On December 27, 2008, Delaine Alvin “Delaney” Bramlett died aged 69. He was musician (guitar), singer, songwriter and producer, best known by the partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and rock stars Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. In his five decade long career, Bramlett performed and recorded with big number of famous musicians, including: J.J. Cale, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, King Curtis, Elvin Bishop, The Crickets, Dave Mason, John Simon, John Hammond Jr, Duane Allman, Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pacific Gas & Electric, John Ussery, Commander Cody, Dann Rogers, Hank Thompson, Ian Whitcomb and T. Graham Brown.
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Utopia: Adventures In Utopia
On December 27, 1979, “Bearsville” label released “Adventures in Utopia”, the fifth Utopia album. It was recorded in 1979, at the “Utopia Sound Studios” and was produced by Todd Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton and John Wilcox.
Personnel:
- Todd Rundgren- vocals, guitars, engineer, photography
- Roger Powell- vocals, keyboards, trumpet
- Kasim Sulton- vocals, bass
- John “Willie” Wilcox – vocals, drums
All tracks by Todd Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton and John Wilcox. .
- The Road to Utopia
- You Make Me Crazy
- Second Nature
- Set Me Free
- Caravan
- Last of the New Wave Riders
- Shot in the Dark
- The Very Last Time
- Love Alone
- Rock Love
Genesis: Wind & Wuthering
On December 17, 1976, “Charisma” label released “Wind & Wuthering”, the eighth Genesis studio album. It was recorded September – October 1976, at the “Relight Studios” in Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands, and was produced by David Hentschel, Phil Collins, Steve Hacket, Mike Rutherford andTony Banks .
Personnel:
- Phil Collins– vocals, drums, cymbals, percussion
- Steve Hackett– nylon classical, 12 string and electric guitar, kalimba, autoharp
- Mike Rutherford– 4, 6, and 8 string bass guitars, 12 string acoustic and electric guitar, bass pedals
- Tony Banks– Steinway grand piano, ARP 2600 synthesizer, ARP Pro Soloist synthesizer, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Roland RS-202 string/brass synthesizer, Fender Rhodes piano
- Hipgnosis– design
- Colin Elgie – design
Track listing
- Eleventh Earl of Mar – Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford
- One for the Vine – Tony Banks
- Your Own Special Way – Mike Rutherford
- Wot Gorilla? – Phil Collins, Tony Banks
- All in a Mouse’s Night – Tony Banks
- Blood on the Rooftops – Steve Hackett, Phil Collins
- Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers – Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford
- In That Quiet Earth – Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Phil Collins
- Afterglow – Tony Banks
Leonard Cohen: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
On December 27, 1967, “Columbia” label released “Songs of Leonard Cohen”, the debut Leonard Cohen album. It was recorded in August 1967, at the “Columbia Studio E” in New York, and was produced by John Simon.
Personnel:
- Leonard Cohen – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Willie Ruff – bass
- Jimmy Lovelace – drums
- David Lindley, Chester Crill, Chris Darrow, Solomon Feldthouse – flute, mandolin, Jew’s harp, violin
- Nancy Priddy – backing vocals
- John Simon – music director, string arrangements
Track listing
All tracks by Leonard Cohen.
- Suzanne
- Master Song
- Winter Lady
- The Stranger Song
- Sisters of Mercy
- So Long, Marianne
- Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye
- Stories of the Street
- Teachers
- One of Us Cannot Be Wrong
Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding
On December 27, 1967, “Columbia” label released “John Wesley Harding”, the eighth Bob Dylan studio album. It was recorded October – November 1967, and was produced by Bob Johnston. In 2003, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “John Wesley Harding” at number 301 at its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of all Time”.
Personnel:
- Bob Dylan– vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboards
- Pete Drake– pedal steel guitar
- Charlie McCoy– bass guitar
- Kenneth Buttrey – drums
- John Berg – cover photography
Track listing
All tracks by Bob Dylan.
- John Wesley Harding
- As I Went Out One Morning
- I dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
- All Along the Watchtower
- The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
- Drifter’s Escape
- Dear Landlord
- I am a Lonesome Hobo
- I Pity the Poor Immigrant
- The Wicked Messenger
- Down Along the Cove
- I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
Taj Mahal: The Natch’t Blues
On December 23, 1968, “Columbia” label released “The Natch’l Blues”, the second Taj Mahal studio album. It was recorded May – October 1968, and was produced by David Rubinson.
Personnel:
- Taj Mahal – vocals, harmonica, Miss “National” steel bodied guitar
- Jesse Ed Davis- guitar, piano, brass arrangements
- Al Kooper- piano
- Gary Gilmore – bass
- Chuck Blackwell – drums
- Earl Palmer- drums
Track listing:
All tracks by Taj Mahal, except where noted.
- Good Morning Miss Brown
- Corinna – Taj Mahal, Jesse Ed Davis
- Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll
- Going Up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue
- Done Changed My Way of Living
- She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride – Taj Mahal, Yank Rachell
- The Cuckoo – traditional
- You Don’t Miss Your Water(‘Til Your Well Runs Dry) – William Bell
- Ain’t That a Lot of Love – Homer Banks, Deanie Parker
George Harrison & Frineds: The Concert for Bangladesh
On December 20, 1971, “Apple” label released “The Concert for Bangladesh” a live triple album by George Harrison and his friends. The album is recording from the concert on August 1, 1971, at “Madison Square Garden” in New York, held in aid of the homeless Bengali refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War. This was the first big humanitarian concert with international music stars and was the model for future big rock benefits events such as “Live Aid” (1985). The album was produced by George Harrison and Phil Spector. The box set included a 64-page book containing concert photos. ”The Concert for Bangladesh” won “Grammy Award” for “Album of the Year”.
Personnel:
- George Harrison – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Ravi Shankar– sitar
- Bob Dylan– vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Leon Russell– piano, vocals, bass, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr– drums, vocals, tambourine
- Billy Preston– Hammond organ, vocals
- Eric Clapton– electric guitar
- Ali Akbar Khan– sarod
- Alla Rakha– tabla
- Kamala Chakravarty– tambura
- Jesse Ed Davis– electric guitar
- Klaus Voormann– bass
- Jim Keltner– drums
- Pete Ham– acoustic guitar
- Tom Evans– twelve-string acoustic guitar
- Joey Molland– acoustic guitar
- Mike Gibbins– tambourine, maracas
- Don Preston– electric guitar, vocals, percussion
- Carl Radle– bass
- Jim Horn– saxophones, horn arrangements
- Chuck Findley– trumpet
- Jackie Kelso– saxophones
- Allan Beutler – saxophones
- Lou McCreary – trombone
- Ollie Mitchell– trumpet
- Claudia Linnear, Jo Green, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene, Dolores Hall, Don Nix – backing vocals
- Tom Wilkes – design
Track listing:
- George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction – George Harrison, Ravi Shankar
- Bangla Dhun – Ravi Shankar
- Wah-Wah – George Harrison
- My Sweet Lord – George Harrison
- Awaiting on You All – George Harrison
- That’s the Way God Planned It – Billy Preston
- It Don’t Come Easy – Richard Starkey
- Beware of Darkness – George Harrison
- Band Introduction
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps – George Harrison
- Medley: Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Youngblood – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards/Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus
- Here Comes the Sun – George Harrison
- A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall – Bob Dylan
- It Takes A Lot to Laugh It – Bob Dylan
- Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan
- Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
- Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan
- Something – George Harrison
- Bangla Desh – George Harrison
T. Rex: Same
On December 18, 1970, “Fly” label released the self-titled, fifth T.Rex studio album. It was recorded July – August 1970, at the “Trident Studios” in London, and was produced by TonyVisconti. This was the first album released under this name since the band changed their name from Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Personnel:
- Marc Bolan – vocals, guitar, bass, organ
- Mickey Finn – vocals, bass, drums, Pixiphone
- Tony Visconti – piano, string arrangements
- Howard Kaylan – backing vocals
- Mark Volman – backging vocals
Track listing:
All tracks by Marc Bolan.
- The Children of Rarn
- Jewel
- The Visit
- Childe
- The Time of Love is Now
- Diamond Meadows
- Root of Star
- Beltane Walk
- Is it Love
- One Inch Rock
- Summer Deep
- Seagull Woman
- Suneye
- The Wizard
- The Children of Rarn (reprise)
Captain Beefheart
On December 17, 2010, Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart died aged 69. He was singer, songwriter, musician (harmonica, saxophone, wind instruments) and producer, best known as a leader and frontman of the ensemble called “Magic Band”. Don Van Vliet was friend and collaborator with Frank Zappa. His 1969 album “Trout Mask Replica”, was ranked 58th in the “Rolling Stone” magazine’s 2003 list of the “500 greatest albums of all time”. Captain Beefheart was regarded as “one of modern music’s true innovators”.
Grover Washington
On December 17, 1999, Grover Washington, Jr. died aged 56. He was musician (saxophone), composer and arranger, considered to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. Some of his most popular works feature his own compositions and covers of “Mister Magic”, “Take Five”, “Soulful Strut”, “Reed Seed”, “Black Frost”, “Winelight”, “Inner City Blues” and “The Best is Yet to Come”. In his career he has performed and recorded with many famous musicians, including Kathleen Battle, Kenny Burrell, Hank Crawford, Charles Earland, Dexter Gordon, Urbie Green, Eddie Henderson, Masaru Imada, Boogaloo Joe Jones, Idris Muhammad, Gerry Mulligan, Don Sebesky, Johnny “Hammond” Smith, Melvin Sparks, Leon Spencer, Mal Waldron, Randy Weston, Bill Withers and Patti LaBelle.
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