Much like the preceding years, 1968 was a year of turbulent change in the U.S.A. Just a few years after Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation that finally allowed African-Americans to vote, black music by artists such as James Brown, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield (through The Impressions) and others were providing the virtual soundtrack for the civil rights movement. Think “Say It Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud,” “To Be Young, Gifted & Black,” “We’re A Winner,” “Keep On Pushing,” anthems that inspired, uplifted, empowered and encouraged a people challenged by everchanging times.
Movies too were just beginning portray the situations, conflicts and everyday life in America’s inner city ghettoes. The era of blaxpolitation films (as they became known) was nigh: “Shaft,” “Superfly.” “Cleopatra Jones,” “The Mack,” “Hell Up In Harlem” and their ilk were drawing black (and white) moviegoers to the cinema to see newly-created heroes, heroines and villains alike. “Uptight” was in the vanguard of the black film movement of the era, with a cast that included Rube Dee, Roscoe Lee Browne, Max Julien, Julian Mayfield and Raymond St. Jacques. Directed and produced by Frenchman Jules Dassin, “Uptight” was in fact a remake of a 1935 film, “The Informer” which was based on a story involving Irish Republican freedom fighters. As “All Movie Guide” notes, the Irish became black civil rights activists, Dublin became Cleveland and 1921 became 1968 and days following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Music was an essential ingredient of all the black-oriented movies of the time and Dassin turned to Booker T. Jones, one of the true architects of the Stax sound to create what would be his first soundtrack. Working with his fellow MGs (Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper and Al Jackson Jr.), the virtual houseband at Stax and with a special guest appearance by the brilliant if totally under-recognized vocalist Judy Clay (‘on loan’ from Atlantic to Stax at the time), Jones created a score that perfectly complemented the film’s action as Tank (played by Mayfield) tries to elude his revolutionary buddies whom he has betrayed to the police.
As a piece of work without the benefit of the film’s visuals, “Uptight” is a strong album, showcasing Booker T.’s composing skills and giving play to occasional vocals. His opening lament, “Johnny, I Love You” is a soul brother-to-soul brother ode (and not, as the title might imply to those unfamiliar with the film, a love song) and “Blues In The Gutter” is, as you might expect, an opus with Booker at his bluesy best. Judy Clay’s reworking of a traditional gospel song, “Children, Don’t Get Weary” is nothing short of superlative, evidence of her years as one of the Drinkard Singers, the gospel group that started in the ‘50s with Emily ‘Cissy’ Drinkard – later Houston – among its members.
Other notable cuts: “Cleveland Now,” a percussive piece which captures the energy of an inner city dealing with the turbulence of the times; the moody jazz-inflected “Tank’s Lament” showcasing Booker’s keyboard mastery; the foot-tapper “Down At Ralph’s Joint,” with its gospel-flavored groove; and the memorable “Time Is Tight,” the Top 10 pop and R&B smash that gave Booker T. & The MGs a gold record when released as a single in 1969, heard on the soundtrack in its entirety.
I recall seeing the film myself in 1969 (and reviewing it for Britain’s “Blues & Soul” magazine), drawn to it by the music as much as the subject matter. Can’t remember too much how I felt about the movie which had a limited run in London but as I listen to the soundtrack again during this, ‘Black History Month’ 40 years after it was recorded, I find myself thoroughly enjoying and appreciating it, in particular the vocal sides by Booker and Judy. We have come a long way since the days of “Uptight”: with change viscerally in the air (with the prospect of a possible first African-American president), it’s good to reflect on just how far…
David Nathan
Aka the British Ambassador Of Soul
Owner, www.soulmusic.com, www.soulmusicstore.com, www.soulmusicglobal.com
