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. 

---

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".