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: 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.”