I saw it in passing the other day, but I never got around to posting notice of the passing of General Johnson, driving force of the Chairmen of the Board and other late-’60s/early-’70s AM radio soul-pop acts that kept an increasingly outdated mode of music on the shelves a little bit longer than it might have been kept otherwise.
As a boy, hearing this stuff fresh on the AM radio, mixed in with classic Motown hits from 5 years earlier, it never occured to me that Johnson’s contributions were those of a sort of anti-visionary, or a rearview-mirror visionary. Understandably we often applaud artists for their ability to be “5 years ahead of their time,” but I think it’s time to applaud Johnson for his ability to be 5 years behind his time—in a good way. For those not quite ready to leave behind razor-sharp hooks, blatant downbeats, and songs composed for their strength of their catchy titles/choruses rather than any deep, personal meaning, General Johnson had set about the task of, as Ray Davies might put it, “preserving the old ways from being abused.” I don’t know if this occurred to anyone at the time of the songs’ releases, but as I think about it now, hits like “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” “Patches,” and “Want Ads” may have been the slightest bit “old fashioned” compared with the “happening” music of its time, but the recordings had all the life of their times. They were of the moment, the way a middle-aged person still hopes he or she can be now and then. More power to the General for this unusual knack.
If you don’t get what I’m getting at, here’s Honey Cone‘s “Want Ads,” one of those slightly past expiry date hits I’m talking about. In 1970 even The Supremes were attempting to move beyond the standard Motown template, but this song epitomizes the label’s mid-’60s innocence. Also for comparison, at this time, think about the funky hits of The Jackson 5. “Want Ads” has just enough funk to sound contemporary, but it stops short of that added oomph that would characterize contemporary funk, such as one of those instrumental breakdowns in any of the early J5 hits.
NEXT: Rock Town Hall’s Official Eulogy…
Very nicely said, Mod. Growing up in AZ, I didn’t get the possibility to hear much Motown or current soul; my husband, growing up just outside of NYC, seems to have had an experience similar to yours. All I can say is that the both of you make me realize that I have a lot of catching up (or looking back) to do!
And for anyone looking for more General Johnson and the Chairmen beyond the hits, there is lots out there. The entire H-D-H era Chairmen are out on a couple of two-fers but he continued recording to the present on the Surfside label. Go to the General’s website or the COTB site or google Surfside or, of course, to your right, on amazon. Lots of really good stuff that continued in the vein that Mr. Mod is talking about.
My band worked with the “Chairmen of the Board” many many times through the years. Their show rarely changed but the crowd always went wild. I new the General (Norman) although only from the gigs. He was the consummate pro. He fretted over every detail and demanded excellence. That put a lot of people off because he didn’t give an inch.
I was out on a lake fishing when I got a text telling me he passed. They always opened the show with “Gone Fishin” and I hummed it the rest of the day. That was kinda’ cool.
Well put Mr.M, you nailed it perfectly. I’ve always been of the mind that it doesn’t matter what you’re good at as long as you’re good at something. I just dig excellence and that was the General.