This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
When college radio stations began spinning a basement-recorded demo of Collective Soul’s “Shine,” the band’s journey from Stockbridge to alt-rock fame swiftly began to unfold. Determined to avoid one-hit wonderdom, the band signed with Atlantic Records and released its self-titled album, which delivered several mainstream successes, including the seminal “December.” With its brooding emotion and instantly recognizable guitar riff, “December” shot to the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, solidifying its place as one of the definitive songs of 1995.
Composed of members Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Johnny Rabb, Jesse Triplett and Will Turpin, Collective Soul grew up in a tight-knit community with a shared love for music.
ArtsATL caught up with Collective Soul bassist Turpin over the phone to explore the story of how the enduring single came to be.
“When the label said they definitely wanted ‘December’ to be the first single, I remember thinking ‘Oh, no,’” Turpin says with a laugh. “I was certainly wrong about that.”
The band’s early years were shaped by the supportive metro scene and the musicians’ ties to Stockbridge’s Real 2 Reel Studios, owned by Turpin’s father. At the time, frontman Ed Roland worked at Real 2 Reel as an engineer. “We always knew each other, but the friendship happened because of the studio. The studio was our hub, especially in a place like Stockbridge,” Turpin explains. “We were also fans of what Ed was doing at my dad’s studio. The short story is this: Ed’s friends started getting married and getting real jobs. Me and my friends came out of high school and became Collective Soul.”
Though their rise was rooted in grassroots support from regional college radio stations such as Georgia State University’s WRAS-FM, Collective Soul boasted studio experience that provided them with a crucial edge in their journey to mainstream recognition.
“We had my father telling us how to serve the song,” Turpin says. “It’s not about you and how many notes you can put in a baseline or how cool your bass sound is.”
Credit: Photo by Ankur Photography
Credit: Photo by Ankur Photography
Living in a musical household, Turpin grew up playing the piano and the drums. Although he enjoyed music theory, he found that he preferred to play by ear, favoring energetic approaches to composition over mechanical. When he agreed to join Collective Soul as the bassist, Turpin was studying percussion and production at Georgia State University. He also didn’t own a bass.
“I told the guys I played bass before I owned one. But, you know, it’s all music. You serve the song no matter what instrument you’re on.”
More than boost his predilection toward multi-instrumentalism, Turpin’s intuition-forward temperament and music-rife childhood informed his approach to composition, with “December” being no exception.
“‘December’ was one of those ideas where it’s going to be the same chord progression over and over. The underlying chords are the same, but each section sounds different. You try to build and stack a repetitive chord progression through multiple sections.”
The snap of snare. A steady slink of bass hauling toward the wistful resignation of outro violins. Its twinkling and time-tested riff.
“By the time you get to the end of the song, you kind of got all three different themes and melodies stacked on top of each other.”
Credit: Photo by Lee Clower
Credit: Photo by Lee Clower
Written by Roland following early career tensions involving Collective Soul’s first manager, “December” captures the feeling of loss, longing and exploitation through its frank lyricism and melancholic instrumentation. Turpin recalls the process from writing to arranging “December” as relatively quick, noting the band’s near-telepathic symbiosis as one of their major strengths.
“Shoot, man, that thing shot straight to the chart,” Turpin says, scoffing at his initial wariness of Atlantic Records’ lead single pick. “And it’s still one of our favorite songs to perform live. We’ve got a really long, cool solo section we’ve added in the middle to make it a little more of a musical journey.”
It’s a musical journey now 30 years in the making.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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