Some people don’t like Gospel music. I remember a particularly oafish bloke who wrote for Melody Maker deriding the very concept when U2 had the temerity to include a Gospel Choir on their song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Weirdly enough, it’s in that title that the magic of Gospel is encapsulated.
It’s not the certainty; it’s the doubt. It’s not just the Praise, (as Tom Jones admirably pointed out) it’s the blame. I had the mixed blessing of interviewing Betty Lavette in January. I’d mentioned to her that Mr Jones was in town and off mic she was withering in her contempt of older artists trying to ressurect (if you’ll pardon the pun) their career by tipping their hat to their maker. Thirty years ago I might have felt the same thing but the experience of getting older has changed that.
So allow me to articulate what Gospel I love and why. Firstly, I grew up with these songs. For some people that might be a marker against them. For me however they are all associated with good times. Yes, it was a narrower faith than the faith I practice now – but that is most people’s experience. What the music did though was allow people to dream higher, hope for better and expect the impossible. For ordinary working folk to hold on to that is totally understandable. Marx worried but I’m not sure that I can. Where he saw religion holding people in a trance I also watched as it underpinned community and gave courage to a group of people who were taking on centuries of prejudice: The Civil Rights Movement. For a short while on Friday and for an hour on Monday we’ll hear the experience of Mavis Staples. No one exemplifies more the dignity and life-affirming energy of the music from the churches. No one can accuse Mavis of turning her head away from the harsh realities of life – and she still sings Gospel as if her life depended on it.
One other thing……. One summer long ago a family friend came to visit.Thomas was from Belfast and one of his colleagues was an old pal of my father and mother’s and, very typically for them, they offered this young man any amount of hospitality. On this day he called he took my big sister and me for a drive to the country…I remember going all over the place. If truth be told it was my good looking sister he’d probably have had more interest in but I went along for the ride. This was so long ago that there were no cassette players in cars. (the cool ones had 8 tracks!) He brought along a portable cassette player and on the B roads of Angus for the next two hours I heard Elvis singing Gospel. It made a huge impact on me. After that I always loved Elvis and equally I heard the Hymns we sang at the Gospel meeting every Sunday night in a new light. So thank you Thomas, thank you Elvis and here’s to Gospel.
You’ll hear all of that and more on Friday plus we stop and pay tribute to a brilliantly spritual album for Good Friday, Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy. It all starts at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland.
As a child back in ’76 I would often fall asleep to the Gospel music of Elvis Presley. This was all down to my older brother who was hooked, still is, on the man with the shaky leg. I am so glad that your show is celebrating such great sounds.
As an 8 year old, I used to hum such songs as ‘The Lighthouse’ ‘Lead me – Guide Me’ and, ‘Peace In The Valley…’ and even then, I knew it was un-cool to love such songs, and now, as an older man, people still look at me strangely while I continue hum. Here’s the thing…
Elvis always had great backing singers, ‘The Sweet Insperations’ come to mind who sound beautiful on their own.
Lets face it. If the X Factor generation was ever lucky enough to be offered a drive through the countryside by an old friend with the summer wind edging against their giddy faces, and while Elvis’ ‘The Bosom Of Abraham’ poured out the car sterio, then this world would be a little sweeter, a little calmer, but above all, kinder. There will, some day, be peace in the valley.
Thanks Ricky
Brendan
I’ve been a relative latecomer to Elvis (for shame – I even share his birthday!) and hadn’t really appreciated his Gospel music until I first experienced it – in spectacular fashion – by viewing the medley in the 68 Comeback Special, surely the finest live performance ever to have been captured on film to this day. Thank you indeed, Elvis.
For me, this is one of your most poignant and insightful blog entries to date, Ricky. I love what you refer to as “a narrower faith than the faith I practice now” and the attraction of Gospel as to “allow people to dream higher, hope for better and expect the impossible” – there is such truth in that.
Really looking forward to both shows over the coming weekend – we’ll consider ourselves spoiled!
Adam. I totally agree. The ’68 Comeback special is truly a great peice of film. Unfortunatly, Elvis is far to often made fun of about his weight – curling lip – bad movies, well, I’ll concede most of his movies were naf, but when you see him perform the unplugged sessions together with his friends jamming away, it shows Elvis to be, well, real. His voice in 68-69 was near heavenly like and the Memphis sessions is a must hear. ‘Stranger in my Hometown’ ‘Only The Strong Survive’ and, a personal favourite, ‘Any Day Now’ is lovely.
So thanks Adam for the mention of a classic that should be in any DVD collection. A huh Huuuuh…
Brendan
You’re right, of course, Brendan. For me it’s the finale, “If I Can Dream”, that sends shivers down the spine every single time I hear it. I do like to pretend that Elvis never made any films, to be honest, but throughout his career – from the rocking 50’s to the operatic 70’s – he was making music to a standard that few have even neared, and the ignorant fun-making is utterly misguided. Back to ’68, though, and I would recommend forking out for the Deluxe Edition, which is completely worth the extra money. Enjoy!
Hi Adam. I know. ‘If I Can Dream’ is wonderful. (Suit Included) In Elvis’ early recordings, you can hear the gospel then. The beginings of ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ springs to mind. Obviously being brought up in Tupelo beside the cotton feilds is bound to have an effect on the soul. I suppose were lucky. Elvis means different things to different people. Fried Banana on toast Elvis, or, ‘That’s Alright Mama’ Elvis. I prefer the latter. Can you imagine seeing Elvis walking into The Sun studios for the very first time and witnessing the birth of Rock n’ Roll.
Sometimes, life throws us something that cannot be denied. Elvis, Springsteen, Sinatra, Lennon, Olivier. What magic potion do they have that we don’t? I dunno. Maybe we all have something magical inside. I just wish I knew where to find it.
Brendan
Agree with Brendan and Adam, great blog post from Ricky. And Elvis? Wonderful wonderful artist, listen to the music, watch the live DVD’s (have always loved 68 Comeback Special and also The Way It Is), read Peter Gurlanicks superb books.
Looking forward to the show very much.
Looking forward to tonight’s show… will be nice to hear you chat about Gospel as well as he usual musical stuff. ‘Oh Mercy’ is one of my favourite Dylan albums, sometimes if I am in the mood for it I will even list it as my favourite, ahead of ‘Blood On The Tracks’, ‘Highway 61 revisted’, ‘Blonde On Blonde’ and ‘Freewheelin”. It’s amazing to think that after 5 years of one duff album following another duff album that out of nowhere ‘Oh Mercy’ arrives and comes out sounding like one of Bob’s best albums in his whole career! I love ‘Ring Them Bells’, ‘Most of the Time’, ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ and ‘Shooting Star’ in particular… and then there are the outtakes from the sessions, the magnificent ‘Series Of Dreams’ and ‘Dignity’ and the left over songs which would be re-recorded for Under The Red Sky: Born In Time and God Knows!