''Rejuvenation'' is the fifth studio album by the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

group The Meters. It was released in 1974. In 2003, the album was ranked number 138 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

, and 139 in a 2012 revised list.

Background

The Meters cut their first three mostly instrumental albums with Josie Records, before signing with Reprise and recording 1972's '' Cabbage Alley,'' their first album to feature mostly vocal songs and arrangements. ''Rejuvenation'' is the follow-up album. It was produced by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

and recorded at his brand new

Sea-Saint Studios Sea-Saint Studios was a music recording facility located at 3809 Clematis Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was co-owned by musician, producer, and arranger, Allen Toussaint and record A&R man and publishing agent Marshall Sehorn, which was in ...

in New Orleans. Some of the songs on the album include horn section arrangements by Toussaint. The front cover artwork features a photograph of a woman sitting on a couch alongside several record albums strewn about her living room, such as

's 1972 ''Life, Love and Faith'' as well as the Meters' own previous LP ''Cabbage Alley''.

Reception

Stephen Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called it "a first-class funk album" and noted the album's rock influences and its hard-edged funk.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

had a positive view and singles out the two tracks "It Ain't No Use" and "Just Kissed My Baby" as highlights.

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called the album "a high point of 1970s funk". He noted the sparse spacing of the music and stylistic influences from Mardi Gras, gospel, R&B and country. Daryl Easlea of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

called the music a "merger of funk and

swamp rock Swamp rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the mid-1960s as a fusion of rockabilly and soul music with swamp blues, country music and funk. The genre originated in Louisiana by artists such as Tony Joe White, but was subsequently po ...

" and said the album is "the epitome of groove-laden, hook-rich, in-your-face funk." He singled out "Africa" and "It Ain't No Use" as highlights.

Influence and cover songs

The album's influence is detectable in the work of a number of artists who have performed renditions of its songs. The

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

did a modified version of the song "Africa" on their album ''

Freaky Styley ''Freaky Styley'' is the second studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released August 16, 1985 on EMI America. ''Freaky Styley'' marks founding guitarist Hillel Slovak's studio album debut, following his return to the band ear ...

.'' Throughout their version, the word "Africa" is changed to "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

" and "Mother Land" is changed to "Brother Land". The third track, "Just Kissed My Baby", is used in ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...

'' on the funk radio station "IF99 (International Funk)". The song is sampled on

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

's "Timebomb" from the album ''

Yo! Bum Rush the Show ''Yo! Bum Rush the Show'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on February 10, 1987. It was recorded at Spectrum City Studios in Hempstead, New York, and became one of the fastest-selling hip hop records, but ...

''. Chris Duarte did a rendition of "Just Kissed My Baby" on ''Texas Sugar/Strat Magik''. He has also covered "People Say" live. covered "Just Kissed My Baby" on the album ''Out of the Blues''. New Orleans'

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a brass band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ensemble was established in 1977, by Benny Jones and members of the Tornado Brass Band. The Dirty Dozen revolutionized the New Orleans brass band style by incorpo ...

covered "Africa" on their ''Medicated Magic'' album. The

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

regularly performed "Hey Pocky A-Way" in their concerts in the late 1980s.

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...

regularly cover "It Ain't No Use" and have played and still play "Just Kissed My Baby" many times. George Porter, Jr. has sat in with Widespread Panic a number of times, most recently at their annual "Panic en la Playa Siete" destination shows. The 01/28/2018 show at Riviera Maya, MX featured George on bass & vocals performing "It Ain't No Use".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from

, with added vocal credits. ;The Meters *

Ziggy Modeliste Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948), also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. ...

– drums, composer, producer, vocals *

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...

– keyboards, composer, producer, vocals *

Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as " Cissy Strut" and "Hey P ...

– guitar, composer, producer, background vocals * George Porter Jr. – bass, composer, producer, background vocals with: *

Lowell George Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat. Earl ...

– slide guitar on "Just Kissed My Baby" ;Production *

– producer *Tim Livingston – project manager *Bob Irwin – mastering *Al Quaglieri – mastering *Ken Laxton – engineer *Rich Russell – design *

Bunny Matthews Will Bunn "Bunny" Matthews III (February 15, 1951 – June 1, 2021) was an American cartoonist and writer from the Greater New Orleans Area. He is best known for his depictions of New Orleans characters and local dialect, especially Vic and ...

– liner notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rejuvenation (The Meters album) 1974 albums The Meters albums Albums produced by Allen Toussaint Albums recorded at Sea-Saint Studios Reprise Records albums