Al Green: Call Me

Al Green's "Call Me" - VMP Edition: The Soul Classic Gets a Passable Pressing

A Towering Soul Masterpiece
When discussing the pantheon of soul music, Al Green's "Call Me" invariably enters the conversation. Released as the Reverend's sixth studio album, this 1973 landmark has rightfully earned its place in music history. Rolling Stone placed it at #289 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list—a testament to its enduring influence and artistic merit.

The commercial success matched its critical acclaim, with "Call Me" reaching the top 10 on Billboard's Pop Album chart while claiming the #1 position on the Soul Album chart. The album's trio of singles—"You Ought to Be with Me," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," and the title track "Call Me (Come Back Home)"—all cracked the Billboard Hot 100's top 10, solidifying Green's crossover appeal.

Green's singular vocal approach—a masterclass in restraint and release—remains the album's centerpiece. His ability to communicate profound emotion through subtle inflections and perfectly timed falsetto flights created an intimacy that transcended genre boundaries, drawing listeners into his spiritual and romantic narratives with irresistible magnetism.

The VMP Pressing: Competent But Unremarkable
Vinyl Me, Please (VMP) has built its subscription model around curated releases with premium packaging and colored vinyl variants. For their "Classics" track release of "Call Me," however, VMP partnered with Fat Possum Records as the manufacturing contractor—a label not particularly known for audiophile-grade pressings.

This collaboration yields results best described as serviceable. The pressing offers reasonable sound staging and acceptable clarity, but falls noticeably short of what truly premium reissues can achieve with classic soul recordings. The lush orchestration that producer Willie Mitchell crafted around Green's vocals deserves more space and separation than this pressing provides.

Surface noise remains within acceptable parameters, and the overall tonal balance is pleasant enough for casual listening sessions. However, those expecting revelatory sonic details or the kind of three-dimensional presence that defines exceptional vinyl pressings will find this release somewhat two-dimensional by comparison.

Packaging and Value Proposition
Perhaps most surprisingly for VMP subscribers, this "Classics" release arrives on standard black vinyl rather than the colored variants typically associated with the service. While purists might argue black vinyl offers superior sound (a debatable point), the absence of a distinctive visual element removes one of VMP's traditional selling points.

The packaging maintains VMP's typical quality standards, but the question becomes whether these cosmetic enhancements justify the premium pricing compared to the standard Fat Possum issue—especially considering both pressings share identical sonic characteristics.

The Vinyl Verdict: Same Wine, Fancier Bottle
For Al Green enthusiasts seeking to add "Call Me" to their vinyl collection, this VMP edition presents a conundrum. While it delivers Green's soulful masterpiece in competent fashion, it does so at a premium price point without offering meaningful sonic advantages over the standard Fat Possum pressing.
The irony isn't lost—a record celebrated for its emotional authenticity receives a pressing that's merely "good enough." For collectors specifically seeking the VMP edition for completist reasons, this will suffice. For everyone else, the standard Fat Possum release offers identical sonic performance without the up charge for the VMP branding.

In either incarnation, Green's transcendent vocals and Mitchell's production genius shine through—just not with the brilliance that a truly exceptional pressing might have delivered. Sometimes, as the old adage goes, good enough is indeed good enough. This pressing delivers Green's masterpiece adequately, if unspectacularly—a competent vehicle for extraordinary music. 💵

💰 Invest
 💵 Consider
💸 Pass