The Meters - 1975 - Fire On The Bayou

The Meters

1975

Fire On The Bayou

01. Out In The Country 3:33

02. Fire On The Bayou 4:05

03. Love Slip Upon Ya 4:55

04. Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans 3:31

05. They All Ask'd For You 4:08

06. Can You Do Without? 3:47

07. Liar 5:05

08. You're A Friend Of Mine 4:06

09. Middle Of The Road 7:51

10. Running Fast 1:23

11. Mardi Gras Mambo 2:36

Bass – George Porter, Jr.

Congas – Cyril Neville

Drums – Joseph Modeliste

Guitar – Leo Nocentelli

Keyboards – Arthur Neville

Producer – Allen Toussaint,

For me, over the years, this is as or maybe even slightly more enjoyable than Rejuvenation. It's kind of funny, since these are the Meters albums I started with about 20 years ago, being a Galactic fan and knowing they were influenced by the Meters and covered their music. These days I consider the later albums with vocals to be more of a footnote to what I consider the classics most representative of their fame: the first couple of slabs that are all instrumentals. That said, there are lots of staple songs on their mid-70's albums that are super funky, full of that great Toussaint production, and very satisfying.

I think the thing that some of the other lukewarm reviews miss is that, though they're lauded as "funk pioneers," The Meters were never really trying to be Parliament, or even Sly & The Family Stone--they started out as more of an instrumental R&B group, and throughout their tenure can really best be described as a foundational New Orleans group.

The reason I bring this up is because this album is probably their most "New Orleans," a concept that can be a little difficult to grasp if you haven't been to the city or steeped yourself in the culture and/or music through research or watching something like Tremé. In my understanding, at least, the representative New Orleans sound is both distinctive but also indistinct, because by definition it's a creole mixture of jazz particular to New Orleans, cajun music, Caribbean music, blues, and later things like funk and rock--the Meters' music is not only informed by all of this, but it also helped develop it and added more nuances that have since become essential elements of the brew. Their music isn't that widely known worldwide, but in New Orleans they are universal and commonplace--you'll hear bands covering them, hear their recordings in cafés, hear other people's recordings of their songs, hear their songs in parades etc., all the time.

I guess this is just a roundabout way of saying that it's tempting in the RYM world to put the band in the "funk" box and demand that their sound be located and judged against the leading lights of that sound, but instead of space-age funk with flying saucers and synthesizers, the Meters were always more organic and just doing a funky New Orleans thing rather than attempting to adhere to some critic's artificial funk orthodoxy.

So, on Fire on the Bayo we get some echoes of their early albums' R&B funkiness, but also some very New Orleans songs like "Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans," "They All Ask'd for You," and "Mardi Gras Mambo," which sound goofy, not funky, and like novelty tunes if you're expecting James Brown funk workouts, but make perfect sense located in the band's New Orleans heritage. The band elsewhere gets down and funky Rejuvenation-style with tracks like "Fire on the Bayou," "Love Slip Upon Ya," "Can You Do Without?" and "Liar," and places in-between on the folksy R&B "Out in the Country" (love that chord progression) and the jazzy guitar workout "Middle of the Road." I really love how well this album exudes the New Orleans spirit--musically as well as lyrically, extolling the virtues of great food, bayou living, and Mardi Gras.

So, while you might be listening to this lumped in context with the entire history of funk music, and it might not meet the standard of what you think funk must or "must not sound like" (major eye roll), you should also understand that that's not what the Meters were concerned with, and New Orleans loves this music just the way it is and couldn't give less of a shit if it doesn't sound like it follows the rules that you decided all good funk music needs to follow. As always, it's in the ears of the behearer but I think a little context is due for this record--check out The Wild Tchoupitoulas for another classic slab of (perhaps frustratingly to your ears) multi-stylistic New Orleans stew, with the Meters playing backing band and vocals by a Mardi Gras Indians tribe.

I prefer the METERS to the NEVILLE's... this album, however, is the perfect middle ground

ZIg's drum beats aren't as over the top, and its not the "Booker T. and the MGs only way funkier" INSTRUMENTAL soul of the METERS... but rather a FUNKY N'awleans Rock and Soul band - - that happens to be driven by the METERS... has more of a '70s disco/fatback beat (and sometimes even Doobie/Southern Rock influence), and the Neville's trademark sweet vocalizations thrown in... but is still the Meters ("Love Slip Upon You" being my favorite cut - - and "Fire on the Bayou" with its red hot rhythm and grimey Hammond being the deserved fan fave !) - - in addition, though not all the tunes are great, many not only show new directions for the band, but suggest new directions for music in general (!)

That said, warning... its not the old instrumental gutbucket METERS sound, the band definitely funks out on half the tracks... Typical to the NEVILLE BOTHERS stuff, there's some eclecticism... including a calypso meets New Orleans/Southern Rock ditty called "They All Ask'd For You", which would probably appeal just as much to a Randy Newman fan as would "Talkin' About New Orleans" - - "Liar" is also funky, but would appeal just as much to the Steve Miller Set, and "You're A Friend of Mine" is a nice ballad, but definitely ain't your typical Meter's bag... On the other hand, check out what starts out as a Wes Montgomery influenced funk/groove thing, then goes in a contemporary Jazz directions and though definitely NOT typical METER shows the interesting directions the band was taking at the time... The 1'27 "Running Fast" in contrast sounds almost like something like The Ohio Players meets early EWF, only ... as played by... well the Neville's with that distinct riff rhythm guitar/organ mix that was there's alone... and, surprise, surprise... album ends with... a Mardis Gras ditty.

All and all, if you've never heard this album, but have collected most of the Meter's early stuff, expect to be shocked. If you like Dr. John and The Neville's, but are also a true blue funkateer, you'll dig it... the key element here is a person's willingness to go from Cissy Strut to a such a totally different direction...