|  | Quicklink to this site: http://tinyurl.com/workmelord Work Me Lord
Words & Lyrics: Nick Gravenites Performed by Janis Joplin | | The great Gabriel Mekler was one of the most underrated producers despite having crafted Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming", "Easy To Be Hard" and the magnificent "Celebrate" from their Suitable For Framing album (and need I add he produced their hit "One" and their first album as well) Steppenwolf's transcendant "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Born To Be Wild", playing keyboards for Donovan and Etta James...it is amazing that AllMusic.com has so little information on him..including no link to a major component of his genius, Joplin's 1969 solo debut. The song KOZMIC BLUES is a superb composition and production, the title track a true effort of genius between Joplin and her producer, so "Work Me Lord" is no accident when it pours out of the speakers in a majestic blend of instruments and the voice of Janis over suddenly sparse instrumentation, a bass and a percussive echo. It is a Gospel blues song that has poise, elegance and subtlety. When I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! was released on CD for the first time someone at CBS (was it Sony at that point?) pulled a tape that was dramatically different from this tour-de-force final mix. |
| Now the beauty of this YouTube age is that I have a Nick Gravenites version in one window, Joplin singing the completed mix in another YouTube window as well as Janis at Woodstock performing a live version while my computer plays the rough mix extra guitar version. This is the same vocal because on the second verse Janis overwhelms the mic but that is ducked down in the final version from the original vinyl lp. You get to hear the song in an earlier stage, slide and regular guitar - most likely from Sam Andrew - following Janis throughout. The final mix is superior, but for fans of Janis - and Gabriel Mekler - this look inside the studio is a God-send and a must have. The guitar starts trilling before the main solo, and the solo is either completely different! or so buried in the final mix as to not be heard to its fullest. |  | Allmusic.com credits this song to Nick Gravenites and "traditional", but I can't find much information on it anywhere and will have to track down Gravenites himself for an interview.
Read about more rarities here on GEMMZINE.com http://tinyurl.com/gemmzinerarities Hear Nick Gravenites sing "Work Me Lord" on YouTube Hear Janis Joplin at Woodstock singing Work Me Lord Live! August 1969 Hear Janis Joplin/Gabriel Mekler's final mix |
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