If You Can't Take Me Higher, Don't Bring Me Down Posted by Junior

Ed Townsend: If You Can't Take Me Higher and How Could You Do It From: Now [Curtom, 1975] A hit record can be as much of a curse as a blessing, particularly if you didn't even sing on it. Such a fate befell Ed Townsend who, in a career spanning fifty years, wrote and produced hit songs for many of the top artists of the day and recorded three solo albums but will forever be known as the writer and producer of Gaye's classic Let's Get It On. Now I'm not saying that this was all bad news, after all, Ed kept his writing credits and can't have done badly off the, ahem, moderately successful Gaye album but it seems he, like many great songwriters, was always frustrated at not being able to record more albums himself. After producing the Impressions hit single Finally Got Myself Together he got his final chance 15 years after his last solo project and this is what I have for you today. I've been struggling with how to describe this album for a while now as it's not really one I can find easy comparisons with. The lengthy career of Townsend shows up in the style of the songs, a mixture of fifties rawness, sixties harmonies and seventies Mayfield-esque production. For a songwriter as great as Townsend it seems bizarre that many of the songs have lyrics that are almost an afterthought to the production. In fact, Ed seems more interested in creating a mood with each piece, crafting vocal riffs from the backing singers for him to perform over. See, told you I was having trouble with this one. If You Can't Take Me Higher kicks off the album in style, Ed laying down his philosophy over a lovely funky groove, trumpet toots, and soaring strings, even throwing in a rather superb harmonica solo for good measure. How Could You Do It may not be the best track on the album but it's a personal favourite of mine. What propels this from being another break up song to something altogether more special is Townsend's performance. The man may not have the greatest voice in the world but the note that he hits when he cries out Hooooooooooow gives me pure shivers. Suddenly the strings, the female harmonies, the piano all become painfully raw. Seriously, if i am ever unlucky enough to lose my girlfriend, this song would be on continuous rotation as i sat among the garbage in my darkened apartment, sobbing into my empty pot noodle container. I know people who really can't get with this but if you feel it then you know that this is real soul music.