Steven Van Zandt has long declared his love for The Beatles and has said it was the appearance of the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan Show that set him on his path to a career in music. 'Macca to Mecca' is clearly a labour of love for the multi-talented Van Zandt.
Rock’n’Roll is his religion and The Cavern Club where the Beatles honed their craft is a sacred site – his Mecca. And the Macca of course… Well, there can only be one Paul McCartney, who duets on the opening ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, which rips along at a pace and sets the template for the rest of proceedings.
This record is a high tempo, joy-filled, rock homage to a band that set the high watermark in popular music. It’s a set comprising early rock classics by the likes of The Shirelles and Arthur Alexander covered by the Beatles in their days in the Little Liverpool Landmark Club, and originals from the band that became classics. They’re all given that Disciplines of Soul twist and verve.
Some songs seem made for The Disciples. One can imagine the horns of ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ reverberating off the red brick walls of the Cavern, the horn section and backing singers crammed in hallways adjacent to the tiny stage. It’s a small club for a band of 15, but oh what a wonderful sound they make. The horn section lead by the wonderful Eddie Manion lifts the sentiment and pomp of ‘All You Need Is Love’ to a new level; a song and a message that never grows old.
The album was conceived and brought together from idea to turntable in a very short time; the songs rehearsed between shows on the 2017 tour of Britain and Ireland. However, it never feels less than fully fleshed out, effervescent and ebullient.
The album comes in a DVD combi pack, featuring all the tracks as they happened and behind the scenes rehearsals, and Van Zandt being presented with a plaque on the Wall of Fame at the front of the club.
If you like your music soulful, sweet and sassy, you should invest in the expanded 4 disc version of the ‘Soulfire Live’ set. Along with the ‘Macca to Mecca’ record, we are treated to a run through songs from the parent album, plus a salvo of his standout tracks from his solo years, ‘Angel Eyes’, ‘Princess Of Little Italy’ and ‘Forever’.
There are also reminders of his more politically aware songs ‘Checkpoint Charlie’, ‘I Am A Patriot’, and ‘Leonard Peltier’ the Native American who remains behind bars after 44 years for his involvement in the murder of two FBI officers, which many contend was a gross miscarriage of justice. The song still demands and gets a passionate delivery from Steven.
The album reflects on some amazing songwriting that Van Zandt passed on to artists of the calibre of Southside Johnny, Gary US Bonds and Jimmy Barnes. Songs like ‘Love On The Wrong Side Of Town’, ‘Standing In The Line Of Fire’ and and ‘Ride The Night Away’. Magnificent songs, now given a unique aural stamp by their creator. Stirring stuff.
Disc 3, contends some absolute gems and some surprising covers. A superb rendition of Tom Petty’s ‘Even The Losers’, and an emotive run through the Animals’ ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ are beautifully conceived and executed by the band, with Marc Ribler taking kudos as musical director and Van Zandt’s right-hand man. Even AC/DC are given a run out in the form of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’.
The Boss himself shares vocals with his lieutenant from the E Street Band on blistering takes on ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’, and Van Zandt’s own classic, ‘I Don’t Want To Go Home’.
Anyone who has seen the live show knows that the band themselves provide a vibrant rainbow of colour on stage, a stage that is constantly moving in sound and vision. This album gives testimony to what a superb band the Disciples of Soul really are, and the guile and craft of their ringmaster, Steven Van Zandt. In these desperate days of Covid, losses of life, and friends, empty halls and empty chairs, a live album of this quality reminds us of the redemptive power of rock’n’roll, and makes us yearn for healthier times when we can meet again, and revel in music this good, and this uplifting.