Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
| Be Altitude: Respect Yourself | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 14, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971-1972 | |||
| Studio | Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama;[1] Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN[1] | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 41:22 | |||
| Label | Stax | |||
| Producer | Al Bell | |||
| The Staple Singers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Be Altitude: Respect Yourself is a soul album by The Staple Singers released on February 14, 1972.
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
It includes the hit songs "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself". The musicians are the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns, augmented by overdubbed guitar, Moog synthesizer, Mellotron and harmonica by Terry Manning.
"We the People" was frequently used as a campaign song for U.S. President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election in the United States.
Track listing[edit]
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "This World" | William Friedman, Herb Schapiro | 3:36 |
| 2 | "Respect Yourself" | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | 4:54 |
| 3 | "Name the Missing Word" | Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Raymond Jackson | 4:00 |
| 4 | "I'll Take You There" | Alvertis Isbell | 4:43 |
| 5 | "This Old Town (People in This Town)" | Don Covay, Wilson Pickett, William Stevenson | 4:39 |
| 6 | "We the People" | Booker T. Jones, Carl Smith | 3:50 |
| 7 | "Are You Sure" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson | 4:27 |
| 8 | "Who Do You Think You Are (Jesus Christ the Superstar)?" | Pops Staples | 4:10 |
| 9 | "I'm Just Another Soldier" | Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson | 3:50 |
| 10 | "Who" | Jeff Barry, Bobby Bloom | 3:13 |
Personnel[edit]
Partial credits from Richard Buskin and Terry Manning.[1]
- The Staple Singers
- Mavis Staples - vocals
- Pops Staples - vocals
- Cleotha Staples - harmony and backing vocals
- Yvonne Staples - harmony and backing vocals
- Jimmy Johnson - guitar
- David Hood - bass
- Barry Beckett - keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Roger Hawkins - drums
- Additional musicians
- Staple Sisters - harmony and backing vocals
- Terry Manning - guitars, lead guitar, fuzz guitar, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, vibraphones, marimbas, harmonica
- Eddie Hinton - guitar on "I'll Take You There"
- Raymond Banks - guitar on "I'll Take You There"
- The Memphis Horns (including Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love - horns (saxophones, trumpets, baritone saxophone, trombone)
- Ben Cauley - horns
- Production and technical staff
- Al Bell – arranger, producer
- Johnny Allen - arranger
- Terry Manning – engineer, additional production (uncredited), additional arrangements (uncredited)
- Jerry Masters – engineer
- Ralph Rhodes – engineer
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[4] | 19 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums[4] | 3 |
Singles[edit]
| Year | Single | Chart positions[5] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US Soul | |||
| 1971 | "Respect Yourself" | 12 | 2 | |
| 1972 | "I'll Take You There" | 1 | 1 | |
| "This World" | 38 | 6 | ||
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Buskin, Richard. "Classic Tracks: The Staple Singers 'I'll Take You There'". SoundOnSound. Sound On Sound. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ Bowman, Rob. The Staple Singers: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself > 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.
- ^ a b "The Staple Singers US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
- ^ "The Staple Singers US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
