BOBBY WOMACK "FLY ME TO THE MOON '69 - MY PRESCRIPTION '70"

MY PRESCRIPTION '70
Bobby Womack's second album on Minit Records rivals his first, Fly Me to the Moon. He establishes himself firmly in the mold of his contemporaries: Wilson Pickett, Don Covay, Johnnie Taylor, and other top soul men. An accomplished writer, Womack's never handicapped by poor material, but never hesitates to redo popular songs by other writers. He scores with a funky rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" (taken from his debut Minit LP), and with poorer results (chart-wise), "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," though aesthetically it's as funky as a bowl of hardened grits. He takes both easy listening songs far from their original molds. "How I Miss You Baby," "More Than I Can Stand," and Sam Cooke's "I'm Gonna Forget About You" made the rotations at R&B stations across America for good reason -- they rock. Bobby "The Doctor" Womack fills this prescription and has you hankering for a refill. by Andrew Hamilton, Allmusic
FLY ME TO THE MOON '69
Debut album from the self-proclaimed "Last Soul Man," who earned his credentials as writer and composer of the Rolling Stones' first U.K. number one. He was also one of the forces behind Sly & the Family Stone's sultry classic There's a Riot Going On. Derived from his 1987 album, this title of honor would have sounded pretentious employed by just anyone. However, with most of the true soul legends gone or lost in the '80s ozone of slick synthesized productions, Bobby Womack remained one of few who stayed true to their art. Like Bill Withers, Womack could be viewed as sort of a singer/songwriter by accident, who developed a genuine style of his own. His remarkable quality was brought back to memory through Quentin Tarantino's kind gesture of including him on the Jackie Brown soundtrack. Fly Me to the Moon (aka A Midnight Mover) is an impressive debut. It took Womack several years to come to the point of recording his own material, having first to shake off the untimely death of his mentor Sam Cooke. Based on the results, everything here sounds like he had been holding it back for this kind of raw soul explosion. A mere seven out of the ten tracks are Womack originals, two of which were written for ("I'm in Love") or with (the title track) Wilson Pickett. His authentic rasp of a voice, combined with a superb production by Chips Moman, lend to Fly Me to the Moon the overall feeling of a Stax release. "You Oughta Think It Over," "What Is This," and "The Time Is Now" are as good as anything by either Sam & Dave or Pickett himself, if not better. His stunning version of "California Dreamin'" tops this sublime effort. Womack makes the lyrics come alive in a way you can really smell those brown leaves and feel the chilly presence of a gray sky on a winters' day. by Quint Kik, Allmusic

trax:
01 Fly Me To The Moon 02 Baby You Oughta Think It Over 03 I'm A Midnight Mover 04 What Is This 05 Somebody Special 06 Take Me 07 Moonlight In Vermont 08 Love The Time Is Now 09 I'm In Love 10 California Dreamin 11 No Money In My Pocket 12 Lillie Mae 13 How I Miss You Baby 14 More Than I Can Stand 15 It's Gonna Rain 16 Everyone's Gone To The Moon 17 I Can't Take It Like A Man 18 I Left My Heart In San Francisco 19 Arkansas State Prison 20 I'm Gonna Forget About You 21 Don't Look Back 22 Tried and Convicted 23 Thank You
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