Customer Reviews

Great Day

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great Day is the link between the Born-in-Bethlehem stone gospel " Vee-Jay" Staples (PRAY ON)... and their classic and timeless anthemic 60's FOLK-HIPPIE-SOUL message songs like Respect Yourself, and I'll Take You There
Simply exquisite heavenly music. I found a CD copy in Japan ...probably 15 years ago now...after having worn out a few vinyl copies.
This music will live on forever... Could angels in heaven sound any more beautiful than Pops, Mavis Staples, and her brother and sisters Pervis, Cleotha and Yvonne?
There's a very strong secular raw blues and west african vibe here that takes the spiritual level far above expectations. In the lyric on "PRAYING TIME" Pops breaks into a riff singing "You go and I'll go with you" straight out of Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Boy Williamson then the kids kick in an otherworldly backup: "My Lord!" Scary and riveting.
Every song is a wonderful gem and they all segue into eachother beautifully, but I agree with the reviewer who singled out DYING MAN'S PLEA especially Pops guitar and delivery on that solo intro is so pure... Robert Pete Williams, Blind Willie Johnson...then the stone soul gospel groove kicks in.("one kind favor i'll ask of you... 'see that my grave is kept clean, dig my grave with a silver spade, ease me down with a golden chain...") Whee-ew!
Oh yeah and have another listen to the organ on " I Can't Help from Cryin' Sometime" (played by Maceo Wood) Holy Smokes(!) this is some kind of FUNKY magic. Hypnotic and haunting. GREAT DAY just sounds better and better as time goes by.

This CD is magnificent from beginning to end. I tried to pick my favorite song - it is impossible ! All songs have a steady rolling beat and feature the wonderful singing of the Staples family.
I have a soft spot for Pops Staples' voice. It has to be loved by anyone who likes both Gospel and Blues. HIs guitar playing is perfect for this context.
When I saw Bob Dylan's song - "Masters of war" - I thought that here the Staples Singers surely must flop. But they tackled it beautifully, and made it sound as if it was their own.
I recommend this CD to all music lovers. This is a music that rewards you for coming in contact with it as few others do.

This album is the very best of the very best of the marvelous Staple Singers. Virtually every cut is jewel-like. They do Dylan's "Masters of War" better than he does. Much as I love how the Staple Singers do Dylan, this album is about gospel and it is a brilliant showcase. Listen especially to "A Dying Man's Plea" and the superb rendition of "Swing Down, Chariot." This is an album to be savored again and again over the years.

Ho-boy, what a barn burner this one is. The instrumentation is not just good, it's supernaturally great. The haunting twangy guitar and the spare backup packs a big punch and sticks in the heart. Three tracks stand out: A Dying Man's Plea, Wish I Had Answered and Pop's masterful and superior cover of Dylan's Masters of War. Masters of War particularly makes the hair stand on the back of the neck.

Too bad the amazon preview tracks don't include any of these, but no worries, since all of these songs are unbelievably great.

I grew up listening to Judy Colins' sing this Bob Dylan song. But when I heard the Staples Singers version, I was truly moved.

Just buy it! Great voices; great arrangements; nice clean sound. I'm not particularly a big fan of gospel or spiritual music; however, I appreciate GREAT music of any kind. This is a fine example of just that!

Although I'm an atheist, the Staple singers represent for me the expression of the greatest joy gospel can produce. This particular album is a peak, where music and voice of men and women definitly belong to beauty, which is to me the one and only meaning of a so called god. So I still believe in music, good times and emotions, and such artists help a lot to live in such a mediocre and low lifeprice world.

A number of these songs (#2,7,8,12,15,16,17 eventually,19,20,24,26) lean into the Funky Blues; an indication of the hard funk they would come to explore in the 70s. The rest are solid Folk arrangements, that intriguingly, could easily have been picked up by Elvis Presley for one of his Gospel albums. A young Mavis hits THAT note on "Old Time Religion," "I Know I've Been Changed" and "My Dying Bed"! While "Masters Of War" is one of Pops most impassioned vocal performances. Clocking in a few seconds shy of 79 minutes, this is essential Staples Singers, especially for those into their folk roots.

This is an outstanding CD. Although not every track is a gem, the best tracks are absolute classics. Highhlights include "New Born Soul", "I Know I've Been Changed", "Motherless Children", "Old Time Religion." This is actually a combination of two long out of print albums. Mavis Staples sings beautifully throughout, and when the songs and arrangements are good she shines even brighter. Heartfelt gospel harmonies, guitar accompaniment by Papa Staples, tasteful accompaniment by bass and drums on some tracks. This CD has long stood the test of time in my collection.