Additional personnel: Maceo Wood (organ); Phil Upchurch, Johnny Pate, Leonard Gaskin (bass); Joe Marshall, Al Duncan, Gus Johnson (drums).
Recorded in 1962-1964. Originally released on Riverside as three separate titles: HAMMER AND NAILS (3501), THIS LAND (3524), and THIS LITTLE LIGHT (3527). Includes liner notes by Stanley Crouch.
Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1989, Fantasy Studios, Berkely, California).
Personnel: Roebuck "Pops" Staples (vocals, guitar); Yvonne Staples (vocals, background vocals); Mavis Staples, Pervis Staples (vocals); Johnny Pate (acoustic bass); Phil Upchurch (electric bass); Gus Johnson , Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall, Al Duncan (drums).
Liner Note Author: Stanley Crouch.
Recording information: Plaza Sound Studios, New York, NY (02/20/1962-01/??/1964); Universal Sound Studios, Chicago, IL (02/20/1962-01/??/1964).
This two-album Fantasy reissue is an anthology of the material the Staples recorded for Riverside between 1960 and 1963. For Riverside, the Staples recorded mostly gospel but the shouting was toned down a bit. A few modern-day "message" songs make their way into their repertoire as well, including Bob Dylan's "Masters of War." Not quite as cataclysmic as their Vee-Jay material but still essential. ~ Rob Bowman
This title is unavailable for purchase as none of our regular suppliers have stock available. If you are the publisher, author or distributor for this item, please visit
this link.