THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,447) Al Kooper — “Brand New Day”
On this New Year’s Day, let me play Al Kooper’s (see #642, 705, 804) “Brand New Day”, a “youthfully optimistic rocker” (Lindsay Planer, https://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-does-it-mw0000740238) — and let’s hope that “the years of night will pass forever when the sun comes shining through”. Happy New Year, everyone.
Lindsay Planer explains that “[t]his is the first of two tracks Kooper used in his score for Hal Ashby’s directorial cinematic debut, 1970’s The Landlord, a highly affable counterculture classic starring Beau Bridges. The haunting “The Landlord Love Theme” [see #804] is also included” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-does-it-mw0000740238) Kooper re-recorded the song for his ’70 double-LP Easy Does It.
Ian McFarlane proclaims that “the original soundtrack version . . . is superior in every way”. (liner notes to the CD comp/reissue I Stand Alone/You Never Know Who Your Friends Are … Plus) Matthew Greenwald loves the LP version:
Originally recorded as the theme song for the film The Landlord, “Brand New Day” is a brilliant wedding of gospel and rock & roll, and according to Al Kooper, “an experiment that worked.” Led by a buoyant melody and truly epic arrangement, th[e] 1970 “remake” is markedly different from the one that appeared on the soundtrack, with its more “airy” recording and performance. Filled with life-affirming and biblical imagery, it’s not too hard to hear the Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson influence, yet it nevertheless has Kooper’s stamp of originality.
I love both versions, but I give the edge to the more gospel-infused soundtrack version. Speaking of gospel, the Staple Singers [see #680] also contributed a stirring performance for The Landlord soundtrack. Mavis Staples recalled that:
I remember Pops telling us, now you get over here, because this guy’s [Kooper] coming with the song for us to sing. It was strange because he wanted to come to the house–he didn’t want to send it in; he wanted to bring it to us personally, and that made all the difference. He came to our home; he spent the night. In fact, he and Pops we’re just laughing most of the time because he was comical and everything he was saying was funny, and my mother fixed dinner. The song he brought, we fell in love with that (“Brand New Day”) and we rehearsed it a little bit. I remember him telling Pops that nobody played guitar the way he did, the sound was so unique. We were excited because we were going to be singing for a movie (The Landlord). He’s not on any high pedestal or anything; he’s just everyday people. That’s what made it so good-he didn’t come in all stiff, just stuck out, and whatnot, he was just down with it.
Here is Kooper’s Easy Does It version:
Here are the Staple Singers:
Here is Kooper live ’74:
Here is Della Reese in ’70:
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