One thing that the Peter Jackson Get Back Disney series made clear was how integral Billy Preston was to the Get Back/Let It Be period of January 1969 for The Beatles. He joined The Beatles at their Apple headquarters basement recording studio on January 22nd and worked with them until filming ended on January 31st. He would work with them again, and in fact be signed to Apple Records, making two solo albums for the label. Universal has just reissued Encouraging Words on vinyl, his second release for the label, which was originally released in 1970.
Preston was only 22 when he joined The Beatles, but he had a lifetime of musical experience under his belt. His debut album Greazee Soul was released in 1963 when he was only 16 and still attending high school in Los Angeles. He would release four more albums before his Apple debut, That’s the Way God Planned It, in 1969. By that time, he had already backed Mahalia Jackson, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, and Ray Charles.
While George Harrison produced Preston’s Apple debut, he co-produced Encouraging Words, with Preston. The album was recorded in London at Olympic and Trident Studios. Harrison returned to play on Encouraging Words, as did Eric Clapton. Clapton played on the title track (which also includes Delaney Bramlett), “Right Now,” and “Use What You Got.” Many other musicians played on Encouraging Words, including Clapton’s bandmates in Derek and the Dominos—Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon—along with Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, and members of the Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Temptations, and the Sam and Dave band.
When the album was released, it was the first time people heard the George Harrison songs “My Sweet Lord” and “All Things Must Pass,” which came out later on George Harrison’s album All Things Must Pass in 1970, and album Preston is on. There was also a song Harrison co-wrote with Preston entitled “Sing One For The Lord.” The other two songwriters in The Beatles—John Lennon and Paul McCartney—are present here by virtue of Preston’s take on the Get Back/Let It Be-era song “I’ve Got A Feeling,” a song Preston played on.
There are many influences that come through, including a New Orleans stew on “Right Now” and “Use What You Got.” “Little Girl” and of course “Sing One For the Lord” and “My Sweet Lord” have a gospel feel. “The Same Thing Again” may have been inspired by Preston’s time playing with Ray Charles. Preston’s funk side is also apparent on “Right Now” and “I’ve Got a Feeling.”
There are tracks that provided clues to Preston’s distinctive hit style that would become evident during much of the ’70s, particularly on “Let the Music Play” and “When You are Mine.” On side two, several tracks have a soul sound that would emerge in the ’70s from many artists. The 2010 CD reissue from Apple included the bonus tracks “As Long As I Got My Baby,” “All That I Got (I’m Gonna Give It To You),” and “How Long Has the Train Been Gone.”
The sound of this vinyl reissue is superb. There’s a real organic musical feel and the dynamic range is something one doesn’t often hear these days, particularly when listening to today’s chart acts on CDs and especially when streaming music. It’s also a beautiful package, faithfully evoking the early Apple Records era yet with a nod to today’s audiophile with the vinyl album coming in a poly-lined sleeve.
This is one of those albums that remind us that there were so many great releases on Apple Records and the company at that time should not be remembered just for the various internal business problems that plagued it in the ’70s. Hopefully, Preston’s debut release will also be reissued and soon.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
