Brewer, Shipley, and Welk
Two tokes over the line …
I had planned for my next entry to be a compare/contrast of Harry Nilsson and Badfinger’s versions of “Without You” … but got sidetracked listening to The Best of Brewer and Shipley. I only knew the group from “One Toke Over the Line” … so I did a little background research on the Net. I soon became distracted, however, by a clip a found on YouTube.
Come to find out that that a couple simply named Gail and Dale performed the song on the Lawrence Welk Show. I imagined that this happened sometime in the early ’70s (“One Toke” charted in 1971) … but if you know your Welk, it seems to be taking place in some time warp, circa 1947.
I always liked the song and the line “one toke over the line sweet Jesus,” even though it seemed like little more than Association-styled pop, a couple years too late (“Along Comes Mary”). After listening to the sunshiny Gail and Dale cut loose of “One Toke Over the Line,” however, Brewer and Shipley’s version seemed to be brimming with authenticity.
Welk tops off Gail and Dale’s performance by calling “One Toke” a “modern spiritual.” It seems impossible that these guys could’ve been this naïve (I mean, the song was controversial) … and it’s tempting to think they simply did the song straight to put one over on Welk’s audience. Whatever the reason, it’s a beautiful cultural collision, brought to you by Geritol and Rose Milk.
