Back for the beginning of our final(?) season, Bryce Halliday joins Sam and Martin for a journey toward the great unknown of Illinois. We examine the era of the song’s setting, the power of Mavis Staples’s singing, and the reliability of moving to "better" places.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Chicago, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Way Down Hadestown, Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell (2010)
I'll Take You There, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, The Staples Singers (1972)
Liquidator, single, Harry J Allstars (1969)
Respect Yourself, live at Lagunitas Brewing, Mavis Staples & Tom Waits (2017)
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