Crate Diggin’: The Meters, Rejuvenation

		People Say Download Just Kissed My Baby Download Africa Download Album: Rejuvenation (1974)
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Though it’s not the most popular of The Meters’ records (I would guess it’s a tossup between Look-Ka Py Py and Fire On The Bayou), 1974′s Rejuvenation captures the transition from The Meters’ early, tight funk days to their later, jam-band incarnation.

Though The Meters haven’t released a studio album in the past 30 years, they continue to tour with some permutation of the original lineup. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them live on many occasions during the mid-1990s, and it is impossible not to seriously get down at a Meters show.

Though my perception of The Meters is rooted in their live performances, that’s a limited perspective, and there is no greater testament to this than the volumes of artists who have recorded with, covered, or sampled The Meters over the years: Paul McCartney, Labelle (The Meters were the studio band for “Lady Marmalade”), The Grateful Dead, A Tribe Called Quest, and many others.

“People Say” kicks off the album with a sweet guitar lick, then builds instrument by instrument until the groove is set. Lyrically, this track mines rare political territory, railing against the inequities of capitalist society. And you can dance to it!

“Just Kissed My Baby” feels like an outtake from The Meters 1969 influential Look-Ka Py Py LP. But unlike the stripped-down instrumental jams from that record, “Just Kissed My Baby” includes turned-on vocals from leader Art Neville. Zigaboo Modeliste — a true virtuoso on the drums — manages to concoct a beat that is simultaneously simple, complex and perfectly in the pocket. This track is a total 5-star classic.

The final selection, “Africa,” ends the record with some slinky cultural pride. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Hollywood” is a cover version of this song, and it probably didn’t do them any favors that they changed the lyrics from Africa as the “motherland” to Hollywood as the “brotherland” — isn’t Africa the motherland for all humanity? I may be digging too deep on that one. Check out George Porter, Jr.’s acrobatic base line.