The amazing BBC America correspondent Gary O'Donaghue chose this track on his Desert Island Discs this morning with Lauren Laverne and it is well worth a listen (the whole programme too)
N.B. Gary is blind and his coverage of America is second to none (including a random twenty odd minute phone convo with The POTUS late one night!!)
Tracks
1. To Be Free - 3:19
2. In My Mind - 3:19
3. Here We Go Again (Solomon Burke, Cass Elliot, Bryan Garo, Jerry Gray) - 1:56
4. A Heartache, A Shadow, A Lifetime - 3:35
5. Headkeeper - 4:39
6. Pearly Queen (Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood) - 3:32
7. Just A Song - 3:01
8. World In Changes - 4:47
9. Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving - 3:04
10.Feelin' Alright - 5:40
All titles by Dave Mason, except where noted.
Musicians
*Dave Mason - Electric, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Mark Jordan - Piano, Keyboards
*Lonnie Turner - Bass
*"Dr." Rick Jaeger - Drums
*Felix Falcon aka "Flaco" - Conga, Percussion
Special thanks to:
*Rita Coolidge - Vocals
*Spencer Davis - Vocals
*Graham Nash - Vocals
*Kathi McDonald - Vocals
Like Traffic's album "John Barleycorn Must Die", former Traffic member Dave Mason's Alone Together is a good album -- careful, well played, occasionally brilliant and well-conceived -- but like John Barleycorn, Alone Together never breaks its vinyl bonds and soars. The songwriting talent of Mason remains undiminished on Alone Together, and his easy fluid voice, long in Traffic vocalist Stevie Winwood's giant shadow, is used to maximum effect.This is, of course, the marbled LP, a brilliant burst of color spinning on the turntable, the grooves barely discernible so the needle seems to be floating across the record. Maybe the next step could be a little cartoon around the edge of the record, like those flip-the-pages funnies, or a slow inward spiral so you could be literally hypnotized by the record.The music is vintage Mason, veering here and there towards commercialism but never quite getting there, slick but not offensive. Falling in line with the rest of Great Britain, Mason chose old Delaney and Bonnie sidemen for the session, including Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Carl Radle and Rita Coolidge, plus old Mother Don Preston. Russell, as always, is much in evidence, and his piano (if it is him -- the album doesn't say and we have only internal evidence), particularly on "Sad and Deep As You," is masterful.The high point of the album is clearly "Look at You Look at Me," a song Mason wrote with Trafficker Jim Capaldi, whose tight, urgent drumming on the cut moves the song along with descretion and skill. Mason's singing is simply superb. The other exceptional cuts are "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave" (Mason is not, between you and me, a great song titlist), which features the best wah-wah guitar since Clapton's initial exposition on "Tales of Brave Ulysses"; and "World in Changes," with Mason's deceptively simple lyrics pulled along by some brilliant organ work.High commercial potential on the album is represented by "Only You Know and I Know," which has a rick-ticky rhythm reminiscent of "You Can All Join In." It's really a trivial song (like others on the album, particularly "Waitin' On You" and "Just A Song"), but it will sound great on a tinny AM radio at 60 miles an hour.by Jon Carroll, Rolling Stone, 9/3/70.
Tracks1. Only You Know and I Know - 4:052. Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving - 3:023. Waitin' on You - 3:054. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave - 6:005. World in Changes - 4:306. Sad and Deep as You - 3:357. Just a Song - 2:598. Look at You, Look at Me - 7:22All songs by Dave Mason except track #8 co-written with Jim CapaldiMusicians
*Dave Mason - Guitar, Vocals
*Delaney Bramlett - Guitar, Vocals
*Bonnie Bramlett - Vocals
*Leon Russell - Keyboards
*Carl Radle - Bass
*Chris Ethridge - Bass
*Larry Knechtel - Bass
*Jim Capaldi - Drums
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Michael DeTemple - Guitar
*Don Preston - Keyboards
*John Simon - Keyboards
*John Barbata - Drums
*Rita Coolidge - Vocals
*Mike Coolidge - Vocals
*Claudia Lennear - Vocals
*Lou Cooper - Vocals
*Bob Norwood - Vocals
*Jack Storti - Vocals
Ostensibly a Dave Mason solo album, this became one of his finest when he was coupled with Cass Elliot, a stroke of genius. Elliot's involvement is, while not suspect, somewhat limited. Although she provides excellent background vocals, she tends to get a little lost in the harmony stack. Nevertheless, this is a great moment for her too. The album, though, is propelled by Mason's awesome songwriting talents, and tracks such as "On and On," "Walk to the Point," and several others bear this out.His guitar playing is some of his finest recorded work, especially the epic "Glittering Facade," where he layers acoustic and electric guitars with a scintillating effect. Elliot's "Here We Go Again" showcases her ability as a great lead vocalist, and Paul Harris provides some excellent keyboard and string arrangements, providing a glimpse of the fine work that was to follow in Stephen Stills' Manassas. Overall, this was a highly underrated album, but in the end, it is also one of the finest from the '70s.
Tracks
1. Walk To The Point (Dave Mason) - 4:01
2. On And On (Ned Doheny) - 3:36
3. To Be Free (Dave Mason) - 3:37
4. Here We Go Again (Cass Elliot, Bryan Garo) - 2:50
5. Pleasing You (Dave Mason, M. Juster) - 3:03
6. Sit and Wonder (Dave Mason) - 3:31
7. Something To Make You Happy (Dave Mason, Cass Elliot) - 2:18
8. Too Much Truth, Too Much Love (Dave Mason) - 3:52
9. Next To You (Bryan Garo) - 2:31
10.Glittering Façade (Dave Mason) - 4:45
Personnel
*Mama Cass Elliot - Vocals
*Dave Mason - Vocals, Guitars
*Bryan Garo - Bass
*Russ Kunkel - Drums
*Paul Harris - Keyboards, Strings
*Leah Kunkel - Vocals
. . . . not the best Yardbirds track ever but hey it's in a film with cult status! Curiously haunting however . . . . .
. . . a favourite track from a favourite album
"Experience the raw, earth-shaking power of a newly formed rock supergroup as Humble Pie delivers a sprawling, heavy-blues reimagining of Dr. John’s voodoo classic, "I Walk on Gilded Splinters."Recorded on August 29, 1969, at the historic Bilzen Pop Festival (Jazz Bilzen) in Belgium, this rare archival footage captures a band with something to prove. Freshly assembled from the ashes of the Small Faces and The Herd, this performance shows Humble Pie laying down the blueprint for the heavy, blues-drenched arena rock that would dominate the coming decade.The Performance In this staggering live take, the quartet stretches a swampy, atmospheric track into a massive, blistering guitar jam.The Vocals and Guitars: The sheer force of Steve Marriott’s voice is the absolute center of gravity here. He tears into the microphone with his signature gritty, soul-tearing wail, proving why he is widely considered one of the greatest white soul singers in rock history. Flanking him is an impossibly young Peter Frampton, whose fluid, searing guitar lines perfectly counterbalance Marriott's heavy, aggressive rhythm chops. Driven by the thunderous rhythm section of bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley, the band locks into a heavy, hypnotic groove that completely hypnotizes the festival crowd.The Atmosphere: Often referred to as the "Mother of all European Festivals," the gritty, open-air environment of Jazz Bilzen perfectly suits the band's massive volume. Playing to a sea of European rock fans just weeks after the Woodstock festival concluded in America, the energy on stage is aggressive, hungry, and dangerously electric. You are watching a legendary band finding its footing in real-time.About the Song: "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" A masterpiece of New Orleans mysticism, the track became the ultimate improvisational canvas for Humble Pie's heavy blues-rock assault.The Origins: Written by Mac Rebennack (famously known as Dr. John) and released on his landmark debut album, Gris-Gris 1968, the original track is a murky, acoustic-driven blend of R&B and Louisiana voodoo chants. Humble Pie recognized the dark, hypnotic potential of the song's central riff and turned it into a monumental staple of their live shows, famously dedicating an entire side of a vinyl record to a 23-minute version of it a few years later.The Theme: The song is steeped in the folklore and imagery of New Orleans voodoo, with lyrics boasting of supernatural power, hexes, and spiritual invincibility. Delivered through Marriott’s blistering rock-and-roll snarl, the mystical threats take on the swagger of an unstoppable, heavy metal freight train.Bilzen Pop Festival 1969 Beginning as a jazz festival in the mid-1960s, Jazz Bilzen quickly evolved to embrace the booming rock, blues, and pop movements of the era. By 1969, it was a crucial proving ground for British rock bands looking to conquer the European continent. For Humble Pie, who had only formed a few months prior, this blistering 1969 set served as a massive declaration that they had arrived.Performance Details Lead Vocals & Guitar: Steve Marriott Lead Guitar & Vocals: Peter Frampton Bass & Vocals: Greg Ridley Drums: Jerry Shirley Song: "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" Composer: Mac Rebennack (Dr. John) Event: Bilzen Pop Festival (Jazz Bilzen) Venue: Bilzen, Belgium Date: August 29, 1969"
a favourite number by a favourite blues maestro band leader and harp player . . .
Paul Butterfield's Better Days, with drummer Chris Parker, guitarist Amos Garrett, singer Geoff Muldaur, pianist Ronnie Barron and bassist Billy Rich
We haven’t posted enough Simple Minds given my roots it seems odd but here someone posted a clip of this and it is still great song and performance