In the world of soul music, there's one song that I know I could go on and on with when it comes to all the different versions of a song that have been performed by scores of various musicians from all across the musical globe.
The song is "People Get Ready," written in the early 1960s by Curtis Mayfield and gaining popularity first with the group Mayfield was in, The Impressions. Rolling Stone magazine named it the 24th greatest song of all time, and deservedly so among modern music.
It's a song that is indeed timeless, and even though it's a gospel-tinged classic it touches the heart of just about anyone who listens to it.
I did a music playlist in another blog of mine back in early February of this year, back when my wife was thinking of performing this song herself. I included a variety of versions so she could get a good taste of how it's been done through the years. In that blog alone, I came up with 15 different videos of the same song.
It's too hard to pick just one favorite version of this song, because each one of them is performed with tons of heart, soul, and gospel feeling. You can't beat that.
One of the versions has been performed by The Chambers Brothers, with lead vocals done by my friend Lester Chambers. Lester's performing again Saturday night, October 20, at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA, along with his band The Mud Stompers. If you're in the area, I encourage you to check it out. Chances are that they'll do another rendition of "People Get Ready," and Lester will sing it with just as much heart, soul, and gospel feeling as he did in the 1960s. Lester Chambers and The Mud Stompers at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA
So, people, do get ready for a stone-cold soul classic. Don't feel like you have to choose the best version on this one. Just sit back and enjoy.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following was first published in a Facebook note April 14, 2011.
I've seen and heard Jeff Beck so many times through the years
through various forms of media -- vinyl albums, cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
Internet videos -- that you'd think there's nothing he could do to
impress me anymore.
You'd be thinking wrong.
Jeff Beck
The
closest I've come to seeing Jeff Beck in concert until Wednesday night
(at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City) had been seeing his Live At Ronnie Scott's DVD from 2008, along with a
host of videos on YouTube. But seeing him in person, with over 1,000
other diehard fans who waited in a long line for 1-2 hours just before
the doors to the sold-out music venue even opened (snaking along the
sidewalk of the historic old Union Pacific building while fans of the
Utah Jazz also made their way to the last game of the season across the
street at Energy Solutions Arena, trying to get the best spot possible
for a general admission ticket) took it to a whole new level.
Beck
isn't just a master of the electric guitar. He's a true bandleader,
coaxing the absolute most out of bandmates Narada Michael Walden on
drums and vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass and vocals, and Jason Rebello on
keys, synthesized vocals, and a small bit of rhythm guitar, and praising
them on stage for jobs well done.
There were a fair
amount of similarities to the Ronnie Scott's DVD as far as the setlist,
but also some VERY pleasant surprises as he kicked off this leg of a
U.S. tour to back his 2010 album "Emotion & Commotion" along with
one memorable nod to the late Les Paul and Beck's most recent live
tribute to his own guitar hero with his "Rock & Roll Party" CD and
DVD, released just a few weeks ago, as the band played the Les Paul/Mary
Ford standard "How High The Moon" in the middle of a three-song encore.
The
first song of the encore was just one of the surprises of the night, as
the band played the Sly & The Family Stone classic "I Want To Take
You Higher" and funked it up the way it was meant to be. The evening
ended with the soaring "Nessun Dorma."
Actually, the first
song of the night was a bit of a surprise too. They set the tone for
the night by pulling out the seldom-heard-live tune "Plan B" from the
last of his techno albums, "Jeff." From the get-go, Narada Michael
Walden was a beast on the drums, and he never let up. His playing was
muscular and precise. Rhonda Smith matched every bit of Walden's
funkiness as they held down the rhythm through every tune.
Next
up was the Billy Cobham jazz piece "Stratus, followed by the booming
power of Beck's "Led Boots." The tone softened dramatically with
"Corpus Christi Carol" from the "Emotion" album, followed immediately by
the "commotion" of the Grammy-winning "Hammerhead."
Another
surprise came up in "Mná na h-Éireann (Women of Ireland)," a song
composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). The poem, on which the music is
based, was written by Peadar Ó Dornín (?1704–1769), under the category
of Irish rebel music, or -- as Beck introduced it -- "Irish blues,"
honoring the memory of the women dedicated to Ireland, specifically the
Irish nationalist movement.
What followed was a kickin'
bass solo by Smith. Then it was on to the "gospel soul" of "People Get
Ready," minus vocals -- but with Beck on guitar, there's usually not
much need for vocals even on a song with lyrics. Beck's guitar usually
does the singing the way he plays it.
There was a blast
from the past as they went back to the 1980 album "There and Back" with
the tune "You Never Know," but then it was back to the electronica era
with the modernized blues song "Rollin' & Tumblin'" from "You Had It
Coming," and Rhonda handled those vocals very well. It was on to the
"Guitar Shop" album from there with "Big Block."
Next up
was the sweetness of Beck's take on "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," with
the band draining every ounce of emotion out of that beauty.
Then
there was one of the bigger surprises of the night, as they launched
into the Jimi Hendrix gem "Little Wing" with Narada taking vocals. It
was a joy to behold as Beck not only played in his own signature style,
but also brought to life the genius of those who've gone on to rest
who've handled that tune so brilliantly before and set the guitar
playing bar so high themselves in the past; Hendrix and the late, great
Stevie Ray Vaughn.
As usual, Beck pulled every bit of his
whammy bar tricks out from "Blast From The East. The biggest glitch of
the evening came as they barely got into "Two Rivers," with some
connection problems for Smith's bass causing a slight delay to get rid
of some loud buzzing while that was fixed (though Beck helped pass the
time, ever the showman, by launching into a bit of a countrified jam)
before picking right back up again from the beginning.
Smith
handled brief, seductive vocals again on "Dirty Mind," which featured a
blistering drum solo from Narada. And no matter how many times I hear
"Brush With The Blues," it blows me away just as it did in this show.
One
of the coolest experiences I've seen in a concert came in the finale
before the encore, with Beck's instrumental treatment of the timeless "A
Day In The Life." As soon as that song started, you could hear people
in the crowd start to sing along. And that signature final chord ...
well, they milked every bit of psychedelia out of that.
Again,
I've heard so many of these songs so many times, but they all managed
to still seem fresh and new throughout this show. The words that could
be heard coming from people's mouths -- "in the presence of greatness,"
"mark that off of my 'bucket list'" -- was a testament to the impact the
show and Beck's playing had on the enthusiastic audience. One guy I
spoke to as I stood three rows back from the middle of the stage
(somehow managing to end up five rows back without even stepping back
myself) drove from Portland just to see this show, simply because there
was no Beck show any closer to his home than the SLC opener.
Afterwards, he said the trip was definitely worth it.
