Joe South - A Look Inside (Capitol, 1972)

While preparing for today's review, I was really struck by the similarities as well as the dissimilarities between this performer and another contemporary artist from the same region. It's always been my belief that Joe South and Tony Joe White should be mentioned in the same breath during discussions about important white Southern musicians who were popular circa 1965-1975. In addition to their shared geographic origins, they are also superb guitarists, excellent songwriters, and difficult to pigeonhole on account of the numerous influences they incorporate into their own unique styles. It is also possible, however, to view them as opposite sides of the same coin. Whereas White is a country boy from the Louisiana bayou with an outsider background, the citified South hails from Atlanta and started his career in the music industry while he was still a teenager. White remains musically active, while South has kept a much lower profile since personal tragedy led to his gradual withdrawal from the public eye beginning in the early 1970s. His continued relative inactivity and retirement remains our loss.

YOUNG JOE SOUTH AS PICTURED ON THE BACK OF THE ALBUM SLEEVE

A Look Inside marked the end of South's tenure with Capitol Records and, without any hit singles, was his least successful effort, commercially-speaking. Prior to the recording sessions for this album, South's brother Tommy (who played drums in both his studio and touring bands) had committed suicide after losing a protracted battle with substance abuse. Although this sad event initiated a downward spiral from which Joe has never fully recovered, somehow he was able to persevere in spite of his loss, escalating drug use, and a fading presence on the music charts. Given those factors, this LP very well could have been a disaster. Nevertheless, it's still a pretty good one, and South should be commended for turning a lot of lemons into a product that is mostly lemonade.


Not surprisingly given the aforementioned circumstances, an air of sadness permeates A Look Inside. The songs feature more of an emphasis on confessional lyrics instead of the instrumental flash heard on the Danelectro Sitar Guitar-heavy tracks (e.g. "Games People Play") of South's earlier records. Ironic as it may be, several performances acknowledge the dangers of drug abuse: the gospel-like "Coming Down All Alone" ("Soon you'll believe there's no kind of bummer that a dime bag couldn't cure"), "Imitation of Living" ("Too many memories that alcohol won't drown...too many pills I just can't make it without"), and "I'm a Star" ("And to run this frantic pace requires enough amphetamine to blow a fuse"). That last song is the one that really drove home the parallels between Joe South and Tony Joe White to my reckoning. Just as the latter's "A Night in the Life of a Swamp Fox" from his first Warner Brothers album insightfully comments on life as a professional musician while quoting his best-known hit ("Polk Salad Annie"), "I'm a Star" offers a variation of the same theme while using the previously-cited "Games People Play" in a similar fashion. Although it sounds more instrumentally upbeat upon first inspection, "One-Man Band" further assesses the cons of being a successful recording artist, chief among them fan-imposed demands. "It Hurts Me Too" is not a cover of the blues classic but expresses a similar sentiment, while "Real Thing" apparently reminds listeners to appreciate what they already have. "Misunderstanding" stresses the importance of clearly communicating in an effort to avoid conflicts - at least that's my interpretation. The somewhat smug "Misfit" finds South taking pride in exceeding the expectations of others and doing things his way, never mind the fact that his formula for commercial success was beginning to lose its potency at this point in his career. When he sings "Save Your Best," he's talking about conserving time and effort only for the people who truly love you. "All Nite Lover, All Day Friend" encourages the addressee to let South put this philosophy into action for her.


1. Coming Down All Alone
2. Imitation of Living
3. It Hurts Me Too
4. Real Thng
5. One Man Band
6. Misunderstanding
7. Misfit
8. Save Your Best
9. I'm a Star
10. All Night Lover