Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, August 15th, 2024)
“Rest in Peace” from a suite by Chad and Jeremy. Recorded for an album called Of Cabbages and Kings and released on LP in 1967.
My name it is Matthews, and I’ve got it made
A memorial maker – it’s a profitable trade
I don’t solicit business; there’s no point in trying
What I like about my customers – they just keep on dying
Here lies Frederick, mourned by his wife
He lead a blameless life
He couldn’t win the way she treated him
His gravestone should have read
Here lies Fred – he’s better off dead
Rest in peace, rest in peace
My name it is Matthews, and I’ve got it made
A memorial maker – it’s a profitable trade
They bring the names of husbands, they bring the names of wives
They want me to perpetuate their awful, dreary lives
Here lies John, run over by a bus
He was loved by all of us
His time on earth, what was it worth
When all is said and done?
Here lies John – we’re rather glad he’s gone.
Rest in peace, rest in peace
They come to me and spend all they’ve got
‘Cause it costs quite a lot to be remembered
They think it is the only way
What would the neighbors say anyway?
It’s so prestigious, even though you’re not religious
Maybe one day I will carve a stone
Big enough for everyone
And written there for those who care
In letters ten feet high:
“Here they lie who were born to die”
Rest in peace, rest in peace
Rest in peace, rest in peace now my friend, it’s the end
Rest in peace, rest in peace now my friend, it’s the end
My name it is Matthews, and I’ve got it made
A memorial maker – it’s a profitable trade
Most Monday nights here at DMG, after the store is closed for business, John Mori & I have dinner and then sit around listening to several albums that I’ve brought in to listen to together. I try to choose something that John hasn’t heard and which I haven’t listened to in a (long) while. I find that listening closely to some sonic treasure with another serious listener can be a great experience.
Anyone out there who would like to join us for listening, please come on down. I often pick rare psych, prog, power-pop, obscure jazz or anything I think will blow our minds. The above song was sung by a British duo called Chad and Jeremy, who started as a folk/rock duo the same year that the Beatles landed in the US – 1964. They had several hits throughout their five-year reign (1964-1968), a dozen albums, and a reunion record in 1983.
Of Cabbages and Kings was released on LP in 1967 and I heard the above song “Rest in Peace” on FM radio that year, I was smitten by it. When I bought the album a year or two later, I was knocked out by the entire album, especially The Progress Suite.
John & I just listened to the entire LP last week and were astonished at how well it stands up almost 6 decades later. What’s interesting about this disc is that the author is a tombstone maker and the song discusses the inevitability of what will end up on our tombstones. Something to consider.
Serious music listeners like myself, many of my friends, and many of you out there, are still searching for that Holy Grail, an album that can still blow you away, no matter when or where it is from or whatever genre it has been pegged into. As a lifelong serious listener myself, I often walk around with a small notebook in my bag so I can add to several lists that I am compiling, endlessly searching for the next treasure and connections between different sonic delights. Eventually (if & when I retire from the store), I will have the time to work on my own Facebook page and place these lists up there for others to see. There are many lists. Thanks, as always, for your time and my indulgence. Peace and Love Always.
