TT 342: Les McCann and Eddie Harris, "Compared to What"

RIP Les McCann

In the LP era, one disc you had to have was Swiss Movement, the concert tape of a 1969 gig at Montreux by Les McCann and Eddie Harris alongside Benny Bailey, Leroy Vinnegar, and Donald Dean.

Merriam-Webster defines “zeitgeist” as “the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era.” This is a rare occasion when I can write the following cliché about music I really love: The opening track, “Compared to What,” absolutely captures some of that 1969-era zeitgeist.

The song is by Gene McDaniels. The mysterious and powerful lyrics allude to all the ways we don’t really deal with the truth, a sentiment that is perpetually relevant.

Update: Brian Priestly sent me some revisions to my first pass at the lyrics; I think he was right, so below is a fresh edit.

I love to lie and lie to love
A-Hangin' on, with push and shove
Possession is the motivation
that is hangin' up the God-damn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut (everybody now!)
Tryin' to make it real, compared to what? C'mon baby!

Slaughterhouses is killin' hogs
Twisted children killin' frogs
Poor dumb rednecks rollin' logs
Tired old lady kissin' dogs
I hate the human lover, that stinking mutt (I can't use it!)
Try to make it real, compared to what? C'mon baby now!

The President, he's got his war
Folks don't know just what it's for
Nobody gives us rhyme or reason
Have one doubt, they call it treason
We're chicken-feathers, all without one gut. God damn it!
Tryin' to make it real, compared to what? (Sock it to me)

Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Tryin' to duck the wrath of God
Preacher's fillin' us with fright
They all tryin' to teach us what they think is right
They really got to be some kind of nut (I can't use it!)
Tryin' to make it real, compared to what?

Where's that bee and where's that honey?
Where's my God and where's my money?
Unreal values, crass distortion
Unwed mothers need abortion
Kind of brings to mind ol' young King Tut (He did it now)
Tried to make it real, compared to what?!

The excellent McCann New York Times obit by Andrey Henkin recounts the casual and rather unlikely story of the hit record. McCann is one of the funkiest ever, and the hit track is a big feature for his magnificent piano groove. Vinnegar and Dean are right in there, but this is an occasion where the feel is definitely emanating from the leader.

One of the more astonishing revelations of the YouTube era is video of this very hit performance. You can see how last-minute it all is. At a big festival, there often isn’t a soundcheck, and towards the beginning McCann is gesturing to the technicians, trying to make sure his vocal mic is hot. The trio knows the music but the horns do not. Eddie Harris finds his way through the key changes by ear, and Benny Bailey waits uncertainly to play. It is indeed a jam session: a jam session for the ages.