Customer Reviews

Gospel According to the

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This album is chill. Very chill. Generally the only accompaniment to the voices of the Staples is Pops clear and ringing electric guitar strumming gently in the background. Great sunday morning record though the quality of the packaging is a shame with no explanation of when these recordings were made and a picture which comes from the Stax era rather than the time this was recorded. Of interest is track 10 - 'This may be the last time' a track well known to have been purloined by the Rolling Stones in an act declared by some as the most beastly thing the Stones ever did. It is worthy of note that the Staples did engage in a similar activity ripping off the introduction to ska-classic 'The Liquidator' for the start of 'I'll take you there'.

There is no information apart from the track listings on this budget-priced collection on the Metrodome/Dressed To Kill label, but they seem to stem from the Staple Singers' tenure with Vee-Jay between 1956 and 1964 as the set kicks off with their first single for the label, Uncloudy Day, from 1956. The family gospel quartet from Chicago IL was formed in 1951, when the magnificent lead vocals of Mavis Staples were supported by siblings Pervis and Cleotha, and their founder Pops Staples added distinctive Delta blues-influenced electric guitar and further harmony vocals, creating a unique sound.
The collection includes their influentual versions of two traditional songs: Ain't That Good News, which was secularised and turned into a hit record by Sam Cooke, and This May Be The Last Time, similarly the acknowledged inspiration behind the Jagger/Richard composition The Last Time, a best selling single by the Rolling Stones.
The Staple Singers were soon to take a more secular path themselves and went on to record many classics with Epic, Stax, Curtom and Warner Records, but this is a testament to the gospel roots which remained at the core of their music throughout