The 500 - #178 - The Anthology (1961 - 1977) - Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #178
Album Title: The Anthology (1961 - 1977)
Artist: Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions

Genre: Soul, Funk

Recorded: 1967 - 1977

Released: December, 1992

My age at release: 27
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No, but two other Mayfield albums are on that list.
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: People Get Ready

Ranked at #24 on Rolling Stone's list of The Greatest Songs of All Time, People Get Ready is, at first blush, a simple and beautiful gospel song rich with harmonies. However, the 1965 single from The Impressions, the vocal doo-wop and Chicago soul quintet, had a massive impact on the Civil Rights Movement that decade. In fact, political activist Gordon Sellers told Rolling Stone Magazine: "It was warrior music. It was the music you listened to before going into battle."

Album cover for People Get Ready by The Impressions (196).

My first recollection of the song was in the early ‘80s. At the time, I was going through an obsessive phase, listening to and collecting records from the band Genesis as well as from the members’ solo projects. The group's drummer and vocalist, Phil Collins, released a concert film on video cassette in June, 1983, that was recorded in Pasadena, California, entitled Live At Perkins Palace. The video cassette took up residency in our family Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) for much of the next year. In fact, it was one of the videos I chose to watch on the evening prior to my 20th birthday. Melancholy and pensive, I sat up well past midnight to bid farewell to my teens.

Video Cassette cover for  Live At Perkins Palace.

The final song on that Collins tour was his rendition of People Get Ready, performed along with his nine-piece band. Most performers like to end their concerts with a bang, typically playing one of their biggest hits or an up-tempo number that will keep people bopping as they leave. Collins opted to end the show with this slow, quiet, soulful gospel selection -- which, he has said, was one of his favourites as a teen.

Collns, left, on stage with his band in 1982.

It is a powerful piece, despite its simplicity and melodic beauty. Comprising four verses and no chorus, it is an allegory that leverages the metaphor of a train travelling the world to find people of faith and provide them passage to heaven.

"People get ready, there's a train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord."

More agnostic than religious, there is a lot to appreciate about the Christian faith my mother enjoys. Over the Christmas holidays, we attended a service at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral in London, Ontario together. It was easy to respect the community she shares with her congregation and the choir is exceptional. The Gothic Revival architecture of the 150-year old building is stunning and I love to belt out a song, especially those familiar Christmas bangers. Plus, there is usually coffee, cookies and kind conversation at the end.

The chancel, at the front of St. Paul's Cathedral (London, Ontario).

People Get Ready was written by Curtis Mayfield, often dubbed the Gentle Genius, who was the lead tenor and guitarist for The Impressions from 1958 until departing for a solo career in 1970. Shortly after the song's release, it was included in hymn books in Chicago. Ironically, church renditions made the lyrics seem less Christian and more socially conscious, changing Mayfield's "You don't need no ticket/You just thank the Lord" to "Everybody wants freedom/This I know."

Single for People Get Ready, The Impressions

A few years after hearing Phil Collins’ rendition, another version hit the airwaves. In 1985, guitarist Jeff Beck released his rendition with Rod Stewart taking vocals on his fifth studio record Flash. Their version hit the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard chart and got plenty of play on local radio. Beck's soulful guitar work and Stewart's raspy vocals cemented my love for the song, even though I still hadn't heard the original.

Album cover for Flash, Jeff Beck

After leaving The Impressions in 1970, Mayfield went on to a fascinating and successful solo career. His sound moved from soul toward funk, but his passion for social justice and positive change for the black community shone throughout. Prior to hearing this anthology in preparation for this post, I was only familiar with two tracks, Superfly and Pusherman, both from the 1972 blaxploitation film Superfly.

Album cover for the soundtrack to Superfly.

Both songs and, to some extent the film, addressed the prevalence and pitfalls of drugs, violence and poverty in African American urban communities. Mayfield brilliantly walked a fine social line with his lyrics. He captured the essence of life in these impoverished neighbourhoods, while criticizing the tendency for people (especially black youths) to glamourize the lifestyles of drug dealers and pimps. Truly a Gentle Genius.

On August 13, 1990, tragedy struck when Mayfield was hit by a falling metal truss that was holding up stage lighting equipment at a concert in Flatbush, New York. He was paralyzed from the neck down. Despite his paralysis, Mayfield continued to compose and sing for another nine years, before succumbing to complications from diabetes. He was 57. I like to think his faith helped him "board that train".

 

The 500 - #179 - The Definitive Collection - ABBA

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #179
Album Title: The Definitive Collection
Artist: ABBA

Genre: Euro-Pop

Recorded: 1972 - 1982

Released: November, 2021

My age at release: 37
How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #303, dropping 124 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Dancing Queen

Recently, my mother, a retired senior citizen, commented that time was moving too rapidly for her liking. She looked at me earnestly and said, "The weeks go by like days for me now." It was easy to sympathize. Time does not move quite so quickly for me, but the years certainly seem to be flying by. Heck, we are already a quarter century into the 2000s. It sometimes feels like the 1990s were just a few years ago.

Experts agree that our perception of time is flexible and subjective. Time seems to speed up as we age because we have fewer new experiences and our perception of them becomes less vivid. In a September, 2024, article promoting his book Time Expansion Experiences,  Psychologist Steve Taylor "There is a strong link between time perception and information processing. The more information our minds process, the slower time seems to pass."

It is a phenomenon I often recognize with the students with whom I work. Indeed, I am envious of their excitement at events in their lives -- birthdays, holidays, sleepovers and sports. Even an upcoming trip to the mall assumes a level of significance beyond what the occasion calls for. Their unfiltered and intense perception of the world is marvelous to witness. Meanwhile, I have progressively become more desensitized to experiences which, sadly, speeds up time.

Oh, to recapture  the exhilaration of hearing a new song, especially one released by a  favourite artist. Yet, while the anticipation, joy and pleasure of a new record remains, the intensity and passion I experienced in my youth has faded. Which brings me to the first time I heard Dancing Queen from the Swedish pop group ABBA. I was in the backseat of a car driven by a hockey teammate's mom, clipping toward the ice rink in Kingsville, Ontario. I was 11 when it played on the car radio in the fall of 1976.

 I had never heard anything like it. The song's clever construction, opening with a glissando on the piano keys followed by a 14-bar chorus, rather than the first verse, washed over me like a rainbow. The groovy disco beat, the mesmerizing synthesizer blending sublimely with the female vocal harmonies, and incredibly catchy piano stabs had me riveted to the car’s upholstery. Later, I learned that the chorus resolves on a sustained A chord, the key the song was written in – so satisfying.  

 ABBA comprised the  unique confluence of talents of brilliant songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and the extraordinarily talented vocalists Agnetha Fältskog  and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad. The group takes their name from the first initials of their first names, arranged into a palindrome -- a word or phrase that reads the same backwards and forwards.

A Book of palindromes, including my favourite 
"Go Hang A Salami, I'm A Lasagna Hog".

The quartet were Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song Waterloo. Eurovision is an international song competition organized annually by the European Broadcasters Union. It has been held every year since 1956, with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. In 2005, during Eurovision's 50th Anniversary Celebration, Waterloo was declared the best song in the competition's history.

ABBA in 1974; (l-r) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, 
Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus

The Definitive Collection is a compilation record released in 2001. It contains all the singles performed by the group between 1972 and 1979, including Waterloo and Dancing Queen. Taking another listen this week for this blog was a delightful trip down memory lane, reminding me how much I adored ABBA as a kid, memorizing almost every song. However, when hearing Dancing Queen, the emotional thrill that I felt 48 years ago was somehow subdued. The song still gets the feet tapping but the euphoric sensation was evasive. 

Then I reflected on the lyrics. It is a song about a 17-year-old girl who gets lost in the music when she dances at a club on a Friday night. It is told from the perspective of an observer who watches her "feel the beat" and "have the time of her life" as she "dances and jives". She, like the young people in my world (and 11 year old me), is caught up in the liberation and excitement of this experience.

What about 59-year old me? 

Is that liberation and excitement gone forever? 

Will my weeks turn into days as they have for my mom?

Steve Taylor concludes his article with the following advice:

"There are certain things we can do to resist the process of time speeding up. The most obvious is to keep introducing newness into our lives – for example, by travelling to new places, learning new hobbies, and meeting new people. Alternately -- and perhaps more effectively – we can also slow down time by living mindfully, paying conscious attention to our day-to-day experiences of seeing, hearing and feeling."

That's a perfect goal for this new year. Maybe I'll even hit the dancefloor at the club.

 

The 500 - #180 - The Rolling Stones, Now - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #180
Album Title: The Rolling Stones, Now
Artist: The Rolling Stones

Genre: Rock, R&B, Blues Rock

Recorded: Chess Record Studios (Chicago); RCA Studios (Hollywood)

Released: March, 1965

My age at release: Not Born
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

This past Sunday, my wife insisted we go for a walk along the beach near our cottage.

"But it's raining," I protested, pointing out the nearby window at the foggy, drizzly December skyline.

"So," she countered, "we can dress for the weather, and you know you'll thank yourself later."

Our foggy view of Lake Erie (December 29, 2024). 

I conceded and now, as I warm myself by the glow of my laptop screen with a hot cup of green tea, I'm glad I did. I needed to get out and move my body. With a hip replacement surgery coming in the summer, I need to lose weight and strengthen my core in preparation for an easier recovery. It is a little painful to walk; but, as the mantra we use for motivation goes -- "Motion is lotion"

I used to exercise for vanity and fun, lifting weights and playing hockey three times a week in order to look good. These days, I am trying to ward off Father Time and remain more flexible and mobile as my senior years loom large. I haven't been able to play hockey for more than 18 months now (because of my right hip -- which is pretty much bone on bone now). However, I hope to return to the ice next season. Several of my beer league teammates are in their late sixties and even early seventies. They are an inspiration and have motivated me to keep "lacing them up" each season. 

The River City Rink Rats in 2019, a group I've played with for
more than 20 years.

Another inspiring figure is Mick Jagger who, at 81 years of age, continues to perform energetically with his band of 63 years, The Rolling Stones. In 2024, Mick and The Stones performed 20 concerts on their Hackney Diamonds World Tour. Each night, Jagger danced, jumped and ran around the massive stage singing hits from the Stones' extensive catalogue with the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager. He credits a daily workout routine that includes running, cycling, kickboxing, ballet, weight training, Pilates and yoga. In fact, prior to each tour, he prepares weeks in advance by running at least eight miles a day.

Jagger on stage with The Stones in 2024.

The Rolling Stones are also an inspirational phenomenon. Formed in  London, England, in 1962, they have continued to write and perform music for more than 60 years. The Rolling Stones Now is their third studio album released in America. However, it mostly contains songs that were already available in the U.K. on other labels. Only four of the album's 12 tracks were written by the band as many were remakes of some blues standards, including my favourite, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love. Written and performed in 1964 by rhythm and blues legend Solomon Burke, it came to my attention when The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) included it in their music/comedy film of the same name,  which I saw in theatres at least three times in 1980.

Movie Poster for The Blues Brothers.

The Rolling Stones Now was a hit record, reaching number five on the Billboard 200 album chart and was quickly certified "gold" with more than 500,000 copies sold in 1964. My favourite bit of trivia about the record involves the liner notes that were included on the initial pressings. Penned by producer Andrew Loog Oldham, they humourously read:

"This is THE STONES new disc within. Cast deep in your pockets for the loot to buy this disc of groovies and fancy words. If you don't have the bread, see that blind man knock him on the head, steal his wallet and low (sic) and behold you have the loot, if you put in the boot, TRUNK? good, another one sold!"

It is fun to listen to and got me through one more workout as I persist in my efforts to approximate Jagger's physical prowess when I am in my 80s.

The 500 - #181 - Natty Dread - Bob Marley and The Wailers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #181
Album Title: Natty Dread
Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers

Genre: Reggae, Reggae Rock

Recorded: Harry J. Studios (Kingston, Jamaica)

Released: October, 1974
My age at release: 9
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Lively Up Yourself

In the winter of 2007, my wife and I made our first trip to Jamaica, accompanied by our friend and tour guide, Bill Gudgeon. Bill had been to the Caribbean island nation more than a dozen times, so we put our trust in him to help us navigate our first visit. Neither my wife, nor I are big fans of "all-inclusive resorts". We currently prefer to live among the locals and learn about the history, culture and cuisine from them. Despite its convenience and promise of security, all-inclusives feel a bit too culturally sanitized for our liking -- but, we can understand why people enjoy them, and our opinions are open to change.

An example of accommodations at a Jamaican resort.

The trip was fraught with obstacles from the start with a delay at the border overcome only by our prompt 3 a.m. departure time from London. Our plane needed to be de-iced before leaving Detroit, so we were hours late departing there. This led to us missing a connecting flight in Philadelphia and we had to spend our first vacation night in hotel rooms in Springfield, a small community about an hour outside the City of Brotherly Love. I did get a chance to order a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich and a Yuengling beer over lunch. I would later learn that the sandwich I got was a terrible knock-off. I still hope to get to Philly one day for an authentic cheesesteak from Jim's South Street ..."wit whiz!"

The next morning, we caught a 5 o'clock flight to Washington's Dulles Airport before spending several hours yawning and waiting for a connecting flight to Jamaica. We arrived in Montego Bay that afternoon -- our luggage, however, had other plans. Was it in Philadelphia? Was it in Washington? Was it hiding here?

My wife, Angela. with our carry-on, waiting for  word on our missing luggage.

No one seemed to know. Reluctantly we shared our cell phone numbers with the airport staff and climbed into our rental car for a trip across the Nassau Mountains toward Treasure Beach in Saint Elizabeth Parish on the south side of the island. Just as we cleared Montego Bay’s busy traffic my cell rang. It was the airport, informing us our luggage had "arrived" or "been discovered". It didn't matter which. Bill happily turned the car around and we travelled back to retrieve the errant items. We set off again, well behind schedule.

Our route from Montego Bay to Treasure Beach, across the
Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

The rural roads across Jamaica are treacherous even for seasoned drivers. Poor Bill was fighting the dwindling light as he drove on the left side of the road with an unaccustomed stick-shift and a right-sided steering wheel. The switchback roads twisted and turned sharply as they climbed 1,000 metres over a hard, black surface of sedimentary rock called marl, which shatters easily and makes the edges jagged. Shredded tires are a distinct possibility for the unsuspecting driver.

Narrow, marl covered, winding Jamaican mountain roads.

At about 11 p.m., after 38 hours of exhausting travel, we arrived at our destination -- a short-term rental house overlooking the town of Treasure Beach. Billy assured me the view was spectacular; but I'd have to wait until morning to see it. Besides, it was time for a cold Red Stripe and a good night's sleep.

Bill and me on the outdoor balcony deck of our Treasure Beach abode.

The frustration and tension of those first couple days melted away quickly as we ate, drank, suntanned, swam and snorkeled beneath a healing Caribbean sun. A particularly good day found us floating in Frenchman's Bay on a pontoon boat chartered from Bill's longtime friend and Treasure Beach resident, Captain Dennis. We sampled  local agricultural products (wink), washed down with plenty of rum. And we leisurely bobbed on small flotation devices harnessed to the boat anchored in the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Reggae piped through the boat speakers supplied a healthy dose of Bob Marley’s greatest hits as well as a few deeper cuts.

Bob Marley performing in the 1970s.

I recognized songs from Natty Dread, the seventh album he made with his band The Wailers. It opens with the bluesy, up-tempo and celebratory Lively Up Yourself, followed by the well-known No Woman, No Cry, a nostalgic reflection on the reggae legend’s childhood in the impoverished Trenchtown ghettos of Kingston. The rest of the record contains a number of songs with political messages of rebellion – Marley’s way of seeking social justice and change for his fellow Jamaicans. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) served as a lyrical warning to those in power: "A hungry mob is an angry mob." The closing track, Revolution, is a powerful lyrical argument about the need for radical change when people are being suppressed and controlled. That's the thing about Marley's music -- it can be up-tempo, reflective or politically charged and socially impactful. He knew how to connect with people in so many ways before his untimely death in 1981, at 36, of cancer.

Album cover for single release of  Them Belly Full (But We Hungry).

I've always been a fan of reggae and tend to throw on a Marley record when relaxing at home, or marking some papers for school. His sound is a panacea for my racing mind, calming me instantly. Now, when I hear his voice and easy-going tempo, it isn't hard to think back to that beautiful, peaceful day -- bobbing on gentle waves, sipping rum cocktails and soaking up the Caribbean sun. The travails of our journey a few days earlier – the delays and perilous mountain drive – washed away.

A view of Frenchman's Bay from the popular local bar, Jakes.

The 500 - #182 - Self-Titled - Fleetwood Mac

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #182
Album Title: Self-Titled
Artist: Fleetwood Mac

Genre: Soft Rock, Folk Rock, Pop

Recorded: Sound Studios (Van Nuys, California)

Released: July, 1975
My age at release: 10
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly well

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #237, dropping 54 places
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Landslide

One of life’s lessons is that sooner or later we are proved wrong. For whatever reason – assumptions, misinformation, indoctrination or an over-reliance on familiarity – can lead to an oops moment. Hearing the truth can be embarrassing or unsettling. Call it learning – which is a good thing.

I was reminded of this while reviewing this week’s record by Fleetwood Mac – the British/American rock band whose pleasing music became one of my pop favourites.

For nearly half a century, the classic line-up has comprised founding member Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass) and his one-time wife, Christine McVie (keyboard/vocals), Lindsay Buckingham (guitars/vocals) and Stevie Nicks (vocals).

Fleetwood Mac in 1975, (l-r)J.  McVie, C. McVie, Nicks, 
Fleetwood, Buckingham.

So entrenched were these names in my mind, along with their style of soft folk pop-rock, that I thought for many years Fleetwood Mac had been ever thus.

To my chagrin, I learned at a house party in the early ‘80 that , Fleetwood Mac was originally a British Blues band, formed in July, 1967, when drummer Fleetwood and vocalist Peter Green left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (#195 on The 500) and paired their talents with slide guitar Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning.

By September of the same year, Brunning was replaced by John McVie. Green suggested the rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie combine their last names to christen the band. Rumour has it that Green said to the duo: "I'll probably end up quitting this band, too, so you might as well name it after yourselves."

Fleetwood Mac in 1968, (l-r) McVie, Spencer, Green and Fleetwood.

The revelation that the Fleetwood Mac I thought I knew -- with female vocalists and soft rock harmonies -- was originally a blues rock band for eight years blew my teen-age mind. It took some persuasion by Dave Robinson, older brother of my high school friend Gomer, that I was, shall we say, in error as we drank beer in his townhouse, listening to the album, Unleashed In The East, by British heavy metal band Judas Priest.

Side One of Unleashed In The East concludes with a song with the unusual title of The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown). It was a favourite among my head-banging compatriots, even though we had no idea what a Manalishi was and why it might be green.

"That's originally a Fleetwood Mac song," Dave told me as he took a swig of beer, and perhaps a hefty puff of a cigarette or joint.

"What?" was my incredulous response.

"Yep, Fleetwood Mac used to be a heavy rock band, before they added the Americans -- Buckingham and Nicks."

I remained dubious, until the song ended and he took the record off the turntable.

"See", he said pointing to the label, "It was written by Peter Green. There is no Peter Green in Judas Priest. He was in Fleetwood Mac.

Label for Unleashed In The East, featuring The Green Manalishi,
composed by Peter Green.

The self-titled Fleetwood Mac record on The 500 was released on my tenth birthday, in 1975. It was the group's tenth record, and sixth since (true to his word) Green left in 1970. It was the first to include the two Americans, Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The pair, who were also romantically involved, had been performing as a duo in the California area for a few years and had released their first, and only, record two years earlier. John McVie wanted to add Buckingham as a guitarist after hearing him in the studio recording some demos. Buckingham agreed to join, but only with Nicks as part of the package.

Buckingham Nicks album cover (1973).

Fleetwood Mac had already transitioned to a softer, less bluesy sound in 1973, with the release of their seventh studio record, Penguin. Christine McVie, wife of John, officially joined the band in 1971 for the record Future Games, but had contributed piano parts prior to becoming a full-time member. With the new (now considered classic) line-up set, the band relocated from England to California and entered the legendary Sound City Studios.

Sound City Studios in the 1970s.

The group's previous album, Heroes Are Hard To Find, had been a disappointment commercially. However, fortunes changed with the addition of  "the Americans" -- despite many heated clashes between Buckingham and John McVie during the recording of the self-titled record. It spawned three Top 20 singles and went on to sell eight million copies. It would also establish Fleetwood Mac as one of the most successful bands of all time and set the stage for 1977's Rumours (#26 on The 500).

Rumours album cover -- we'll get to this one in about
two and a half years.

I am a fan of so much from Fleetwood Mac. I delight in their Peter Green, blues rock roots, Green Manalishi included, and the incredible harmonies and musicianship that came with their classic line-up.

Historical fact: Green eventually ‘fessed up that a Green Manalishi was a fictional representation of the inherent evil in money -- he had made the word up because it sounded menacing.