Strolling to check the MB post the other day, I discovered Reverend Cleatus had turned up with the mail. It transpires that a welcome re-release of the short-lived Reverend Cleatus & The Soul Saviours‘ only full length album Soul Saviour Stew was in the offing. The monkey was all set to swing into posting action as the news spread through MB Towers when funky monkeyboxing tea lady Loretta May Drew elbowed her way through to the editor’s desk. Here’s a transcript of what happened – we suspect there may be some ‘history’ here:
Loretta May (LM): “Cleatus?..Cleatus? Cleatus?! Goddammit I been looking all the hell over for Soul Saviour Stew on wax and folks say it only come out on these here compact discs back in the day. Now why the hell you ain’t out on vinyl?”
Reverend Cleatus (RC): That you Loretta May? Damn woman! You still fierce but you lookin’ fine! Ain’t you hear that we finally cut that album to wax? Last time I seen you was…
LM: Never mind about the last time you seen me Cleatus! What you mean by releasing yo’ only album seven years after you all broke up and all?
RC: It’s them Tramp Records cats – they took over the whole thing from Soul Cookers Records! Them crazy diggers really got the whole Soul Saviour Stew sound! They was feelin how raw it all was! They dug how we done mix up all them funky styles and recorded them – you know – half a tea cup of Eddie Bo, a pound of The Meters, four tablespoons of Jimmy Smith, a pinch of Jack McDuff – and a pint of them old time four track tape machines, microphone pointed any old how in just one room. Say Loretta – you ever think about that time we knocked over the mic when we was…
LM: Cleatus – reverend or no reverend – I ain’t gonna say this but one mo’ time before I bust you where it hurt a man bad…
RC: Loretta – c’mon, you know I ain’t real though right? You know they ain’t no real Reverend Cleatus? It’s just a name! It was all Greg – you know – Boraman from Freestyle Records and a bunch of folks he knew…but you is lookin’ fine tho…ow!…Shit!..Ow!..God-damn!”
…And it was about there that the recording stopped. Still – we’ve learned three important things – firstly Soul Saviour Stew is now finally out on vinyl, secondly you never mess with Loretta May Drew and thirdly you never mess with Loretta May Drew.
(Out now on Tramp Records)