Thursday, April 21, 2005
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MAVIS, KEITH, MICK, and JASON
I have become an official Gospel freak, and as is usual with me, I came to it backasswards. My introduction to Americas most emotionally expressive music came from two notorious english drug feinds, Keith and Mick, and then furthered by another english junkie, Jason Spaceman. In the end they brough me back to Mavis, who had impressed me years earlier in the The Last Waltz.
Let's go back to 1979 shall we. I was living in Germany with my parents. We did a load of travelling about europe that year, and my dad is a thrifty sort of chap, so we stayed at every Army base we could find - cheaper lodgings. In the Army, every base has a movie theater, and they show movies about 6 months to a year behind what's in the theaters in the states. They also only buy one copy and just send it along to another Army base after they show it (once, maybe twice). Thusly, I was able to see The Lat Waltz about ten times that year. It was everywhere we went. I loved it. It presaged my love of the blues (Muddy), Neil Young, The Stones (Ron Wood - great shirt Ronnie!), Bob Dylan (Baby Let Me Follow You Down - Oh My God) and Mavis Staples and The Staples Singers. Some of you may be getting tired of me going on about her, but c'mon, listen to ANYTHING she's sung, Talk about Jesus having wept. Anyway, I was fifteen, and SERIOUS into metal, so although I never forgot Mavis (or any of the others mentioned) I went on about the buisness of being a metal-head when there was no such terminology. Mostly that's buggin' mom by blasting Double Live Gonzo from my room during breakfast ("anyone want to get mellow they can turn around and get the fuck outta here, alright!")
Cut to 1984, me and Tony Alva driving around in his tiny little Colt (Those that know Tony, his stature, and his love for little cars will find this notion amusing) listening to Sticky Fingers. That was a true life changing moment for me. A sense memory I find extremely potent. Who knew then where this music would lead me. Directly it led me to a record store in College Park, Maryland, where I would, over the course of a year, buy the entire Stones catalog (on vinyl of course). Indirectly it led me to a fascination with Keith, drugs, and a habit. Like Johhny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Steve Tyler, Joe Perry, Slash, and Izzy, I had to go there. I couldn't worship from afar. I had to taste it firstahnd. The glory, and the depravity. It may seem that I'm digressing, but stick with me here. In 1971, the Stones began work on their follow-up to Stcky Fingers. The recording of what would become Exile on Main St was witness to excess on a stupefying level, and it gave birth to absolute glory. Bear witness to 'Shine a Light', 'Lovin' Cup', 'Let It Loose' - Gospel music. Real Gospel, not the fake wanna-be Gospel of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' or 'Salt Of The Earth', but the real deal with the real passion, and the real sounds. It helped that they had connections like Billy Preston and the Texas Horns (Jimmy Price and Bobby Keyes) to help them enlist the right singers, not to metion, along with Nicky Hopkins, a level of musicianship that could take the Stones to the Altar so to speak. To me, the Gospel tunes on Exile are the record, and the rest is dressing, great dressing indeed, but somehow secondary to the real quest that was going on in the basement of Nellcote. That quest was for truth, the dirty truth of their lives, and the glorious truth of salvation.
1998 was a dark time for me. I had fallen. I capitulated. My flirtation wit the devil had taken hold. Why? I had to know. During that time I listened to a lot of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3. Soothing junkie drones. But what was at the bottom of all that feedback and wash? Gospel. The lord. Every song Jason Spaceman has written is about God, love, and heroin. They are all one and the same to him, his Holy Trinity. The Gospel of Spiritualized is as true as that of Mavis, or anything that came out of a southern church - it's just very electric.
Today things are good. I hear that Jason has cleaned up his act as well. That's good too. My Baby turned me on to cool vinyl store in Rockville MD (Joe's Record Paradise), and there I found a copy of the Staples Singers 'Be What You Are', Ah, me and Mavis together again. I took the long way home, but I got there. Amen.
I have become an official Gospel freak, and as is usual with me, I came to it backasswards. My introduction to Americas most emotionally expressive music came from two notorious english drug feinds, Keith and Mick, and then furthered by another english junkie, Jason Spaceman. In the end they brough me back to Mavis, who had impressed me years earlier in the The Last Waltz.
Let's go back to 1979 shall we. I was living in Germany with my parents. We did a load of travelling about europe that year, and my dad is a thrifty sort of chap, so we stayed at every Army base we could find - cheaper lodgings. In the Army, every base has a movie theater, and they show movies about 6 months to a year behind what's in the theaters in the states. They also only buy one copy and just send it along to another Army base after they show it (once, maybe twice). Thusly, I was able to see The Lat Waltz about ten times that year. It was everywhere we went. I loved it. It presaged my love of the blues (Muddy), Neil Young, The Stones (Ron Wood - great shirt Ronnie!), Bob Dylan (Baby Let Me Follow You Down - Oh My God) and Mavis Staples and The Staples Singers. Some of you may be getting tired of me going on about her, but c'mon, listen to ANYTHING she's sung, Talk about Jesus having wept. Anyway, I was fifteen, and SERIOUS into metal, so although I never forgot Mavis (or any of the others mentioned) I went on about the buisness of being a metal-head when there was no such terminology. Mostly that's buggin' mom by blasting Double Live Gonzo from my room during breakfast ("anyone want to get mellow they can turn around and get the fuck outta here, alright!")
Cut to 1984, me and Tony Alva driving around in his tiny little Colt (Those that know Tony, his stature, and his love for little cars will find this notion amusing) listening to Sticky Fingers. That was a true life changing moment for me. A sense memory I find extremely potent. Who knew then where this music would lead me. Directly it led me to a record store in College Park, Maryland, where I would, over the course of a year, buy the entire Stones catalog (on vinyl of course). Indirectly it led me to a fascination with Keith, drugs, and a habit. Like Johhny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Steve Tyler, Joe Perry, Slash, and Izzy, I had to go there. I couldn't worship from afar. I had to taste it firstahnd. The glory, and the depravity. It may seem that I'm digressing, but stick with me here. In 1971, the Stones began work on their follow-up to Stcky Fingers. The recording of what would become Exile on Main St was witness to excess on a stupefying level, and it gave birth to absolute glory. Bear witness to 'Shine a Light', 'Lovin' Cup', 'Let It Loose' - Gospel music. Real Gospel, not the fake wanna-be Gospel of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' or 'Salt Of The Earth', but the real deal with the real passion, and the real sounds. It helped that they had connections like Billy Preston and the Texas Horns (Jimmy Price and Bobby Keyes) to help them enlist the right singers, not to metion, along with Nicky Hopkins, a level of musicianship that could take the Stones to the Altar so to speak. To me, the Gospel tunes on Exile are the record, and the rest is dressing, great dressing indeed, but somehow secondary to the real quest that was going on in the basement of Nellcote. That quest was for truth, the dirty truth of their lives, and the glorious truth of salvation.
1998 was a dark time for me. I had fallen. I capitulated. My flirtation wit the devil had taken hold. Why? I had to know. During that time I listened to a lot of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3. Soothing junkie drones. But what was at the bottom of all that feedback and wash? Gospel. The lord. Every song Jason Spaceman has written is about God, love, and heroin. They are all one and the same to him, his Holy Trinity. The Gospel of Spiritualized is as true as that of Mavis, or anything that came out of a southern church - it's just very electric.
Today things are good. I hear that Jason has cleaned up his act as well. That's good too. My Baby turned me on to cool vinyl store in Rockville MD (Joe's Record Paradise), and there I found a copy of the Staples Singers 'Be What You Are', Ah, me and Mavis together again. I took the long way home, but I got there. Amen.
Comments:
Amen to that! BTW Jason, been considering recording a record of Dylan tunes, and since those waters are well tread, any suggestions?
Jackson,
Let's not forget the gospel influence of "Tumblin' Dice". TD is a heavy rotation number on retro rock radio, but I never get tired of hearing it. I remember reading Stanley Booth's comments in 'True Adventures' before really listening to the song. He emphatically stated that TD is the greatest rock-n-roll riff ever written. After reading his thoughts and listening to it in near field monitors, I really can't disagree. The vocal hook with the bevy of gospel singers is what makes my hair stand up. You can even hear Keef gettin' his Jesus on amongst the layers of voices (before he became his current baratone). Shear brillence!
As we discussed last week, Trickster is the definitive Dylan expert. Very cool that the only real familiar Dylan record I owned passes his mustard. I really like Slow Train Comin'. I vote we do "Change my way of Thinkin". At least I think that's what it's called.
I recall the lyric, "I put my good foot forward, stop being influenced by fools...". Great track.
Now I must go to Amazon and buy some Dylan records. This blogging thing has increased my CD collection by a hundred since last year. You need to figure out how Fred creates those cool links with the record jackets in the margins.
Let's not forget the gospel influence of "Tumblin' Dice". TD is a heavy rotation number on retro rock radio, but I never get tired of hearing it. I remember reading Stanley Booth's comments in 'True Adventures' before really listening to the song. He emphatically stated that TD is the greatest rock-n-roll riff ever written. After reading his thoughts and listening to it in near field monitors, I really can't disagree. The vocal hook with the bevy of gospel singers is what makes my hair stand up. You can even hear Keef gettin' his Jesus on amongst the layers of voices (before he became his current baratone). Shear brillence!
As we discussed last week, Trickster is the definitive Dylan expert. Very cool that the only real familiar Dylan record I owned passes his mustard. I really like Slow Train Comin'. I vote we do "Change my way of Thinkin". At least I think that's what it's called.
I recall the lyric, "I put my good foot forward, stop being influenced by fools...". Great track.
Now I must go to Amazon and buy some Dylan records. This blogging thing has increased my CD collection by a hundred since last year. You need to figure out how Fred creates those cool links with the record jackets in the margins.
# posted by 
: 9:00 AM
: 9:00 AM
My man Robyn Hitchcock did a 2-CD set of all Dylan covers. Awesome, too. Here's the set: http://robynhitchcock.com/detail-pages/RobynSings.htm . I think he says on it that Visions of Johanna is why he started writing songs. Scanlynn says this version of Tangled Up In Blue is her favorite cover of it she ever heard.
# posted by : 1:34 PM
: 1:34 PM
I highly recommend getting it. You can hear previews of it at the iTunes Music Store.
# posted by : 1:57 AM
: 1:57 AM
wilson@mjmcreative.com If I get any crap that's not a Dylan tune I'm going to spam somebody good. (not directed to you Jason)
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