There's No Good In Goodbye

Performer: Johnnie Taylor
Engineer: Pam Irwin; Mark Petty; Jerry Masters; Kent Bruce; Alan Johnson; Steve Melton; Charles Hart; Vincent Grizzell
Producer: Frederick Knight; Charles Richard Cason; Pam Irwin (Compilation); Mark Petty (Compilation); Wolf Stephenson (Compilation)
Distributor: Select-O-Hits

Notes: Personnel: Johnnie Taylor (vocals); Johnnie Taylor; Floyd Taylor (vocals); Jimmy Johnson , Don Evans, Michael Toles, Will McFarlane (guitar); Brian Gum, John Frantz, Bennett Randman, Linda Geidel, Bob McNally, Mickey Davis, Peggy Plucker, Janet Dressler, Claudette Hampton (strings); Jim Horn (flute, piccolo, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Tom "Bones" Malone (flute); Denis Solee (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Roderick Paulin, Harvey Thompson (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Eades (baritone saxophone); Harrison Calloway, Jim Williamson (trumpet, flugelhorn); Thaddeus Ford, III, Gary Armstrong, Ben Cauley, Vinnie Ciesielski, Steve Patrick (trumpet); Craig Klein, Charles Rose (trombone); Ronell Johnson (tuba); Clayton Ivey (Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Richard Cason (keyboards, programming); Ray Griffin (bass guitar); Roger Hawkins (drums, percussion); Richie Puente (congas, percussion); Frederick Knight (programming, background vocals); Sonya Washington, Cathy Young, Angela Walls, Quanda Brooks, Latonya Garner, Freddie Young, Tonya Yongblood, Jewel Bass, Thomisene Anderson, Catherine Henderson, Valeria Kashimuri (background vocals); Dino Zimmerman (guitar); Carson Whitsett (keyboards); James Robertson (drums). Audio Remixer: Wolf Stephenson. Liner Note Author: Rob Bowman. Recording information: Criteria Studios, Miami, FL (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Knight Studio (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Malaco Recording Studio, Jackson, MS (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); MSS Studio (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Muscle Shoals Sound Studios (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Sonic Temple, Jackson, MS (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Sound Services Studio, New Orleans, LA (09/19/1984-02/??/2003); Sumet Sound, Dallas, TX (09/19/1984-02/??/2003). This posthumous album from the chitlin circuit soul/bluesman is comprised of previously unreleased songs left over from his various Malaco albums. But even though there has been some overdubbing, remixing, and touching up of these original sessions recorded from 1984-1999, the disc flows remarkably well. The usual Malaco embellishments of slick horns, slicker backing vocals, and inconsistent material plagues some of the music, but in general this is as solid a collection of songs as any he released for the imprint. Tracks ten through 16 were recorded in 1999 for his last album, Gotta Get the Groove Back, which was released shortly before his death. They feature the cream of the Muscle Shoals studio musicians, including bassist David Hood, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, and occasional Rolling Stones saxman Jim Horn. The sound remains polished, but Taylor is in terrific voice and spirits throughout, and he, like his idol Sam Cooke (who he imitates briefly in "Where Is Your Woman Tonight"), elevates even the most lackluster material with his malleable pipes. One of the most interesting tracks is a 1988 cover of Paul Simon's "Take Me to the Mardi Gras," a duet with his son Floyd, who added harmony vocals after his dad's death. Although these were leftovers, there is nothing second-rate about them. Slow, swampy burners such as "Please Sign the Dotted Line" and the gospel-ish "I Reach for You," along with upbeat funk like "Con Lover," rank with his finest work for Malaco. His blues are downplayed in favor of the label's soul orientation, but this is still prime Johnnie Taylor. This project is obviously a labor of love, and a fitting coda to an underappreciated career for one of America's best Southern soul singers. ~ Hal Horowitz

Living Blues (9/03, p.66) - "...[Featuring] prime examples of Taylor's soul-stirring, woman-melting prowess....It's better than good..."

Johnnie Taylor first achieved notoriety when he joined Sam Cooke's former group, the Soul Stirrers, in 1957. Taylor's blues-based R&B records of the '60s, like his biggest hit, "Who's Makin' Love?," featured an irresistible beat and Taylor's gruff, emphatic vocals. While he never achieved the fame of Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett, Taylor stuck around long enough to enjoy a second surge in popularity with the lusty hit "Disco Lady" in 1976.

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