3614 Jackson Highway

by Lindsay Planer This disc reissues Cher's 1969 3614 Jackson Highway album and includes an additional dozen tracks, five of which have never been released in any format. Leave it to the archival Rhino HandMade Internet-based audio salon to create an ultimate package representing every solo recording Cher made for Atco Records under her own name. Astute pop/rock music fans might note the familiarity of 3614 Jackson Highway as the former home of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. As the Atlantic Records production team: Jerry Wexler (executive vice president), Tom Dowd (vice president in charge of engineering), and Arif Mardin (director of A&R) had done six months earlier on Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis album, they chose to juxtapose their pop diva with a band affectionately known as the Swampers -- yes, the same ones immortalized in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." This quintet includes the talents of: Eddie Hinton (lead guitar), Jimmy Johnson (rhythm guitar), Barry Beckett (keyboards), David Hood (bass), and Roger Hawkins (drums). These men were directly responsible for the sound of such timeless classics as Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man," and Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music." Throughout 3614 Jackson Highway they are able to create a similar seminal R&B vibe for these sessions. The track list readily suggests the incongruity of Cher covering the likes of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," Dr. John's "I Walk on Guilded Splinters," and not one, but two Bob Dylan tracks: "Lay Lady Lay" and "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You." However, a closer examination reveals that not only does Cher have soul, but the Swampers are the quintessential foil for her decidedly unique style. Like soul-music serpent charmers, they summon from Cher the most authentic, if not interesting work she had been responsible for. However, not all of the 23 tracks on this CD reside with the 3614 Jackson Highway project. According to the liner notes, the remaining 11 tracks were most likely to have been used for a follow-up release of which very little is known. The lack of production paperwork or credits likewise obscures what greater intent, if any, these tracks may have had. What is known for certain is that ultimately three 45s were issued from this cache of material, leaving the remaining five songs previously unissued in any form.