2/5/09: Paul Humphrey “America, Wake Up” (1973)
All it took was Barack Obama being elected for Bruce Springsteen to finally grace an American pageant like the Super Bowl halftime show. Until then, Bruce wouldn’t waste his time with a spectacle where he couldn’t lecture the audience on Mean Old George Bush. (In contrast, there simply can’t be anything like a comedian hosting the Oscars this year. What if somebody made a joke about the President?)
Today’s posting was meant to celebrate a fun goof on Springsteen. Then a record from Australia didn't arrive in the mail. Instead, let’s salute the truly funky drummer Paul Humphrey, who found much to celebrate about America during troubled times. Here’s his liner notes to the recent reissue of 1973’s
“America, Wake Up” (heavily edited from the garbled Engrish on the Japanese release):
“America, Wake Up”
was recorded in 1973, after a tour traveling around the world and returning to the States. I could see and feel a change in the people and the music. I had written some new music on tour for my sessions upon my return. Through my music, I could send my message to the people to wake up, be strong and pure.
Once again, I called in special musicians for the sessions in order to get this project finished, with military marching drums cross fading in the mix. (I played all the marching drums, snare drums, hand cymbs, percussion—in fact, I played percussion on all my albums). After the record company’s top big wheels listened to the album, they didn’t know how to market it, because my album concept was so abstract with rock, funk, calypso, country & western, and ballads. Plus, on the first track and closing, I added female singers. Due to my past record sales, it was released. I must say it is still as strong an album today as it was back then.Those "past record sales" refer to Humphrey’s 1971 success as Paul Humphrey and the Cool Aid Chemists. “Cool Aid” and “Funky L.A.” remain soul classics.
“America, Wake Up” also gained a following. One tune was famously sampled for a classic track by A Tribe Called Quest. Otherwise, the album is all that Humphrey claims in those liner notes. It’s an amazing collection of jazzy funk in a variety of styles. Humphrey also beats out the folkies of the day with a variety of touching moments.
And, like Humphrey says, there are singers on the first and last track. That closing tune is an inspirational take on “God Bless America,” while the opening title track is a medley of “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” Humphrey’s mad military cadence is, of course, a foreshadowing of
The Rodnees. His big concept helps correct a wrong impression of the ’70s.
It’s true that Super Bowl halftime shows were once empty displays of patriotism with cornball antics worthy of Up With People! In fact, the famously cheery troupe played several Super Bowl halftimes between 1976 and 1986, including a particularly painful tribute to Motown. Meanwhile, Paul Humphrey had a steady gig going from 1976 to 1982. He was the drummer for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. If the Lawrence Welk Orchestra had performed a Super Bowl halftime show during that time, the event would’ve been far more hip than what we got this year.
Make it your own: Sadly,
“America, Wake Up” has only been reissued to wake up the people of Japan—and at
an exorbitant price. It’s not difficult to download the album online, though. We just won’t provide a link. That isn’t to say the CD is worth all that money just for the privilege of laughing at poorly translated liner notes.
