THE STAPLE SINGERS-THE STAPLE SINGERS.

dereksmusicblog ♦ July 9, 2012 ♦ 1 Comment

THE STAPLE SINGERS-THE STAPLE SINGERS.

By the early eighties, The Staple Singers had spent over thirty years performing and  recording. Their career started in 1948, with the group singing in churches in the Chicago area. Four years later in 1952, they signed their first record contract, releasing their debut album Uncloudy Day in 1959. Since then, The Staple Singers had released over twenty albums. In 1984 Pops Staples celebrated his seventieth birthday, and announcing on Soul Train that he was ready to retire. He’d been trying to retire for several years, but kept getting asked to record more albums and perform even more concerts. When Pops announced his attention to retire, it had been three years since the release of their last albums Hold On To Your Dream and This Time Around in 1981. However, retirement would have to wait, after Private I Records offered The Staple Singers a new recording contract. This would see them collaborating with David Byre of Talking Heads. This unlikely alliance lead to Slippery People, a dance hit for The Staple Singers. It was a track from their 1984 Turning Point album produced by Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo. So impressed was Pops Staples with their production, that he asked them to produce the followup, The Staples Singers’ which will be released on 9th July 2012 by SoulMusic Records. Again, the unlikely alliance of David Byrne and The Staple Singers would collaborate, the result of which was Life During Wartime, one of several songs exploring various social and political issues. Would The Staple Singers see a continuation of the success they’d enjoyed with Turning Point the previous year?

For what was The Staple Singers’ twenty-sixth album and would become The Staple Singers, Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo cowrote four of the album’s eight tracks. There were two themes running through social and political issues. These were issues The Staple Singers had explored in some of their older albums. Other songwriters were involved, with David Byrne contributing Life During Wartime. Of the other three tracks, the standout track was Are You Ready, a cover version of the title-track of Pacific Gas and Electric’s 1970 album. It got the album of to an explosive start. These eight tracks were recorded at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana, California.

Producing The Staple Singers at Can-Am Recorders were Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo. Mike was also part of the small, tight band who played on the album, playing guitars and drums. He was joined by Ron Jeffries who played bass, synths and keyboards, while Paul Schaffer played the keyboard solos on Nobody Can Make It On Their Own and Reason To Love. David Byrne played guitar on Life During Wartime, with Paul Jackson joining him on guitar and laying down a sizzling guitar solo that’s key to the track. Although this was just a small band that played on The Staple Singers, if the result was similar to Turning Point, then fans of The Staple Singers were in for a pleasant surprise. Would this be the case though?

On the release of The Staple Singers, disappointingly, it didn’t make any impact on the US charts. Whereas Turning Point reached number forty-three in the US R&B Charts, The Staple Singers failed to chart. However, the two singles released from The Staple Singers fared better, achieving limited success. Are You Ready reached number thirty-nine in the US R&B Charts. Then when Nobody Can Make It On Their Own was released as a single, it reached just number eighty-nine in the US R&B Charts. However, while The Staple Singers was a commercial failure, did the album deserve to fare better? That’s what I’ll tell you, after I’ve told you about the music on The Staple Singers.

Opening The Staple Singers is Are You Ready, a cover of a track originally released by Pacific Gas and Electric’s 1970 in 1970. It’s an explosive, dramatic sounding track, with keyboards, sizzling rocky guitars and the rhythm section driving the track along. At the heart of the action is Mavis’ vocal as she asks: “are you ready..are you living your life in a way that when he comes, you will be one of the chosen ones.” This is perfect for Mavis’ vocal, a mixture of soul and gospel, accompanied by the rest of The Staple Singers adding joyful, gospel-tinged harmonies. The searing rocky guitars add to the drama and theatre of the track, with Mavis’ vocal what makes this the best track on the album.

Life During Wartime was the result of a collaboration between David Byrne and The Staple Singers. While Slippery People from their previous album Turning Point was dance hit, this was quite different. The dual guitars of David Byrne and Paul Jackson are key to the tracks sound, sounding like gunfire, while washes of synths and the rhythm section accompany Mavis’ sassy, frustrated vocal. Soon the vocal changes hands, but it’s Mavis whose vocal has most impact. Later, Paul Jackson weaves a guitar solo that’s sizzles its way across the arrangement. You can’t help but be impressed by his skill, even if like me, you’re not a big fan of rocky guitars on soul albums. Here, I make an exception, for a track as good as this.

Nobody Can Make It On Their Own is the first of four tracks that Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo cowrote. It was also the second single released from the album, and has a real Staple Singers’ sound. Listen carefully, and you can hear their hit single Respect Yourself’s influence. This influence helps gives the track it’s catchy, hooky sound. Washes and stabs of synths, rhythm section and guitars provide the backdrop for Mavis’ vocal. She sings “no-one can change things on their own…no-one is an island.” Peace not war she sings, blaming the worlds ills on politicians. Later, Paul Schaffer’s keyboard solo adds the icing to The Staple Singers’ cake, and along with Mavis, plays an important part in the track’s sound and success.

Back To the War is another of the Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo penned tracks, with war and conflict as its theme. Stabs of synths, keyboards and percussion are at the heart of the arrangement, with Mavis delivering vocal, her voice tinged with anger and frustration as she sings “what makes you think you can change the world with a gun in your hand.” This strikes home, making you think. As the vocal changes hands, the delivery is equally powerful. Later, the vocal is replaced during a breakdown by synths, keyboards and percussion, which has a real eighties sound. However, what’s important is the song’s message which like The Staple Singers delivery, is potent and powerful.

Very different is Reason To Love, which is best described as caribbean-tinged and soulful, with keyboards and synths at its heart. This gives the track a light, bright, joyous sound. Similarly, the vocal is gentle, but impassioned and emotive. The harmonies are tight and uplifting, what we’ve come to expect of The Staple Singers. Later, things change, with rocky guitars making a fleeting appearance, before Paul Schaffer unleashes another keyboard solo. Then the joyful vocal and harmonies return. Again, Mavis grabs the vocal delivering it with equal amounts of emotion, joy and sincerity. 

We Stand (Together Forever) is a track that’s would’ve made a great single back in 1985. It has a pounding beat driving the track along. It’s augmented by waves of synths, chiming guitars and a sassy, impassioned vocal. From the opening bars you’re hooked by the track’s irresistible sound. Here, the synths and keyboards work well, with intricate guitars played subtlety. They don’t dominate the arrangement by veering into a rocky sound. Instead, they combine well with the synths, while The Staple Singers add soulful, harmonies. Sometimes, you’re reminded of Womack and Womack’s classic track Teardrops. This track has a similar pounding dance-floor friendly beat and hook-laden sound.

Pops Staples sings lead as Start Walking begins. His vocal might not have the power of Mavis,’ but he delivers the lyrics with an intensity, while subtle, soulful harmonies accompany him. The rest of the arrangement is bolder, with guitars, keyboards, synths and the rhythm section providing a backdrop for his vocal. A sizzling, guitar solo is unleashed, contrasting with Pops tender, sincere vocal. It adds drama, while later, synths and keyboards that are a sympathetic replacement for Pops vocal. Although Pops Staples was seventy-one when he recorded this album, his vocal still has the quality of their earlier years. Maybe it’s as well he postponed his retirement, as he still had much to offer music.

Having opened The Staple Singers on a high with Are Ready, they’re determined to close the album with a similar flourish. Love Works In Strange Ways is the perfect track to do so. It’s the last of the tracks Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo cowrote. With the rhythm section, guitars and keyboards providing a slow, understated backdrop, a tender vocal tinged with sadness and hurt enters. The lyrics are some of Gary and Mike’s best, delivered with feeling by Mavis. She has you spellbound with her delivery, fusing soul and gospel as she sings “Love Works In Strange Ways.” Meanwhile, the arrangement is much more understated, allowing Mavis to take centre-stage, complimenting rather than dominating her vocal. Although the track hasn’t the boldness of the opening track, it has a similar power and quality.

A year after prematurely announcing his retirement live on Soul Train, Pops Staples and the rest of The Staple Singers returned with the followup to Turning Point. The Staple Singers was their second album since Pops made a U-turn about his impending retirement. It was lucky that The Staple Singers didn’t call time on their career, as they still had much to offer. Having said that, much of what they had to offer was down to Mavis Staples. Her vocals were impassioned, emotive, powerful and deeply soulful. She was key to the group’s sound, at the heart of so much of their success. Even without the rest of The Staple Singers, Mavis would’ve been a star. Many people believe The Staple Singers they were stronger as a whole than the the sum of their separate parts. Their harmonies complimented Mavis’ lead vocal. While Pops was the de facto leader of The Staple Singers, Mavis was the star. This is the case on The Staple Singers. Mavis gets the album of to a storming start on Are You Ready, continuing in the same vein on Life During Wartime, Nobody Can Make It On Their Own, We Stand (Together Forever) and closing the album with Love Works In Strange Ways. Pops plays his part, delivering the vocal of Start Walking, with a mixture of tenderness, humility and sincerity. Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo’s production style pleased Pops so much on Turning Point, that he invited them to produce the followup The Staple Singers. Their style sees them fuse soul, R&B, rocky guitars and poppy hooks, resulting in an album that showed a very different side to The Staple Singers. So did David Byrne on Life During Wartime, which was his contribution to the album. Although they were unlikely bedfellows, The Staple Singers and David Byrne’s collaborations worked well. What The Staple Singers showed and many artists can learn from it, is that even aged seventy-one Pops Staples was wanting to try new things musically. Pops wasn’t content to stand still, releasing similar sounding music to previous albums. Instead, he absorbed and welcome collaborations, new ideas and innovations like he did on The Staple Singers, which will be released on 9th July 2012 by SoulMusic Records. Standout Tracks: Are You Ready, Nobody Can Make It On Their Own, We Stand (Together Forever) and Love Works In Strange Ways.

THE STAPLE SINGERS-THE STAPLE SINGERS.