Be What You Are

Last updated
Be What You Are
Be What You Are.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 8, 1973
Recorded1973
Genre Soul
Length51:56
Label Stax
Producer Al Bell
The Staple Singers chronology
Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
(1972)
Be What You Are
(1973)
City in the Sky
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide B [2]

Be What You Are is a soul album by the Staple Singers, released on December 8, 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.

Contents

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

#TitleWriter(s)Time
1"Be What You Are" Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton5:03
2"If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)"Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton4:29
3"Medley: Love Comes in All Colors/Tellin' Lies" Bettye Crutcher/Carl Smith8:51
4"Touch a Hand, Make a Friend"Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton4:04
5"Drown Yourself"Bettye Crutcher4:38
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 Hampton4:04
9"I'm on Your Side"Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson, Carl Hampton4:00
10"That's What Friends Are For"Parsons, Penney, Mack Rice4:16
11"Heaven" Terry Manning 3:36

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs [4] 102
Billboard Top Soul LPs [4] 13

Singles

YearSingleChart positions [5]
US
Pop
US
Soul
1973"Be What You Are"6618
"If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)"91
1974"Touch a Hand, Make a Friend"233

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References

  1. Elias, Jason. The Staple Singers: Be What You Are > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  2. 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.
  3. Ross, Michael (June 2015). "Forgotten Heroes: Pops Staples". Premier Guitar.
  4. 1 2 "The Staple Singers US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  5. "The Staple Singers US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-07.