“ ‘Compared To What’, a socially and politically charged slice of funk that became a hit for jazz musicians Les McCann and Eddie Harris paving the way, along with The Last Poets, for Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin On, Gil Scott-Heron and ultimately hip hop.”
—Marc Campbell DANGEROUSMINDS.com
LES MCCANN & EDDIE HARRIS
The seminal version of Eugene’s “Compared to What” was recorded live at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival on the shores of Lake Geneva Switzerland. Earlier in the festival Les McCann had performed with his trio, and Eddie Harris with his quartet. They weren’t booked to perform together but and agreed to do so on June 21, 1969, with Benny Bailey (trumpet), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), and Donald Dean (drums). The resulting performance was lightening in a bottle!
“Compared to What” was the first track on the album ‘Swiss Movement Recorded Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland’ which is widely credited with putting the Montreux Jazz Festival on the map. The single of “Compared to What” sold over a million copies and reached No. 35 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
“They’d sent me the tapes of the performance,” Joel recalled. “So I put them on— ‘Compared to What?’ and ‘Cold Duck Time.’ The air-conditioning at Atlantic was broken at the time, and the doors to the studio were open, and the place just went nuts! If you wanna talk about what jazz is - jazz is a bunch of guys gettin’ together and clickin’ at the same time. It made the festival, and it made Les and Eddie into an act. Then everybody started to record at Montreux. It became the new Newport. The record [Swiss Movement] was a smash. It went from jazz to R&B to pop. Everybody was playin’ it! ”
John Legend and Questlove talk Eugene & “Compared to What”
JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS "COMPARED TO WHAT" LIVE 2010
Eugene talks "Compared to What” in 2010
(video credit Dennis Johnson & Grace Peirce)
LYRICS
Love the lie, lie the love,
Hanging on, we push and shovePossession is the motivation,
Messing up the whole damn nationLooks like we always end up in a rut,
Trying to make it real, Compared to what?Slaughter houses, killing hogs
Twisted children, killing frogsPoor dumb rednecks rolling logs,
Tired old ladies, kissing dogsHate the human,
Love that stinking mutt
Trying to make it real, Compared to what?The president has got his war
Folks don’t know what it’s forNobody gives us rhyme or reason
Have one doubt they call it treasonWe’re chicken feathers, all without one gut
Trying to make it real,Compared to what?
Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Trying to duck the wrath of GodPreachers filling us with fright,
Teaching what they think is rightThey really have to be some kind of nut,
Trying to make it real, Compared to what?Where’s the bee, where’s the honey?
Where’s that God and where’s my money?Unreal values, crass distortion
Unwed mothers need abortions.Kinda brings to mind old young King Tut
Trying to make it real,Compared to what?
Cover versions of ‘Compared to What’ :
ROBERTA FLACK
Flack recorded the song for her 1969 debut album First Take and "Compared to What" was her first single. Flack's manager that year was Lee McCann, who was the first to record the song, as a ballad on his 1966 album “Les McCann Plays the Hits”, which is interesting since the song wasn’t a hit yet, this was its first release. Perhaps it’s a lesson in manifesting; a live version of the song was to become huge hit for Les and Eddie Harris in 1969, the same year Roberta Flack’s version was released.
BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS
In 1973 Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express included a cover of "Compared to What" on their album Closer to It. In 1975 the band performed "Compared to What," as their closing number, at San Francisco's Winterland, when the band opened for Fleetwood Mac. "Compared to What" was also included on the band's albums Live Oblivion - 1975, and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - 2005: Live at the Baked Potato.
Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard's studio version of "Compared To What" from his 2015 album Breathless, featuring PJ Morton & The E-Collective.
Meshell NdegeOcello
A different & funky twist on this Les McCann / Eddie Harris classic. That's what you'd expect from the HIGHLY UNDERRATED multi instrumentalist & singer Meshell NdegeOcello. Taken from the soundtrack for the movie "Talk To Me".
OFF!
"Compared to What" was even recorded by Los Angeles punk band OFF! The punk supergroup consists of Circle Jerks/Black Flag singer Keith Morris Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats, Redd Kross bassist Steven McDonald and Rocket From the Crypt/Hot Snakes drummer Mario Rubalcaba. The song was released as a 7" single in 2007 on Southern Lord Recordings.
JERRY JONES
Jerry Jones is an Alabama born reggae singer who was originally engaged to perform at the Kingston Hotel in Jamaica for one week but feel in love with the country and stayed on for months. Influential Jamacian record producer Coxsone Dodd saw her perform at the hotel and invited her to record for him at Studio One, the renowned Jamacian record label and studio, considered the "Motown of reggae". This 1970 recording features reggae backing by the Sound Dimension, and includes an awesome version of "Compared To What."
RAY CHARLES and LEELA JAMES
In 2005, soul singer Leela James lent her voice to the posthumously released Ray Charles album, Genius & Friends, duetting with the singer on the song "Compared to What."
Ronnie Laws
Ronnie Laws' 1996 release, Tribute to the Legendary Eddie Harris covers "Compared To What", a song Harris, along with Les McCann, helped to become a huge jazz hit with their 1969 live recording at Montreau Jazz Festival.
MUSHROOM
Psychedelic jazz band MUSHROOM hooks up with punk blues singer Gary Floyd of Sister Double Happiness with Jon Birdsong, who spent three years playing with Beck, on trumpet, Michael Bluestein on piano and analog synth.
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Billy Paul
Della Reese
Some of the other notable artists who have recorded versions of "Compared to What”:
Al Jarreau + Passport + Lenny Williams + Sweetwater + Lucky Peterson + Jason Rebello + Uschi Bruning