Bridges Instead of Walls" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton | 4:04 |
| 9 | "I'm on Your Side" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton | 4:00 |
| 10 | "That's What Friends Are For" | Parsons, Penney, Mack Rice | 4:16 |
| 11 | "Heaven" | Terry Manning | 3:36 |
Personnel
- Cleotha Staples, Mavis Staples, Yvonne Staples - lead and backing vocals
- Roebuck "Pops" Staples - vocals, guitar
- Jimmy Page - uncredited guitar (on track 11)
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top LPs[4] | 102 |
| Billboard Top Soul LPs[4] | 13 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions[5] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US Soul | |||
| 1973 | "Be What You Are" | 66 | 18 | |
| "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)" | 9 | 1 | ||
| 1974 | "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" | 23 | 3 | |
References
- ^ Elias, Jason. The Staple Singers: Be What You Are > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Ross, Michael (June 2015). "Forgotten Heroes: Pops Staples". Premier Guitar.
- ^ a b "The Staple Singers US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Staple Singers US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.