The Five Stairsteps: We must be in love [1969]
The Five Stairsteps: O-o-h child [1970]
I was only going to post one song by The Five Stairsteps, but I couldn't resist posting O-o-h child, a song that's perhaps too common for a music blog, but also a song that without fail makes me feel better when I'm down. Anyway, right now I am far from down. It's actually been a pretty good week so far.
We must be in love is written and produced by Curtis Mayfield.
Buy music from The Five Stairsteps.
14 comments:
Nice, Mike. Glad you posted "O-o-h Child" too, 'cuz the only Stairsteps i have is with Cubie, which gets a little obnoxious taken in isolation.
Cubie?
Much of the Five Stairputs output was under the name of the Five Stairsteps & Cubie.
Cubie was about 4 or 5 years old - the youngest of the Burke brothers - in the mould of Michael Jackson, but i believe the only track he actually sang on was "New Dance Craze", the flipside to "Don't Change Your Love" (1968, Curtom Records).
When they signed to Buddah recordsin 1970, the group reverted back to the Five Stairsteps (minus "Cubie").
"New Dance Craze", i picked up somewhere down the line, but it's almost too cute to stomach.
My dad and mom saw the 5 Stairsteps featuring Cubie in (I think) '67, opening for... who? Dad, are you out there? Can you regale us with this story?
Aha. Thanks for this. I did not know that about Cubie. I don't think 5 year olds should be in bands. That's one thing I stand against.
First off, thanks for the Mayfield-penned track. Never heard that one before. Now, on to O-O-H Child: Clearly one of the greatest recordings of the 20th century. It doesn't even need the outro to be a certified classic, and yet the outro ("Right now...", etc.) is the best thing ever!
This song is played (a different version, I think) as the kids ride the bus off to reform school at the end of the classic 1979 film "Over The Edge". Anyone remember that one?
The b-side is apparently a cover of Dear Prudence. I'd like to hear that.
Also, the drums on O-O-H Child are incredible. I used to think the drummer was a member of the family, and I'm thinking, "No way did this family have 5 great singers AND a drummer who could play like that." As I recently learned, the drums are in fact by Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey, who later played on many of the classic P-Funk albums. More synchronicity: there's an interview with Bigfoot in the French funk mag "Funk U" I bought after seeing the Deodato show in Paris. "Je n'avais meme pas repete et je me suis pointe a un show dans l'Ohio, puis a Detroit pour enregistrer The Mothership Connection."
"This song is played (a different version, I think) as the kids ride the bus off to reform school at the end of the classic 1979 film "Over The Edge"."
I read this quickly and thought, 'well that's an odd song to play for a scene in which a bus full of kids drives over the edge of a cliff.'
I don't know where the cliff part came from. We are meeting at the Parlour tonight with Sheridan Dupre, if you are interested, Emmett.
Sheridan DuPre II or III? III is cool, but I have beef with II.
III. I wouldn't be caught dead lifting a pint with II.
O-o-h, yes!
Okay, this post may be only on in reruns, but the story of the 5 stairsteps and cubie in 1967 is: Greenville, SC, opening for Otis Redding. My recollection is that Cubie was a tyke, like 4 years old, a micro-Michael Jackson (who was, what? then). Oh, I see some of this info on other posts. But anyhow, I was there. (And also at game 1 of the 1954 world series, by the way.)
Thanks, Dad! Good to see you last night.
i think every blog should post ooh child - there are people out there who'll never hear this mighty mighty tune. i found a dusty springfield version recently which is lovely too.
thanks x
I love reading your blogs. Thank you so much for posting those interesting articles.
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