We're Not Who You Think We Are
Album: Be What You Are
Year: 1973
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The Staple Singers had so much success with “I’ll Take You There,” they decided let’s do it again, especially after the follow-up singles totally stiffed. And so, their next big single, “(If You’re Ready) Come Go With Me” was a virtual clone of “I’ll Take You There,” right down to the reggae-ish lilt and call-and-response chorus, led by Mavis, of course.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2453: The Staple Singers – “(If You’re Ready) Come Go With Me”
Album: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
Year: 1972
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Here’s a thing I don’t understand: why is that this lovely gospel-soul-reggae combination never listed along with the songs that helped reggae crossover to a mainstream U.S. audience? I mean, sure you’ve got your Desmond Dekker “Israelites” and your Johnny Nash “I Can See Clearly Now” and even your godsdamned Eric Clapton “I Shot The Sheriff,” but none of those songs are as great as this one, not even close.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2452: The Staple Singers – “I’ll Take You There”
Album: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
Year: 1972
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I’m not really sure why The Staple Singers don’t seem to have garnered the same lasting buzz that some of their soul compatriots from the same era have. But I’m guessing that it came down to presentation: they didn’t have the same flamboyance that peers like Sly & The Family Stone, Aretha Franklin or James Brown had. They were always low-key.
Part of it might have been that they were a family act, but that didn’t seem to stop The Jackson 5, though that’s hardly fair, given that Michael Jackson was clearly a major talent from the start.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2451: The Staple Singers – “Respect Yourself”
Album: The Staple Swingers
Year: 1970
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While The Staple Singers didn’t cross over into the pop market until 1970, for the previous decade or so they’d been perfecting their incredibly simple formula: Roebuck “Pops” Staples’ slinky lead guitar and understated lead vocals plus Mavis Staples rough-and-ready lead vocals co-existed on top of some combination of Cleotha, Purvis & Yvonne Staples singing backing vocals.
With Pops doing most of the arranging, they explored a whole plethora of styles in the 1960s: gospel, of course, but also soul, blues, country, folk, and rock — often leaning to the political. And so they covered old classics like “John Henry,” beat Led Zeppelin to “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” and even covered songs like “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” and “For What It’s Worth.”
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Album: Daddy’s Home
Year: 2021
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Gotta say, it’s pretty funny/ballsy to release a song called “At The Holiday Party” smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic that basically wiped that concept from the face of the earth.
But other than that, “At The Holiday Party” is a deeply empathetic look at someone who is — as R.E.M. once sang — “alone in a crowd.”
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2449: St. Vincent – “… At The Holiday Party”
Album: St. Vincent
Year: 2014
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Guitarist and singer Annie Clark had been making records under the nom de song St. Vincent since 2007 when 2014’s self-titled record came out. While I think she had previously crossed my radar — and I’d checked out the album she made with David Byrne, Love This Giant, a couple of years prior — St. Vincent was the first time I listened to a whole St. Vincent album.
And the song that jumped out at me was the final track on the album, “Severed Crossed Fingers,” a achingly gorgeous synth-led torch song about hanging with someone who was having some issues.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2448: St. Vincent – “Severed Crossed Fingers”
Album: Squirrel Bait EP
Year: 1985
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I’ve often wondered what that kid was doing to that Walkman on the cover of Squirrel Bait’s 1985 debut EP. Was he eating it? Was he kissing it? Was he trying to play it like a harmonica? Apparently, that cover was designed by gadfly and future poker champ, Steve Albini, and I guess I could get on twitter and ask him, but, honestly, that would take all of the mystery away.
That mystery kind of extended itself to the music within. What was it, exactly? It was too melodic to be straight-up hardcore, but it was too heavy to be pop-punk, as there was definitely a metalish element in there, as well. That said, to my ears, Squirrel Bait was one of the earliest bands to pick up on what Hüsker Dü was putting down. I realize that’s not exactly the most original observation, but that doesn’t make it any less true, as kids across the country were doing their own variation on that sound.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2447: Squirrel Bait – “Sun God”
Album: Singles 45’s And Under
Year: 1982
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One of the greatest things about English punk and post-punk was not just it was singles-oriented, but also that the bands were so freakin’ prolific. Which is why so many of those bands put out such great singles compilations. Obviously, the greatest will forever be the Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady, but I’ll also put in a word for The Jam’s Snap, or XTC’s Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982, even if they were all solid albums artists as well.
Anyways, right up there with all of those is Squeeze’s Singles 45’s and Under, which came out in 1982, and made such a mark on me that the only Squeeze song I’ve written about that wasn’t on it were “There at The Top” and “Labelled With Love” (which was on the U.K. version instead of “If I Didn’t Love You.”)
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2446: Squeeze – “Annie Get Your Gun”
Album: Sweets From a Stranger
Year: 1982
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Clearly, after Squeeze’ minor splash with the Paul Carrack-sung “Tempted,” they figured that they’d venture into blue-eyed soul again. But this time, with Paul Carrack one-and-done on the keyboard front, and that meddling Elvis Costello not their producer this time around, Chris Difford would be singing.
And so we got “Black Coffee in Bed,” which Glenn Tilbrook sang the absolute fuck out of, without ever once pretending to be a soul singer.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2445: Squeeze – “Black Coffee in Bed”
Album: East Side Story
Year: 1981
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One of the things that has essentially been decimated by the streaming era is the sense of a pair of songs that absolutely belong together. Like, for example, how could you possible separate “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “With a Little Help For My Friends?” Or you know, the Abbey Road medley.
Sometimes, like with those two, or Elton John’s “Funeral For a Friend” / “Love Lies Bleeding,” or XTC’s “Summer Cauldron” / “Grass” they were so purposely intertwined, I just think of them as one song, no matter how musically disparate they were.
And believe you me, “F-Hole” and “Labelled With Love” are totally dissimilar.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #2444: “Squeeze – “F-Hole” / “Labelled With Love”