Back Up Train/Hot Wire/Stop & Check Myself/Let Me Help You/I’m Reachin’ Out/Don’t Hurt Me No More/Don’t Leave Me/What’s It All About/I’ll Be Good To You/Guilty/That’s All It Takes (Lady)/Get Yourself Together
Back Up Train was the debut album from Al Green, one of the most innovative American soul artists. After moving to the Hi record label he would become spectacularly successful in the early 1970s.
“Back Up Train was the first great Al Green single, more in common with his smooth sounds of the 70s than anything else on the album. A relatively big hit, Al Green struggled for a few years while he tried to find a follow-up with the same tuneful and soft sophistication.”
“Before he was Al Green, Al Greene released Back Up Train. He hadn't hooked up with Hi Records yet, but that doesn't mean he didn't have the talent - he just didn't really know how to best use it. Back Up Train has Al running through a lot of basic R & B song structures and tempos as he attempts to discover his niche, and as such, it makes for an entertaining and unpredictable listen. Back Up Train may not be Al Green at his best, but that doesn't mean he's not putting out some top notch songs.”
“This is the beginning of the great Al Green. Not as good as his classic Hi work of 71-75 but it has enough flashes to be a very good album. Back Up Train is the highlight but almost all the other songs are nicely done. Al is not nearly as polished as he would become but his talent is too good not to shine through. It's neat to hear the early work of the greatest R & B singer of all-time.”
“Back Up Train is more or less a promising prelude to what would become an unparalleled career as king of smooth soul. None of the songs are particularly weighty, mostly being generic but likeable soul workouts, although the title song and Stop & Check Myself do stand out as choice cuts.”
“The real interest on Back Up Train is in hearing Al Green’s famous voice before he quite figured out how to use it. All the pieces are there, buried under generic arrangements: the moans, the croons, the shouts, growls and hiccups and the bell-clear beautiful tone, everything that Green would eventually ride to the top of the heap. In general the attraction of the album is in hearing Green dig into this fairly forgettable batch of songs and come up with moments of real emotion.”
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