It Tears Me Up: The Best of Percy Sledge

• Artist: Percy Sledge
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 21, 1992
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

Percy Sledge's first single, "When a Man Loves a Woman," was an instant masterpiece of deep Southern soul, so powerful and so distinctive it made him a star overnight and helped to quickly establish Muscle Shoals, AL, as one of the major recording centers in the Southern music scene. However, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was such a big hit that it tended to overshadow everything else Percy Sledge did from that point onward; while he had a handful of smaller hits and still records and tours, few people outside of soul obsessives are aware of the full scope of his recording career. It Tears Me Up: The Best of Percy Sledge, a typically well-assembled compilation album from Rhino Records, features 23 songs Sledge cut for Atlantic during the 1960s and makes an excellent case for the consistent strength of Sledge's Atlantic catalog. While Sledge specialized in sad songs of love gone wrong, he certainly knew how to make the most of such material, and his stellar, heart-tugging performances of "Take Time to Know Her," "Warm and Tender Love," "It's All Wrong but It's Alright," and the title tune prove that Sledge had more than one brilliant performance in his repertoire. Great stuff, and certainly the best Percy Sledge collection available. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
When a Man Loves a Woman	Andrew Wright, Calvin Lewis	Percy Sledge	(2:53)
I'm Hanging up My Heart for You	Don Covay, John Berry	Percy Sledge	(2:38)
Put a Little Lovin' on Me		Percy Sledge	(2:43)
Love Me Like You Mean It	Marlin Greene	Percy Sledge	(2:27)
It Tears Me Up (Lyrics)	Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham	Percy Sledge	(2:48)
Warm and Tender Love (Lyrics)	Bobby Robinson, Ida Irral Berger	Percy Sledge	(3:20)
Love Me Tender	Elvis Presley, Vera Matson	Percy Sledge	(3:05)
The Dark End of the Street	Dan Penn, Chips Moman	Percy Sledge	(2:45)
Take Time to Know Her (Lyrics)	Stephen Allen Davis, Al Gallico	Percy Sledge	(3:02)
Try a Little Tenderness	Harry Woods, Reginald Connelly, Jimmy Campbell	Percy Sledge	(2:48)
Bless Your Sweet Little Soul	Albert Johnson	Percy Sledge	(3:01)
True Love Travels on a Gravel Road	Dallas Frazier, A.L. Owens	Percy Sledge	(2:48)
Sudden Stop	Bobby Russell	Percy Sledge	(2:45)
Stop the World Tonight	Troy Seals	Percy Sledge	(3:14)
It's All Wrong but It's Alright	Marlin Greene, Eddie Hinton	Percy Sledge	(2:57)
Drown in My Own Tears	Henry Glover	Percy Sledge	(4:01)
Out of Left Field (Lyrics)	Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham	Percy Sledge	(3:15)
Kind Woman	Richie Furay	Percy Sledge	(4:40)
Cover Me (Lyrics)	Marlin Greene, Eddie Hinton	Percy Sledge	(3:00)
That's the Way I Want to Live My Life	Phillip Mitchell	Percy Sledge	(2:55)
Push Mr. Pride Aside	Billy Cox	Percy Sledge	(3:23)
It Can't Be Stopped	Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene	Percy Sledge	(3:13)
Rainbow Road	Donnie Fritts, Dan Penn	Percy Sledge	(2:51)

Credits

Eddie Hinton (Guitar), Carl Gholston (Horn), Jerry Eddleman (Vocals (Background)), Roger Hawkins (Drums), Spooner Oldham (Organ), James Mitchell (Saxophone), Marlin Greene (Guitar), Don Srygley (Guitar (Rhythm)), Mary Halladay (Vocals), Jeanie Greene (Vocals (Background)), Quin Ivey (Producer), Albert Lowe (Bass), Carl Jackson (Horn), Mary Halladay (Vocals (Background)), Wayne Jackson (Trumpet), Jack Tex (Trumpet), Gene Miller (Trumpet), Donna Thatcher (Vocals (Background)), David Hood (Bass), Andrew Love (Saxophone), Margaux Ravis (Compilation), Stephen Innocenzi (Remastering), Grailor Price (Horn), Jeanie Greene (Vocals), Donna Thatcher (Vocals), Yves Beauvais (Reissue Producer), Marlin Greene (Producer), Yves Beauvais (Compilation), Percy Sledge (Vocals), Quin Ivy (Producer), Jerry Eddleman (Vocals), Susan Coleman (Vocals), Jerry Weaver (Piano), Spooner Oldham (Piano), Susan Coleman (Vocals (Background)), Jimmy Johnson (Guitar), Wesley Fredic (Horn), Thomas Bricker (Artwork), Jerry Weaver (Organ)