Comments on: CURTIS MAYFIELD / “We People Who Are Darker Than Blue” http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/03/10/622/ a conversation about black music Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:46:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5 by: Qawi http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/03/10/622/#comment-47596 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:06:47 -0500 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/03/10/622/#comment-47596 Nah...none of them can touch the original. Even the live one is second to the studio version. The first version I heard was on the Soundtrack of Dead Presidents, where Master Henry Gibson's congos seemed almost a song of its own...like it didn't belong. In this version, he also said G-d Damn a couple of times, though it is missing from the original. The Roger Troutman version is indeed Roger, but sounds like it is earlier than 1996. The Parker version...uhmm I like it, but as a cover, it misses the meaning of the secular prophet Curtis Mayfield. In the original, he isn't singing, he is preaching. This version sounds too bouncy, sassy, and happy. Too much song styling. Amiri Baraka's background rap?!? not quite Last Poets, but I get it. To quote Mtume, "The problem with the other two versions isn’t that there’s much of anything wrong with them, it’s just that they can’t compare with that live version. I heard that one first, and after hearing it, I was pretty much waiting for the other ones to end so I could hear the live version again. The most brilliant set of covers ever on BoL? Uhhh, no. " nuff said. Nah…none of them can touch the original. Even the live one is second to the studio version. The first version I heard was on the Soundtrack of Dead Presidents, where Master Henry Gibson’s congos seemed almost a song of its own…like it didn’t belong. In this version, he also said G-d Damn a couple of times, though it is missing from the original.

The Roger Troutman version is indeed Roger, but sounds like it is earlier than 1996. The Parker version…uhmm I like it, but as a cover, it misses the meaning of the secular prophet Curtis Mayfield. In the original, he isn’t singing, he is preaching. This version sounds too bouncy, sassy, and happy. Too much song styling. Amiri Baraka’s background rap?!? not quite Last Poets, but I get it.

To quote Mtume, “The problem with the other two versions isn’t that there’s much of anything wrong with them, it’s just that they can’t compare with that live version. I heard that one first, and after hearing it, I was pretty much waiting for the other ones to end so I could hear the live version again. The most brilliant set of covers ever on BoL? Uhhh, no. ”

nuff said.

]]> by: rich http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/03/10/622/#comment-47755 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:54:18 -0500 http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2008/03/10/622/#comment-47755 Its interesting to see Curtis pop up a few weeks after the special on dylan. I think both are amazing lyricists. while dylan's breadth, depth and output might put him in a singular category, curtis really holds his own in terms of social/spiritual commentary and reflection. plus the funk is so classy, the message just slides on over... Its interesting to see Curtis pop up a few weeks after the special on dylan. I think both are amazing lyricists. while dylan’s breadth, depth and output might put him in a singular category, curtis really holds his own in terms of social/spiritual commentary and reflection. plus the funk is so classy, the message just slides on over…

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