Today’s classic song of the day is by a group named after a power company. The group is Pacific Gas & Electric and the song is “Are You Ready?” Released in April of 1970, this single went all the way to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100—and hit #1 in Belgium.
“Are You Ready?” was written by Charlie Allen, the group’s lead vocalist, and John Hill, their producer. The female vocal trio the Blackberries (Venetta Fields, Sherlie Matthews, and Clydie King) provided the gospel-ish backup vocals.
Pacific Gas & Electric were a mixed-race rock/blues band from Los Angeles. Formed in 1967 by singer Charlie Allen, lead guitarist Glenn Schwartz, rhythm guitarist Tom Marshall, bassist Brent Block, and drummer Frank Cook, they were originally known as the Pacific Gas and Electric Blues Band, but shortened it to fit better on record labels. Surprisingly, the real PG&E didn’t make them change their name, as happened with the similarly utility-named Chicago Transit Authority, who we now know as just Chicago.
The group signed first to Power Records but their initial album was less than successful. They then switched to Columbia Records; their first Columbia album didn’t make much of a splash but their next, 1970’s Are You Ready, with the lead single of the same name, put them on the map. Unfortunately, “Are You Ready?” was their only big hit, and they broke up in 1973.
“Are You Ready?” is an overtly religious song (what some at the time called “Jesus music”) , with the lyrics asking if the listener is ready for Jesus’ return:
Are you ready to sit by His throne?
Are you ready not to be alone?
Someone’s coming to take you home
If you’re ready, then he’ll carry you home
I’m guessing not everybody back then got the religious part; I know I didn’t. (Hell, I had trouble understanding the mish mash of words coming out of my cheap AM radio.) We all thought it was just a catchy little tune with a good beat, which it also was.
Interestingly, the album version of “Are You Ready?” was considerably longer than the three-minute radio-friendly single. For your listening pleasure, then, today’s daily bonus track of the day is the album version of “Are You Ready?,” which clocks in at 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Are you ready?
