Saturday Psychedelic Soul Celebrating More Cowbell at the 2024 Birthday of Drummer Brian Keenan of the Chambers Brothers

by Robert Wilkinson

Continuing our amazing Aquarian musical weekend, tomorrow is the birthday of Brian Keenan, drummer for one of the most soulful psychedelic groups ever to hit the stage! They gave us one of the greatest cowbell songs of all time. I believe Christopher Walken said it best on SNL: “"Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" If you want one of the most amazing performances of one of the most amazing songs ever written, our first clip with take you places! Time to dance!!

Lester Chambers (April 13, 1940 – harmonica and cowbell) along with brothers Willie Chambers (March 3, 1938 - guitar), Joe Chambers (August 22, 1942 – guitar) and George Chambers (September 26, 1931 - October 12, 2019 - bass), backed by Brian Keenan (January 28, 1943 – October 5, 1985 - drums) created the Chambers Brothers, one of the first multi-racial rock and soul bands doing crossover music ranging from gospel to straight up psychedelia! This was one of the greatest psychedelic soul groups ever to sing a note, and they gave us a monster ginormous hit that set the standard for “more cowbell!”

Without further ado, the magnificent sound of the Chambers Brothers!

From a live broadcast on the German TV Show Swing In, this is a magnificent performance in 1969 filmed in March at the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt. Prepare for an amazing 15 minute version of their truly iconic psychedelic Soul, backed by the Joshua Light Show! Kinetic, electric, and exciting! An amazing tune written by Joe and his brother Willie, the iconic “Time Has Come Today” (Sorry about the obnoxious copyright watermark.) The good news is this is slightly shorter, and not totally synched up, but it’s still the show without the watermark! “Time Has Come Today”

Live on The Ed Sullivan Show, in January 1969, a short version of THE song! “Time Has Come Today”

Live at the Fillmore reunion in 1986, here’s a great live performance in its short form! “Time Has Come Today”

Here’s their third album in its entirety! The Chambers Brothers – The Time Has Come

From that amazing album, one of their biggest hits, sung by Willie! This version really rocks! “Midnight Hour”

Here’s a great live video performance on Hollywood A Go Go in the mid-60s with the Chambers Brothers in the groove with “Call Me”

This was their breakthrough! From their live performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, the audio-only version of “I Got It”

Here’s their rave up of the Soul standard “I Can’t Turn You Loose”

The great clip of the Chambers Brothers live at the French tv show Forum Musiques doing "Wade In The Water," “I Can’t Stand It,” and “I Wish it Would Rain” has disappeared.

From 1969 on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the Brothers delivering the very funky “Are You Ready” (Written by Joe Chambers, he was obviously listening to Normal Whitfield!)

Live in 1969, an audio only version of the legendary Curtis Mayfield classic! “People Get Ready”

Here’s the live 10+ minute audio from the Fillmore East of "Wade In The Water." I have the video of their full set as the encore!

From July 1970, an audio-only version of the Chambers Brothers live at the Atlanta International Pop fest cranking out “Love, Peace, and Happiness”

Here’s a great performance from their reunion tour! Live and grey, the Chambers Brothers giving us “Love, Peace, and Happiness.” And from that reunion gig, here they are live and as good as ever cranking out “Time Has Come Today”

Their 1972 time groovin’ on the one on The Mike Douglas Show has disappeared.

Here’s their very funky 1971 studio album "New Generation”

From 1974, their studio version of the classic Band tune “The Weight”

For our closer, we have an hour and 5 of great live 1994 video footage of the Chambers Brothers playing the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival! The Chambers Brothers Live in Portland 1994

For our encore, we’ll close this tribute with the same tune that brought us in! I still have a fever, and the cure is still more cowbell! Here’s the dynamic original studio version that shook the world in 1968! “Time Has Come Today”

Last year the second encore was awesome. I had their entire 30 minute set in Frankfurt , but it’s disappeared. So instead, I found two of the individual songs, with the middle missing so I found a worthy substitute. For your immersion in this iconic sound, with Brian pounding on the drums, here are the Chambers Brothers live in Germany in 1969. As I said earlier, this performance which is iconic psychedelic Soul, which is kinetic, electric, and exciting! They began that set with "Wade In The Water," which they followed with “People Get Ready” which has disappeared. So instead, I found this ultra rare live performance from 1968 which was a television promo clip. Enjoy the band at their early best takin’ us to church with Curtis Mayfield’s classic, “People Get Ready.”

Third encore is a new live 18 minute performance in what looks to be a television show. It’s them at their best with a new guitar slinger! This is a great performance! The Chambers Brothers Live

And now the incredible experience of THE song to close our show. “Time Has Come Today” (Sorry about the obnoxious copyright watermark.), The good news is this is slightly shorter, and not totally synched up, but it’s still the show without the watermark! “Time Has Come Today”

Here's a great piece on Songfacts which is a great history of "Time Has Come Today." It was a magical song which wrote itself, and captivated everyone who ever heard it. Columbia was determined that song would never get recorded. Here's the story of how it did. Songfacts - "Time Has Come Today"

Now the time has come (Time)
There's no place to run (Time)
I might get burned up by the sun (Time)
But I had my fun (Time)
I've been loved and put aside (Time)
I've been crushed by the tumbling tide (Time)
And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)

I believe my soul's been psychedelized....

© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson

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