The group formed in 1961 as The Sunliners, and, after changing their name to "Rare Earth" were signed to Motown in 1969. The band was the first act signed to a new Motown imprint that would be dedicated to white rock acts. The record company didn't have a name for the new label yet, and the band jokingly suggested Motown call the label "Rare Earth." To the band's surprise, Motown decided to do just that.
The main personnel in the group included Gil Bridges (saxophone and vocals ), Pete Rivera a.k.a. Peter Hoorelbeke (lead vocals and drums), John Parrish a.k.a. John Persh (bass guitar, trombone and vocals), Rod Richards (born Rod Cox, guitar), Edward "Eddie" Guzman (congas and assorted percussive instruments) and Kenny James (born Ken Folcik, keyboards). The personnel lineup changed considerably over the years, with three members of the group dying during the 1980s and 1990s, and the only original member currently left in the group is Bridges.
Rare Earth had a number of Top Ten hits in the 1970-1971 period, including covers of The Temptations' "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (which was used in the documentary video It's Time) and "Get Ready". The cover of "Get Ready" was their biggest hit, peaking at #4 on the US pop charts, a better performance than the original. They did not chart significantly after 1971, although they continued to record into the 1980s. Their 1973 album Ma, written and produced by Norman Whitfield, is considered their best overall work, and features their version of "Hum Along and Dance".
The group gained a bit of notoriety when it was mentioned dismissively in the lyrics to Gil Scott-Heron's landmark 1970 poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which included the line, "The theme song [to the revolution] will not be written by Jim Webb, Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, Engelbert Humperdinck, or the Rare Earth."
Rare Earth, which continues to perform at corporate events and on the oldies circuit, appears to have had the last word, however; bits from their recordings have been used as samples on recordings as diverse as Beck's "Derelict", Black Sheep's "Try Counting Sheep", Peanut Butter Wolf's "Tale of Five Cities", Scarface's "Faith", NWA's "Real N****z Don't Die" and Eric B. and Rakim's "What's Going On". Their hit "I Just Want to Celebrate" was also used in a major national advertising campaign by Ford Motor Company. "Get Ready" was used on the soundtrack to EA Games Battlefield Vietnam.
There is another band with the same name:
2. Rare Earth began as an R&B band called the Sunliners in Detroit in 1961. Of the musicians who would be part of the band dubbed Rare Earth, only sax player Gil Bridges and drummer Pete Rivera were present. John Parrish joined on bass in 1962. Rod Richards became a guitarist with the group in 1966. Keyboardist Kenny James came into the fold the same year. After years of doing the club circuit, the group changed their name to Rare Earth and released Dreams/Answers on Verve. The album received little reaction and the group was picked up by Motown Records as the first act on their yet-to-be-named new label. Rare Earth suggested to Motown that the label name their new subsidiary after the band and Rare Earth Records was born.
When they set out to record their first album, they essentially ran out of material and did a 21-minute rendition of the Temptation's "Get Ready" to fill out the space. The album was making no headway on the charts for a long period of time. So they took the first three minutes of "Get Ready," released it as a single and it made its way into the U.S. Top Ten list, peaking at number four. Pulled along by the success of the single, the album also began to sell, breaking the Top 20, and Rare Earth's career was officially on its way. The second album, Ecology, was released in June of 1970, a couple months short of a year after "Get Ready" had been put out. Interestingly enough, Ecology was not really the group's second album, but their third. An album entitled Generation was recorded as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. When the film stalled at the box office, the album was shelved. Still, Ecology would yield not one, but two hit singles. The first was "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (another Temptations cover), which also broke the Top Ten. The second single, "Born to Wander," did not fare quite so well, but did make the Top 20. The album was catapulted to number 15.
Not wanting to lose momentum, One World followed almost exactly a year after Ecology, and yielded another hit single in a longtime classic, "I Just Want to Celebrate." The song peaked on the pop charts at number seven and the album broke the Top 50. They released a live album in December of the same year. For the next album, Willie Remembers, the group insisted on doing all originals, a move that was not common around the Motown camp. Unfortunately, for a band trying to prove a point, the album never reached the type of sales of previous records. Indeed, it stalled out at number 90, and the single "Good Time Sally" didn't even break the Top 50.
Motown tightened the creative grip on the group and original producer Norman Whitfield, who had worked with the group on earlier albums, was brought in to save the day. The resulting album, Ma, was released in May of 1973 and fared just a little better than Willie Remembers, peaking at number 65. The label was not pleased and sent the group into the studio to record with Stevie Wonder. That pairing did not really gel, though, and only two tracks were recorded, neither of which were released. Instead, the label sought to release another live album, trying to regain the spark that Rare Earth had had. That project also fell by the wayside, though.
What followed was a series of lineup changes and legal battles, and the group stopped touring altogether in 1974. The following year Rare Earth, in a new lineup, released Back to Earth. The album did a bit better than the previous one, reaching number 59 on the charts. The single, appropriately entitled "It Makes You Happy (But It Ain't Gonna Last Too Long)" stalled just outside the Top 100. A disco-oriented excursion entitled Midnight Lady was released in 1976, but failed to really go anywhere. To make matters worse, Rare Earth Records was discontinued altogether. The band had broken up by this time.
As fate would have it, though, this was not the end of Rare Earth. Instead, Barney Ales, who had presided over Rare Earth Records, started his own label Prodigal Records. He talked the group into reuniting to record the label debut. The resulting album, Rare Earth, was released in 1977 and made no real waves in the music business. Rare Earth got things together again for a marathon recording session the following year. That session yielded not one, but two albums. The first was Band Together, released in April of 1978, with Grand Slam following in September. Neither of those albums every really took off, either. The group essentially broke up in 1978, although a version of the original lineup was touring all the way into 1983. A different incarnation of the group, with just two original members, still makes the circuits.
People Get Ready
Rare Earth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear diesels a-humming
You don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
Yeah yeah yeah
People get ready for the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
There's room for all of the loved and lost
Yeah yeah
Now there ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who's hard on mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances are thinner
'Cause there's no hiding place from the Kingdom's Throne
Oh people get ready there's a train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear diesels a-humming
Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
The lyrics to Rare Earth's song "People Get Ready" are about a man who is deeply in love with a woman and is ready to make his move. He describes the woman's special qualities that make him feel like no one else can, and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to be with her. He warns her that if she wants to play "hide and seek with love," she will miss out on the kind of love that he has to offer. He is determined to get to her before anyone else does.
One interesting interpretation of the song is that the man is trying to convince the woman to give him a chance, even though she may have been hurt in the past. He is assuring her that his love is genuine and that he will be patient and persistent in winning her over. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy chorus convey the excitement and urgency of the man's feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I never met a girl who makes me feel the way that you do
The person has never met a girl who makes them feel the way this particular person does.
(it's alright)
They are indicating that they feel good about the situation.
Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real
When asked who is responsible for making their dreams come true.
I say that you do
The individual believes that the person they are speaking to is responsible.
(you're outta sight)
They have high admiration for the person they are speaking to.
So fee fi fo fum
This line doesn't have a clear meaning and may be intended for poetic effect.
Look out baby 'cause here I come
They are approaching the person and about to make an advance.
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
They are promising to bring genuine and true love to the person.
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
They are indicating that they will attempt to make romantic advances towards the person.
I'm on my way
They are on their way to meet the person.
If you wanna play hide and seek with love let me remind you
If the person is playing games with their romantic interest, the individual is reminding them of the consequences.
(it's alright)
They feel good about reminding the person of the potential consequences.
The loving you're gonna miss and the time it takes to find you
They are warning the person that if they continue to play games, they will miss out on love and take longer to find it.
(it's outta sight)
They feel strongly about the possible negative outcomes and are using slang to emphasize this.
So fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum
This line doesn't have a clear meaning and may be intended for poetic effect.
All my friends shouldn't want me to I understand it
The individual understands that their friends may also be interested in the person they are pursuing.
(be alright)
They are indicating that they are okay with it and there are no hard feelings.
I hope I'll get to you before they do the way I planned it
They are hoping to get to the person before their friends do, as they have planned.
(be outta sight)
They feel positively about the prospect of their plan succeeding.
So twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum
This line doesn't have a clear meaning and may be intended for poetic effect.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
The person is indicating that they are approaching and making romantic advances towards them.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ccrider00
Right on brotha to both of you
Including you 2 grease-man 👍👌😊!!! One of the all time great
Long live jams ever recorded !!
" inna godda da vida " by the
" IRON BUTTERFLY " another
long time playing great song,
and who could forget long verson TIME HAS COME TODAY
BY THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS---
also REFRIED HOCKY BOOGIE by
CANNED HEAT from their double album LIVING THE BLUES; "took
both sides of 1 of the records"
Must of been the longest songs ever offered in album form, a great recording!!!👍👌🥳
🐻--🦉/🐸--🌻--🦔--🥁 🌈👍👌🎯 CANNED HEAT---GREATEST BAND EVER !!! BUT WITH ORIGIONAL MEMBERS ONLY,eairly albums up to "LIVING THE BLUES" double-album !!👌
🎯👍🥳😊🐸🦉🐻🦔🌻🥁
@knightd12
In the military barracks in Germany, around 1971, high as a kite on hashish. This song playing on a thousand dollar stereo setup, bass turned up, the band crawls inside your head and makes itself at home. You are one with the music. 5 or 6 guys in the room , no one saying a word, all just knodding our heads to the beat. Thousands of miles away from home, but we are
at peace with the world.
@ACG7001
Awesome story
@fs3080
In all time 🎉🎉🎉🎉
@mariomartinex75
Black hashish or BROWN HASHISH DONE THAT IS THE PAST. ,NO MORE OUR LIVES IS LIVE STRONG FORWARD AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT
LOVE THIS ONE 1⃣ BLESSES HUMAN BEING IS A MAN OF CHOSEN BY MIGHTY GOD IS GIVIN MARIO MARTINEZ MEXICAN AMERICAN CITIZEN RESIDENT FAITH DIGNITY INTEGRITY TRUST HOPE BEST COMINTMENT. HE IS THE ONE,AND FINDS HIS OWN CHOSEN WIFE IS A TRUE LOVE WOMAN TO HAVE HIM EACH OTHER LIVE TOGETHER AND IN TIME BE IN HOLY MATRIMONY HE SHALL HAVE HIS TRUE CALLING IN HE JESUS GIVES HIM MORE WEALTH BE GIVING TO SHARE TO GOOD ,NO FORGIVENESS TO HATTERS THEY STAY. IN THE COLD OF RAIN...
@ziwrenanldino6896
I love the Story too sheen I discovered this song I was 17 in Morocco..Casablanca..smoking HASH we call it The DOuble Zero is it the best and now I live in Maryland..USA and your story my GOD it likes I was With you Guys ..love from Morocco
@dpc983
You did well .....In the world of music there is no distance !
@williamschulze5371
I first heard this awesome song when it came out in 1969.. Rare Earth was great then and they are still great some 54 years later!!! Not many groups can outlive the generation they came out with!!! Rare Earth hangs in with Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Rolling Stones and others!!!! ROCK ON!!!!
@williampayne5584
Right❤
@williampayne5584
Right, no better than stones😢😮😊
@reginaldmartin6894
I think they started recording with Motown