October 24, 2013
Miracler
Fritz Eifrig
Location
Chicago
When last we heard from Mr. Eifrig,
He was limning his adolescent years via his bonus influential mix, YD&FoC, which plumbed the depths of a young man's...soul.
You guys seemed to understand that era, with comments such as:
I think we grew up in parallel universes. So naturally, I loved it. I was such a fan of AC/DC. I can remember the first moment I heard them, in my friend Jeff's living room. What a great song. We were allowed to bring 8-tracks to the school bus once a week and when it came to my turn, I brought Aerosmith's Live Bootleg. I still pull that one out now and again. It's dirty, raw and you can just feel the drugs coursing through them as they play. A great record. A mix with a mood -- it reminds me of listening to WBCN when I was kid. That Boston station tried to play some punk, new wave & local music without alienating the classic & hard rock listeners. What can I say about the influential mix of one of my influencers? It is still full of some surprises - cause you never spoke of E.L.&P or Yes in the day, but I do recall we spent a lot of time dissing Rush! "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." I love that song, man... I do love the Stiff Little Fingers and absolute mastery of the Specials. Thank you for that in 1982! Can I just say that The Specials sounded so very nostalgic and romantic back then? They were not so old, only a few years, but there was something in them that sounded as old and haunting as Gene Pitney (in the best of ways). I totally dig how your make your mixes to keep into certain areas and this one the time zone of ages 12 to 17. (I think). I went through ELPuberty, too. Haven't listened to the band in like four decades. Still they don't turn me on? Depends on the circumstance. The venerable Muskrats did a killer Kingston Folkie version of Karn Evil 9 in Berkeley pizza parlors, back in the late 80s. A little washboard always gets the toes a-tappin'. Great set, Fritz. And so much of it is a deep dive into my Rodney years. My ears thank you. Particulars: Never heard this version of "Substitute." And I've never heard of Blanch (but now I reread your liner notes and understand why). Surprised that The Pretenders haven't been better represented on The Prodge, as they are so fucking awesome – perhaps it's assumed that we're all completists? And where'd you get this version of "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize"? It's missing the mallet percussion under the "Wa-hoos." I'm obsessed with Suspect Device. Always heard of SLF but never heard their music. Went and listened to a lot more of it. Great band. Forgot how rock and roll Once Bitten is. And every once in a while this Prodge thing hips me to a tune I should by all rights know, but somehow have never heard. This round, that tune is Chip Away The Stone. As good as anything they've done, I think. Thanks FE! This mix of influences felt like a comfy old blanket, since so much of it was influential on the kid brother who shared a bedroom with you. I have a vivid memory of you chasing mom out of the room with a screeching rendition of Chip Away, accompanied by some air guitar. AC/DC makes me think of how cool I felt when I was invited to play D&D with you and your awesome friends, and we listened to Power Age at high volume. I don't know you but your mix follows a familiar trajectory! How I love (with guilty pleasure) the ELP and Yes tracks. And the sequencing here is great -- Bowie to Lou Reed to Ian Hunter in particular. I JUST now figured out what the title means! hah. so i was the lucky one to get your mix the night of the party - love it. we had a few crossover groups on our influentials - if you grew up in the bay area, i'm sure i wouldve seen you at the ted nuge/acdc day on the green. thx for the memories! Thanks for this view into a concurrent alternate teenaged-onward musical universe. I decoded this pup into sound for the shower, another time sweeping the kitchen, and NOW I will think of AC/DC anytime I'm sweeping over by the refrigerator. That's a good thing. And thinking of The Specials' Jerry Dammers in the shower...? I'll live with that. Does he lose track of the words in the last verse?! 8-tracks on the bus, D&D? It makes me very happy to see Yes show up in a mix, especially this tasty excerpt from Close to the Edge. My babysitter took me to see Yes when I was ten--it must have been the Relayer tour--and my world was never the same again.
So, same guy, different day.
From the Miracler who has also brought us past mixes of power pop, drunk country, and folky freaks—today: awesome gospel. (Technical note: mix's file size is larger than usual due to weird new iTunes default settings on my computer, which I'll fix for next time.)
Liner Notes by FE
As I've mentioned here previously, I am not a religious man, so nothing about this mix should be taken as proselytizing in any way. However, it isn't meant in an ironic or disparaging way either. This is music which I genuinely love and which has moved me deeply. Hope you will enjoy it in the spirit it is presented.
1. Everybody's Gonna Have a Wonderful Time Up There — Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Sam Price Trio
2. Get Back Satan — Piney Grove Spiritual Singers
3. By the Power of God — Troy Ramey and the Soul Searchers
4. Strange Man — Dorothy Love Coates
5. One Day — The Angelic Gospel Singers and The Dixie Hummingbirds
6. This May be the Last Time — The Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama
7. Jesus Gave Me Water — The Soul Stirrers
8. How I Got Over — Aretha Franklin and The Southern California Community Choir
9. The Saints — Precious Bryant
10. Get Back Satan — Rev. Roger L. Worthy and His Sister Bonnie
11. Where Shall I Go — The Trumpeteers
12. What Kind of Man — The Caravans and Brother Joe May
13. Deliver Me — The Staple Singers
14. All the Way — The Pilgrim Travelers
15. Don't Let It Be Said Too Late — The True-Tone Singers
16. Swing Low — Brother Theotis Taylor
Mix is UP. Same password—check your inbox. Make sure you come back and comment! To comment on this mix, click on the 'Comment' button below the post and write something. If you don't have/want to use your Google etc. accounts, just type your name in the "Name" box and you are done. See you back here or on our members-only Facebook page soon. XOK
23 comments:
I'm an inveterate atheist who just can't get enough gospel music. Thanks, Fritz! And may peace be with you!
May the LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. May the LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Or something.
Fritz, a fellow brother of the great gospel library. So much of this music cuts to my soul, in a very elemental way, maybe because so much rock comes from gospel. Makes me want to throw together a gospel mix for you. Thanks for the addition of a whole slew of tunes to My Favorite Gospel playlist.
Oops, gotta run, some Jehovah Witnesses are at the door. Seriously!
Thanks, Fritz, way more hits here than I expected. I don't know squat about gospel; were all these songs by African Americans?
Who can deny the messages in these tunes, esp when sung by those famous voices that made the crossover to the secular music world. Waiting for volume two.
As soon as I saw Fritz’s name on this mix, I knew I would be in. Fritz, you’re musical taste and depth of knowledge continues to delight and amaze me. From the opening strains of the first track, I was enthralled. I really dig the old gospel stuff. I love the guitar fill on the Rosetta Tharpe track. The “please don’t bother me” line in the second cut is awesome. Dorothy Love Coates has an amazing voice. What a great groove on the Five Blind Boys cut. Aretha is flawless, as always. One of my favorite voices of all time. I think the Precious Bryant cut is my favorite on this mix. The stripped down recording and subtle delivery make for an absolutely beautiful song. The Roger Worthy and Bonnie song is the perfect follow up to Precious Bryant. Again, subtle and stripped down to it’s most beautiful components. Such a great guitar sound too. The Staple Singers are amazing without fail. I wish I could have seen Mavis on this last tour. The Theotis Taylor song was the perfect way to end this mix. What a great version of a classic song. Really well done, Fritz. You are a master. I’ll be spending lots more time with this mix.
I grew up in a Catholic household in suburbia. The music at church was, at best, folk mass with pimply teenagers earnestly singing tunes from Godspell, with Father Joe (the "cool priest") accompanying on guitar. What I would've given to have attended church with the amazing music you've presented in this mix. As a singer who is fascinated by harmonies, I can't get enough of the kind of back up singing most evident here on the Aretha track. Thanks for a great mix and a taste of something different here at the 3MPMP.
Thanks, folks, glad it was enjoyed.
Mark- would love to hear your mix! Lemme know.
Sam- yes, these are all from African Americans. I'd intially thought to feature stuff from white folks too but the mix grew well beyond Prodge guidelines. Maybe in Vol. 2...
Wes- Jeez, man! My head can no longer fit through the door! ;-)
Hallelujah, Brother Effrig! Another Fritz mix full of soul-powered pureness.
Can I get a witness? The only thing that keeps me from loving Black American Gospel possibly above all human musical expressions? It's the English language. Being a lifelong un-fan of Christianity, my non-theist reflexes get in the way of fully surrendering to the life-forces in Gospel. Sigh... if only these beautiful songs were sung in Yoruba.
"Get Back Satan." That second version, by Reverend Roger L. Worthy and his sister Bonnie Woodstock, makes my neck hairs stand up. So spooky. And that crackling whale-at-the-bottom-of-the-sea reverb? Wow.
Once caught a show with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and The Persuassions. Life affirming stuff, indeedy. A cappella you dance a sweat to.
Beth -- regarding Aretha and backing vocals, she sometimes has had her sisters singing behind her. I can't help but think it must be tough being one of Aretha's sisters. Who knows their names? Here's Carolyn Franklin dealing with it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26hYyrCQ5DE
A timely colab -- Lou reed and the Five Blind Boys singing "Jesus."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Dh9KG0hPY
…and the original VU version from their third album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJj0z0u_9qQ
I was thrilled to see this edition of the Fritz Mix. They rank high over here.
I thought the gospel might stand out a little, perhaps awkwardly for my family, so I was really delighted when my nine year old son asked about "this music...what is it?"
Specifically he was asking about the genre, which lead us to talking about gospel, Aretha Franklin, R&B and the civil rights movement. In any case, Ivan said she was a really good singer.
Thanks for the gospel Pal!
Love that spooky guitar combined with the vocal reverb on "Get Back Satan" - I think I'm more scared of those guys than I am of Satan.
Still in heavy rotation in ST's eastern outpost. One of my favorite things about the prodge is having friends make mixes in genres I know little-to-nothing about but have always wanted to learn or explore, and Fritz, you're a star in that regard. Love learning from you via the little samplers you make me. Thanks so much!
I hesitate to over-analyze this, but I do wonder if one reason all of this religious music appeals to you is that it's pretty much the polar opposite of the church music we grew up on as Lutheran Hoosiers in the 1970's (see Beth's description above, but also high church/classical liturgical music).
All that aside, lots of great listens throughout the mix, and many of my thoughts have already been outlined by earlier commenters.
I enjoyed hearing two different versions of the story of the woman at the well in "Strange Man" and "Jesus Gave Me Water" - totally different musical interpretations of that story!
Karl- I think your analysis is headed in the right direction; it is a tradition so alien to my experience that it might well be in Yoruban.
I'VE BEEN SAVED!
This mix can confound the non believer and delight in equal measure - long may the Prodge continue to test the boundaries!
Paul Rhodes
Have you ever discovered the answer to a question you didn't know existed in the first place? In this case, the question is, "What is it in a christian spiritual that will get you up off the pew and dancing down the aisle every time?" Turns out the answer for me is, "A baritone chorus rolling underneath a rollicking, trumpeting lead voice."
This mix has gotten quite a bit of play over the past several weeks. Thanks much for such a treat.
Thank god for this. Amazing a mix like this didn't hit earlier. I'm not a fan of religion, but you have to wonder where american music would be without it.
This mix almost makes me want to go to church ... well almost. Undeniably upbeat goodness. Thanks for taking 3MPM down some different roads — like your country mix that introduced me to my favorite, messed-up track by Johnny Paycheck.
Wow Fritz, I downloaded this a while back , but frankly was a little scared to put it on, the kneejerk to anything that hit too close to adolescent home, but I am so glad. It lies in the musicality, music is music is music, and if it is good it is good. Who knows what all the African music I listen to is saying, but this I hear it know it and it is still special, way to push the env elope, and thanks for the erudition and the research, impressive!
Frtz, that anonymous was me, Hit the wrong button, love the body of your work, all these mixes, and I don't care who knows it, thanks
Arthur
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