Dr. Al Green

“Explores Your Mind”

Genre: R&B

Released: 1974

Score: He’s Al Green, he did, and often.

“Don’t let the smile fool you, he doesn’t like what he sees.”

The catalyst for thousands of babies being conceived since his career started, Al Green’s eighth effort is when he successfully fused his love of soul music with neurology. Unknown to most of his ardent fans, while he wasn’t recording or touring, Green was actively pursuing his doctorate in Neurosurgery. This nine track; 30 minute set kicks off with Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy), an ode to the Nucleus Accumbens and works it’s way from there all the way down to the Medulla oblongata with nary a misstep. Now commonly used in most major medical universities, Al Green’s Explores Your Mind is the sexiest example of the study of the brain since Harvey Williams Cushing made panties drop at the turn of the 19th century.

Fun Fact: After refusing to marry his then girlfriend Mary Woodsen White, she doused him with boiling hot grits while he was in the shower. The second part of this story isn’t as fun, but it does involve the brain. Symmetry!

Lyrical Snippet: ” ‘Coz my baby loves a one nite stand, So does all the fellows in the band, alright.”

Standout Tracks: Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy); Take Me to the River; One Nite Stand; Stay with Me Forever; School Days