Named for the Alabama 2, a legal case in the American deep South during the 1930s, in which two black men were hanged for allegedly raping a white woman. The name is also a nod to other victims of injustice like the Birmingham 6 and Guildford 4. In the United States, they are known as A3, after they were sued by the legendary country outfit Alabama.
They are perhaps best known in the United States for the remix of their song Woke Up This Morning, which appears as the theme song for the HBO hit series The Sopranos.
They have released six albums so far, with numerous bootlegs more than doubling their catalog. Alabama 3 rarely tour outside of their home country.
Recently, female singer Devlin Love has joined the group.
Additional material:
Alabama 3 are an English band mixing rock, dance, blues, country, gospel, and spoken word styles, founded in Brixton, London in 1995. In the United States, the band are known as A3, allegedly to avoid any possible legal conflict with the country music band Alabama.[1] The group achieved international fame when the producers of hit TV series The Sopranos chose the track "Woke Up This Morning" for the show's opening credits.[1]
The band are particularly notable for their fusion of styles, lyrics full of ironic intent, their deliberately humorous personas and their outrageous live performances. Every member of the group has an alias by which he is known, the band's founding members adopting the personas Larry Love (Rob Spragg) and The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love (Jake Black).
The band formed when Jake Black met Rob Spragg at an acid house party in Peckham and they decided that a fusion of country music with acid house was a musical possibility.[2] Other members of the band were accumulated over a lengthy period, but it is known that Rob Spragg was at university with Piers Marsh, the harmonica player and synth programmer for the band whilst Orlando Harrison, the group's current keyboardist, used to live with Jake Black.[2] Prior to the formation of the Alabama 3, Jake had gone through his "wilderness years" period of which there is little or no recorded output. This creative gulch lasted years following the demise of The Jangletties.
Starting their act under the alias the First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine (UK), the group eventually switched names to Alabama 3 and, after having been dismissed by the mainstream media as a novelty act, the group finally signed with One Little Indian Records in 1997 for the release of debut album, Exile on Coldharbour Lane.[3]
In August 2007, the group toured under the name of Alabama 3: Acoustic and Unplugged, with Harpo Strangelove and Devlin Love, to promote their new album M.O.R. (released 10 September 2007). Bassist John "Segs" Jennings apparently left the band, saying he was "busy elsewhere and [he doesn't] have the time."[4] The band's sixth studio album album M.O.R included a cover of Jerry Reed's 1970s hit "Amos Moses" and features The Proclaimers on the track "Sweet Joy" plus piano parts on the country stomp version of the Gil Scott Heron song "The Klan", written by Heron and Brian Jackson. In September and October 2007, the band toured the UK in support of M.O.R. with Irish band Republic Of Loose supporting.
On Friday 29 February 2008, Larry Love, Devlin Love and Mark Sams did an encore with Carbon/Silicon at the seventh and final Carbon Casino gig at the Inn on the Green, under the Westway. Mick Jones joined the group on-stage to add guitar and backing vocals to a version of "Woke Up This Morning."
Having recorded and toured with the band in the early days, Aurora Dawn rejoined the band in 2009, and sometime between late 2010 and early 2011, programmer, harmonicist, and founding member Piers "Mountain of Love" Marsh left the band. Although no reason has yet been publicly given, his departure appears to be amicable, as he is still an active contributor to the band's Facebook page. He and other Alabama 3 founder member, Sir Eddie Real, are now performing new material under the name of "Mountain of Love" with vocals from various guest vocalists.
The members of the band are:
Rob Spragg AKA Larry Love: vocals
Jake Black AKA The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love: vocals
Orlando Harrison AKA The Spirit: keyboards, keyboard bass, vocals
Mark Sams AKA Rock Freebase: guitar, bass guitar
Aurora Dawn: vocals
Steve Finnerty AKA LOVEPIPE: production, guitar and vocals
Nick Reynolds AKA Harpo Strangelove: harmonica, percussion, vocals (son of Bruce Reynolds, architect of the Great Train Robbery of 1963.[5] Bruce appears on the band's 2005 album, Outlaw).
John Jennings AKA Segs: backing vocals, guitar
Past Members:
Zoe Devlin AKA Devlin Love: vocals
Jonny Delafons AKA L. B. Dope: drums, percussion
Simon (The Dude) Edwards AKA Sir Eddie Real: percussion, vocals
Piers Marsh AKA The Mountain of Love: Synths
Film:
"Peace in the Valley" is featured in the film A Life Less Ordinary (1997).
"Too Sick to Pray" plays on the radio in the film Gone in 60 Seconds (2000).
A snippet of "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" features in the film Some Voices (2000).
"Mansion on the Hill" featured on the Kurt Russell/Kevin Costner film 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001).
A part of "M.I.A" by the band is played in the film The Football Factory (2004) as the Chelsea firm travel up to Liverpool for an away match.
The song "Sister Rosetta" from Exile on Coldharbour Lane can be heard in the film Barnyard (2006).
A snippet of "Bulletproof" appears in A Very British Gangster (2007), Donal MacIntyre's documentary film about Manchester crime boss Dominic Noonan.
The song "Ain't Goin' to Goa" is featured in the motion picture Definitely, Maybe (2008).
The band is featured in the documentary We Dreamed America (2008). The film, which explores the influence of American country music on British artists, features three songs by the band.
"Mansion on the Hill" is used on the opening credits of mockumentory Good Arrows (2009), written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh.
Television:
Episode four of the BBC Three series Being Human features "Too Sick to Pray" at its opening and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlife" at its end. The songs were omitted from the DVD release of the episode due to copyright issues.[citation needed]
"Mansion on the Hill" features in the sixth episode of the ABC television series Carpoolers.
The closing scene to first season Criminal Minds episode titled "Won't Get Fooled Again" (10/05/05) plays "The Night We Nearly Got Busted".
A shortened alternate version of "Woke Up This Morning" can be heard for nearly 50 seconds in The Simpsons episode "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge", while Fat Tony and his gang are on the ride to the Simpsons' house. The sequence is a parody of the opening sequence of The Sopranos.
"Woke Up This Morning" is also in the later Simpsons episode "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer", which guest-starred Sopranos regulars Michael Imperioli and Joe Pantoliano.
A remixed version of "Woke Up This Morning" plays during the opening credits of the HBO television series The Sopranos.
On the Region 4 DVD release of season one of The Sopranos, the music video to "Woke Up This Morning" is included as a special feature; it is incorrectly credited as being performed by "Alabama 5".
A snippet of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlife" can be heard at the beginning of The Sopranos: "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" (episode 3.1) as Tony Soprano walks down the driveway to get his morning newspaper.
"Woke Up This Morning" was also used in an episode of BBC series Top Gear, in which the team were driving through Alabama.
"Mao Tse Tung Said" features in the first episode of the second season of Torchwood Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.
Rob Spragg (as Rob Love) wrote and recorded the theme to Welsh TV series Y Pris. He and John Hardy won the Best Original Music Soundtrack award at BAFTA Cymru 2008
Goa
Alabama 3 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shut down my chakras, shift Shiva offa my shelf
Take down my tie dyes, my Tibetan bells
Cool down my karma with a can of O.P.T.
Ain't no call for Casteneda in my frontline library.
There's one thing I know, Lord above,
I ain't gonna go,
Ain't goin' to Goa, Ain't gonna Goa now.
Ain't dancin' trance, no thanx, no chance to tranquilize me.
Ain't sippin' no smart bar drinks, you, that don't satisfy me.
Dosing up my dharma, with a drop of gasoline,
I ain't down with Mr. McKenna, tantric mantra talkin' don't move me.
I don't need no freaky, deeky, fractal geometry, crystal silicon chip.
I ain't walking on lay lines, reading no High Times put me on another bad trip.
Timothy Leary, just check out this theory,
He sold acid for the F.B.I.
Well, he ain't no website wonder, the guru just went under,
You can keep your California Sunshine.
'Cause the righteous truth is, there ain't nothing worse than
Some fool lying on some Third World beach wearing
Spandex, psychedelic trousers, smoking damn dope
Pretending he gettin' consciousness expansion. I want
Consciousness expansion, I go to my local tabernacle
An' I sing with the brothers and sisters
In these lyrics, Alabama 3 is rejecting the popular hippie culture of the time, particularly the notion of going to Goa, a region in India known for its trance and hippie party scene. The singer is mocking the idea of engaging in spiritual practices, such as chakras and Tibetan bells, and instead chooses to “cool down” their karma with a can of O.P.T. They reject the teachings of Carlos Castaneda, an American author famous for his books on shamanism and psychedelics, as well as those of Terence McKenna, who was known for his advocacy of the use of psychedelics for spiritual and personal development.
The singer expresses a distaste for the trance music and smart bar drinks associated with the culture, stating that they prefer to dose up their “dharma” with a drop of gasoline. They also reject the idea of reading High Times or walking on ley lines as a means of achieving consciousness expansion. Instead, they prefer to go to their “local tabernacle” and sing with their fellow believers.
The lyrics of this song challenge the idea that drugs and partying are the keys to spiritual enlightenment and that one must travel to exotic locations to find oneself. The rejection of these ideas is a nod towards traditional religious practices and a critique of the materialistic and hedonistic aspects of the hippie culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe I'm gonna
I think I'm going to
Shut down my chakras, shift Shiva offa my shelf
I'm going to stop focusing on my spirituality and move away from my Hindu beliefs
Take down my tie dyes, my Tibetan bells
I'm going to get rid of my funky clothing and decorative bells
Cool down my karma with a can of O.P.T.
I'm going to drink a can of beer to calm myself down and forget about karma
Ain't no call for Casteneda in my frontline library.
I don't need any books by Carlos Castaneda in my personal library
There's one thing I know, Lord above,
I know one thing for sure
I ain't gonna go,
I'm not going to go
I ain't goin' to Goa, Ain't goin' to Goa now
I'm not going to Goa, not now or ever
Ain't goin' to Goa, Ain't gonna Goa now.
I am definitely not going to Goa
Ain't dancin' trance, no thanx, no chance to tranquilize me.
I'm not interested in dancing to trance music, it won't help me relax
Ain't sippin' no smart bar drinks, you, that don't satisfy me.
I won't be drinking any smart bar drinks, they don't quench my thirst
Dosing up my dharma, with a drop of gasoline,
I'm going to mix my spiritual practice with a bit of rebellion
I ain't down with Mr. McKenna, tantric mantra talkin' don't move me.
I don't agree with Terence McKenna, and his talk of tantric mantras doesn't interest me
I don't need no freaky, deeky, fractal geometry, crystal silicon chip.
I don't need any strange, complicated technology or math concepts
I ain't walking on lay lines, reading no High Times put me on another bad trip.
I'm not going to walk on ley lines or read High Times magazine, because they will give me a bad experience
Timothy Leary, just check out this theory,
Take a look at this idea about Timothy Leary
He sold acid for the F.B.I.
He once sold LSD for the FBI
Well, he ain't no website wonder, the guru just went under,
He's not a popular internet figure anymore, and his teachings are not as relevant
You can keep your California Sunshine.
I don't need any of that California lifestyle
'Cause the righteous truth is, there ain't nothing worse than
The cold hard facts are, there is nothing worse than
Some fool lying on some Third World beach wearing
A foolish person lounging on a beach in a developing country with
Spandex, psychedelic trousers, smoking damn dope
tight clothing, psychedelic pants, and smoking marijuana
Pretending he getting consciousness expansion. I want
Faking that they are achieving spiritual enlightenment when what they really need is
Consciousness expansion, I go to my local tabernacle
True enlightenment, which I find by going to my local church
An' I sing with the brothers and sisters
And singing with the other members of the congregation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sentric Music
Written by: JAKE BLACK, PIERS MARSH, ROBERT SPRAGG, SIMON EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@v745ti
I heard this song one time in 1996-1997 on the radio in my car and was enamored. I wanted more. I listened to the next 30 minutes of songs, late for work, hoping the DJ would mention the name/artist but he never did. I called the radio station, they told me they were airing a nationally syndicated show & didn't have a track list. I called the nationally syndicated show but they never got back to me. I even wrote letters. This was in the days before I'd heard of, or could even afford the internet.
I spent the next 10 years looking for this song on & off. Closest I got in the Internet era was an instrumental (?) by Stephen Day. Pre-internet I went to dozens of record stores & they pointed me to Cornershop (who are an excellent rabbit hole but sadly unrelated) and Forest For The Trees who were also getting a lot of air play in the late 90s but also unrelated.
Unsuccessful, I'd resigned to the fact that I'd never hear this again. This song felt like the "one who got away". I yearned for it.
I gave up hope over the decades & stopped actively looking about 15 years ago, but thought of this song probably 4-5x/yr.
Then last night I watched the Soprano's for the first time (I know... I'm a bit behind the times). A3 sings the intro song and it immediately brought back memories of this song. So I hopped over to YouTube, pulled up an A3 playlist on a whim & this was the first song. I cried. I've listened to this song probably 100 times since then. The feeling is indescribable.
Thanks for posting this 12 years ago.
@RobynShorrock
I believe I'm gonna
Shut down my chakras, shift Shiva offa my shelf
Take down my tie dyes, my Tibetan bells
Cool down my karma with a can of O.P.T.
Ain't no call for Casteneda in my frontline library.
There's one thing I know, Lord above,
I ain't gonna go,
I ain't goin' to Goa, Ain't goin' to Goa now
Ain't goin' to Goa, Ain't gonna Goa now.
Ain't dancin' trance, no thanx, no chance to tranquilize me.
Ain't sippin' no smart bar drinks, you, that don't satisfy me.
Dosing up my dharma, with a drop of gasoline,
I ain't down with Mr. McKenna, tantric mantra talkin' don't move me.
I don't need no freaky, deeky, fractal geometry, crystal silicon chip.
I ain't walking on lay lines, reading no High Times put me on another bad trip.
Timothy Leary,…
@smartalek180
The righteous truth is:
There ain't nothin' worse than some fool
Lyin' on some third-world beach
In spandex psychedelic trousers
Smokin' damn dope
Pretendin' he gettin' consciousness expansion.
I want consciousness expansion,
I go to my local tabernacle
And I SING!
@v745ti
I heard this song one time in 1996-1997 on the radio in my car and was enamored. I wanted more. I listened to the next 30 minutes of songs, late for work, hoping the DJ would mention the name/artist but he never did. I called the radio station, they told me they were airing a nationally syndicated show & didn't have a track list. I called the nationally syndicated show but they never got back to me. I even wrote letters. This was in the days before I'd heard of, or could even afford the internet.
I spent the next 10 years looking for this song on & off. Closest I got in the Internet era was an instrumental (?) by Stephen Day. Pre-internet I went to dozens of record stores & they pointed me to Cornershop (who are an excellent rabbit hole but sadly unrelated) and Forest For The Trees who were also getting a lot of air play in the late 90s but also unrelated.
Unsuccessful, I'd resigned to the fact that I'd never hear this again. This song felt like the "one who got away". I yearned for it.
I gave up hope over the decades & stopped actively looking about 15 years ago, but thought of this song probably 4-5x/yr.
Then last night I watched the Soprano's for the first time (I know... I'm a bit behind the times). A3 sings the intro song and it immediately brought back memories of this song. So I hopped over to YouTube, pulled up an A3 playlist on a whim & this was the first song. I cried. I've listened to this song probably 100 times since then. The feeling is indescribable.
Thanks for posting this 12 years ago.
@alanpennie
A great song.
Their weird humour remains me of Half Man Half Biscuit.
@visualvenom
Epic and worthy journey my friend. I got lucky with hearing To Sick to Pray while watching the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds and paying mad attention to the credits. Cheers for your awesome tale of been on the trail for that fix.
@stevebyrne9849
So do you like the song or not?
@theredseventhousand
I used to go drinking with the Alabama.
One of them even slept in my house, which is unusual, because THE ALABAMA DONT SLEEP
@nicestguyinhouse6112
That's a great story man, glad you finally found them and got this great band into your life, this whole album is class as a few of their others are too. This album is hardly off in my car when it's spring/summer, got such a good feel
@TheChiacch
Here a guy from Argentina. I'm 23 and my father used to listen to this amazing band, all day long, when I was little. Old times. Happy 2021, people.
@reashot
"I don'tn need no freaky, deeky, fractal geometry, crystal silicon chip. I ain't walking on lay lines, reading no High Times put me on another bad trip. Timothy Leary, just check out this theory, he sold acid for the F.B.I. Well, he ain't no website wonder, the guru just went under, you can keep your California Sunshine." Best lyrics ever.
@georgielowe5483
verse after is even better haha 👏😎
@kikidee3204
Love it xxx