An Awesome Song For Tuesday:
Baby Huey - A Change Is Gonna Come: Sam Cooke, 'the man who invented soul,' wrote this beautiful track after hearing a young Bob Dylan on the radio towards the end of 1963.
Whereas Dylan's Blowing In The Wind sounded weak and vague to many (Pete Seeger, for one, wasn't a fan of that slightly wishy-washy refrain), A Change Is Gonna Come was definite in intent, marked by a barely restrained anger and palpable sorrow. Cooke loved what he'd written, but unfortunately he didn't live to see it justifiably lauded for decades to come; he was shot dead in a Los Angeles hotel only shortly after the release of A Change Is Gonna Come.
Unsurprisingly, many had a crack at interpreting the song after Cooke died. Otis Redding (who would also die before seeing the success of his biggest single, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay) does a stunning, slightly Staxxed-up version. Aretha Franklin released a haunting, nearly-jazzy, organ-heavy cover in '67. Tina Turner, The Band, and Al Green have also had a go at it. But none of those versions sound anything like Baby Huey's.
Baby Huey was this big, afro-sporting black guy from Indiana. Apparently he had incredible stage presence, but it's difficult to imagine any physical presence competing with the power of his unbelievably raw voice. The man sings like he's trying to frighten the devil, all righteous anger and desperate soul.
And behind him was a great soul backing group put together by Huey's label owner and album producer, Curtis Mayfield (of Superfly fame). The band gives him the kind of groove that defined the early 1970s, with hints of psychedelic rock, and a slow, loose beat.
The album this track comes from, The Baby Huey Story is wall-to-wall soul-rock perfection, so its a shame that it's so obscure. But then, it was released posthumously... like Cooke and Reading before him, Huey died young, suffering a heart attack at 26 brought on by post-heroin-addiction weight problems.
Bonus Tracks:
Baby Huey - Hard Times: Another track from The Baby Huey Story - this time more tight funk than psychedelic rock - and a cover of a great Curtis Mayfield song.
Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come: Redding didn't record a bad song, but that doesn't make it any less stunning when you're reminded just how good he could be. Like on this.
Aretha Franklin - A Change Is Gonna Come: It's a young Aretha performing one of the genuinely perfect songs of the 1960s. Yep, it's good.
Baby Huey - A Change Is Gonna Come: Sam Cooke, 'the man who invented soul,' wrote this beautiful track after hearing a young Bob Dylan on the radio towards the end of 1963.
Whereas Dylan's Blowing In The Wind sounded weak and vague to many (Pete Seeger, for one, wasn't a fan of that slightly wishy-washy refrain), A Change Is Gonna Come was definite in intent, marked by a barely restrained anger and palpable sorrow. Cooke loved what he'd written, but unfortunately he didn't live to see it justifiably lauded for decades to come; he was shot dead in a Los Angeles hotel only shortly after the release of A Change Is Gonna Come.
Unsurprisingly, many had a crack at interpreting the song after Cooke died. Otis Redding (who would also die before seeing the success of his biggest single, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay) does a stunning, slightly Staxxed-up version. Aretha Franklin released a haunting, nearly-jazzy, organ-heavy cover in '67. Tina Turner, The Band, and Al Green have also had a go at it. But none of those versions sound anything like Baby Huey's.
Baby Huey was this big, afro-sporting black guy from Indiana. Apparently he had incredible stage presence, but it's difficult to imagine any physical presence competing with the power of his unbelievably raw voice. The man sings like he's trying to frighten the devil, all righteous anger and desperate soul.
And behind him was a great soul backing group put together by Huey's label owner and album producer, Curtis Mayfield (of Superfly fame). The band gives him the kind of groove that defined the early 1970s, with hints of psychedelic rock, and a slow, loose beat.
The album this track comes from, The Baby Huey Story is wall-to-wall soul-rock perfection, so its a shame that it's so obscure. But then, it was released posthumously... like Cooke and Reading before him, Huey died young, suffering a heart attack at 26 brought on by post-heroin-addiction weight problems.
Bonus Tracks:
Baby Huey - Hard Times: Another track from The Baby Huey Story - this time more tight funk than psychedelic rock - and a cover of a great Curtis Mayfield song.
Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come: Redding didn't record a bad song, but that doesn't make it any less stunning when you're reminded just how good he could be. Like on this.
Aretha Franklin - A Change Is Gonna Come: It's a young Aretha performing one of the genuinely perfect songs of the 1960s. Yep, it's good.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
steven:
Interested in a jam for a couple of hours this Saturday arvo? Just TFOK and me so far.
punchdrunkblake:
Kitty Pride in X-Men 3 means Ellen Page in skin tight leather which means a whole boat load of sea men just broke my lounge...
