The 500 - #139 - Rejuvenation - The Meters

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-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: #139
Album Title: Rejuvenation
Artist: The Meters
Genre: Funk, Swamp Rock
Recorded: Sea Saint Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana
Released: July, 1974
My age at release: 9
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: It Ain't No Use

In 1967, after decades of service as a luxury transatlantic ocean liner and a World War II troopship, the Queen Mary was retired due to declining demand for ocean travel in the era of jet airplanes. The City of Long Beach purchased the ship with the vision of transforming it into a floating hotel, museum, and event space. The ship made its final voyage from Southampton to Long Beach, California that same year. It became a tourist attraction, offering historical tours, restaurants, convention rental space and overnight accommodation in the original staterooms.

I visited the pier where it was docked when on a trip to California and Nevada with my dad and my "Aunt" Jean in 1980. At the time, I was only marginally impressed by the 310-meter long boat. I wish I would have known more about its history. Built during the Great Depression, it is bigger than the Titanic, boasting Art Deco interiors, five dining rooms, two swimming pools, a library and a hospital. During World War II, it was nicknamed "The Grey Ghost" and transported more than 800,000 troops. It even set a maritime record when 16,683 passengers were on a single trip. Post war, it became a symbol of glamour and prestige, hosting stars who included Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn and Charlie Chaplin. 

Elizabeth Taylor on the deck of the Queen Mary.

As a teen, standing on that sun-warmed Californian pier, squinting at the grandeur of the Queen Mary with the kind of angsty detachment only a fifteen-year-old can muster, I had no idea about the history of this legendary ship. Indeed, the burgeoning rock fan in me had no idea that just five years earlier, Paul McCartney had thrown one of the most legendary parties in rock history aboard this historic vessel. It was March 24, 1975, and the former Beatles was fresh off recording his fourth studio record Venus and Mars with his new band Wings. To celebrate the recording, McCartney transformed the retired ocean liner's main ballroom into a floating fandango of music and star-studded excess.

Paul McCartney's fourth record with Wings, Venus And Mars.

In attendance was a who's who of music and pop culture including  Bob Dylan, Mick Jaggar, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, Cher, The Jackson Five, Dean Martin, Tony Curtis and George Harrison, in his first post-Beatles public appearance with Paul.

Entertainment news article celebrating the McCartney shindig.

McCartney had laid down much of Venus and Mars at Sea-Saint Studios in New Orleans, soaking in the city’s humid, music-infused magic. Immersed in the local scene, he discovered two electrifying acts: the legendary piano wizard Professor Longhair (whose New Orleans Piano sits at #222 on The 500) and a lean, locked-in five-piece funk machine called The Meters. Blown away by their groove, McCartney invited both to perform at his now-mythic Queen Mary bash. The impact? Seismic. So much so that Mick Jagger, in full rock god mode, declared The Meters “the best motherf*king band in the world” and immediately tapped them to open for The Rolling Stones’ 1975 World Tour. From the bayou to the ballroom, the funk had officially gone global.

A German poster promoting the Rolling Stones Tour (1975) with The Meters.

Rejuvenation was the fifth studio record by The Meters. It blended swampy grooves, syncopated rhythms, and sly vocals into a record that’s both laid-back and electrifying. Tracks such as Just Kissed My Baby and People Say are in a masterclass of funk minimalism and energetic fun. The eleven minute bluesy jam It Ain't No Use is a track I couldn't get enough of and was an easy pick for my The 500 Spotify Playlist.

In 1974, The Meters comprised Art Neville (keyboards, vocals); Leo Nocentelli (guitar); George Porter Jr. (bass); Zigaboo Modeliste (drums); and Cyril Neville (percussions, vocals). I was not familiar with this amazing funk band until discovering them in March, 2024 when I first heard their second studio record, Look-Ka Py Py (#214 on The 500). This record was even more exciting when it dominated my wife's and my background playlist this Thanksgiving weekend. 

Look-Ka Py Py album cover from The Meters.

Now, decades later, I find myself writing this from our cottage in the quiet lakeside hamlet of Port Burwell, Ontario, where history has a way of surfacing in unexpected forms. In 2012, my small town made its own bold maritime move, acquiring the decommissioned HMCS Ojibwa, an Oberon-Class submarine. The Ojibwa was built in 1965 by the Royal Canadian Navy. For more than 30 years, it prowled the depths of the Arctic Ocean during the Cold War, a silent sentinel in NATO operations. Fittingly, it too earned the nickname “The Grey Ghost”, echoing the Queen Mary’s wartime moniker. Now resting on dry land just down the road from where I am, the Ojibwa stands as a steel-clad reminder of Canada’s naval legacy...its cold corridors and sonar rooms whispering stories of stealth, tension, and resilience

Two vessels, worlds apart in purpose and design, yet united by history, mystery and the enduring power of human ingenuity. I imagine some teen standing outside this steel leviathan, squinting and muttering, “What even is this?” The teacher in me hopes that one day, he’ll look back and think, “Turns out, it was a story waiting to be heard.”