Compared to What

"Compared to What"
Composition by Les McCann and Eddie Harris from the album Swiss Movement
Released 1969
Recorded June 21, 1969
Genre Soul jazz
Label Atlantic
Composer Gene McDaniels
Language English
Producer Nesuhi Ertegun and Bob Emmer

"Compared to What" is a composition, with lyrics, by Gene McDaniels.[1] It was first recorded by Roberta Flack in 1969,[2] but became better known following a performance by Les McCann (piano and vocals) and Eddie Harris (tenor saxophone) at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival, which appeared on their album Swiss Movement.[1] The album was certified Gold in sales in the United States.[3] The song has been covered by more than 270 artists, including Ray Charles.[2]

Composition

The lyrics contain a "topical rant against [President] Nixon and the Vietnam War",[4] and include the lines: "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".[2] Writer B. Lee Cooper suggested that the song "of social criticism attacked a variety of social practices as being based on hypocritically 'unreal values'" and contrasted "the social myth of equality and the economic reality of poverty in the stratified American society."[5]

Roberta Flack version

Flack recorded the song for her debut album, First Take. "Compared to What" was her first single.[6] A contemporary reviewer suggested that her singing was "in a fiery rhythmic way reminiscent of the throbbing motion heard during congregational singing at Southern Baptist churches."[7] In 1969, Flack's manager was Les McCann.[8]

McCann–Harris version

McCann and Harris had performed earlier at the Montreux Jazz Festival and agreed to play together on June 21, 1969, with Benny Bailey (trumpet), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), and Donald Dean (drums).[1] The song was the first of the McCann–Harris set, and opens with McCann and Dean playing together.[1] Vinnegar joins in, forming a trio that states the theme.[1] Harris then enters, complementing McCann's vocals.[1] After four verses, Bailey has a solo, then the band plays together until the last verse.[1] This is followed by solos from McCann and Harris, ending the performance.[1] Their version of the song appeared on the album Swiss Movement; the single sold over a million copies and reached No. 35 on Billboard's R&B chart.[9]

The commercial success of the McCann–Harris version allowed McDaniels to stop singing in night clubs.[2] It was part of the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Mednick, Avram (2013) Got Live Album If You Want It: 100 Live Recordings to Consider. p. 128. iUniverse. ISBN 978-1-4917-1373-0.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Williams, Richard (August 15, 2011) "Gene McDaniels Obituary". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ "Swiss Movement". RIAA. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ Boraman, Greg (2004) "Les McCann & Eddie Harris Swiss Movement Review". BBC.
  5. ↑ Cooper, B. Lee (May 1, 1976) "Oral History, Popular Music, and Les McCann". Social Studies. 67/3. p. 116.
  6. ↑ Calloway, Earl (March 16, 2002) "Vocalist Roberta Flack Is Star of Musical Mosaics at Park West". Chicago Defender. p. 41.
  7. ↑ West, Hollie I. (August 23, 1970) "Roberta Flack: Her Soothing Singing Style Is Leading Her to Stardom". The Washington Post. p. F1.
  8. ↑ Casey, Phil (February 13, 1969) "A Joyous Performer". The Washington Post. p. B11.
  9. ↑ Ertegun, Ahmet M. (2001) "What'd I Say?" – The Atlantic Story: 50 Years of Music. Welcome Rain. p. 538. ISBN 978-1-56649-048-1.
  10. ↑ Kolker, Robert (2011) A Cinema of Loneliness (4th edition). Oxford University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-19-973002-5.