Out of Print Gems: The Four Lads - "Dry Bones"

The 1950s and early 60s constituted an era of vocal quartets, and the only thing separating The Four Lads from any other group whose name began with The Four - Freshmen, Tops, what have you - was the ensemble's Canadian citizenship and the hit it scored with "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." In early 1968, an obscure spiritual adaptation the group had recorded for a 1961 Dixieland-inspired album served as a memorable leitmotif in the final episode of the landmark TV series The Prisoner ("Fall Out" - see video below), and was thus ensured unlikely immortality.

The spiritual itself is "Dem Bones," one familiar for its "knee bone's connected to your thigh bone" refrain, but whose biblical content tends to be overlooked. In fact, the opening line, "Ezekiel cried dem dry bones," refers to Ezekiel 37, where the prophet, set down by god in a valley of full of long-dry bones, causes them to reanimate and form a vast army. Given series creator and star Patrick McGoohan's attention to detail, it's safe to assume the choice was intentional, meant to reflect his character's struggle to rouse his fellow prisoners against their repressive captors - and, presumably, McGoohan's own desire to rally support against a world he saw as repressive, soulless, and dangerously overautomated. Of course, the woozy effect of the song's modulating structure also perfectly mirrored his intentionally confusing and open-ended finale to the series. Interestingly, the liner notes to Dixieland Doin's indicate that the album's songs were meant to demonstrate the "happy, humor side of the Four Lads," and indeed, the song's effect is radically different when it's enjoyed outside the context of "Fall Out." This makes it all the more unfortunate that the track is almost impossible to find, having been omitted (possibly for copyright reasons) from the otherwise extensive 3 volume soundtrack to The Prisoner, as well the various Four Lads compilations on the market (for no discernable reason). Used vinyl copies of Dixieland Doin's are said to appear on eBay every few months. Meanwhile, the mp3 of "Dry Bones" is available here.