On June 20, 1969, “Atlantic” label released “First Take”, the debut Roberta Flack studio album. It was recorded in February 1969, at “Atlantic” in New York City, and was produced by Joel Dorn. In 2020, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “First Take” at number 451 on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- Roberta Flack – vocals, piano
- Bucky Pizzarelli – guitars
- Ron Carter – bass
- Ray Lucas – drums, percussion
- Seldon Powell, Frank Wess – saxophone
- Jimmy Nottingham, Joe Newman – trumpet
- Benny Powell – trombone
- Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff – violin
- Alfred Brown, Selwart Clarke, Theodore Israel – viola
- Charles McCracken, George Ricci – cello
- William S. Fischer – horn and string arrangements, string conducting
- William Arlt – recording
- Bob Liftin – remix
- Stanislaw Zagorski – design
- Ken Heinen – photography
Track listing:
- Compared to What – Gene McDaniels
- Angelitos Negros – Andrés Eloy Blanco, Manuel Álvarez Maciste
- Our Ages or Our Hearts – Robert Ayers, Donny Hathaway
- I Told Jesus – traditional, arranged by Roberta Flack
- Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye – Leonard Cohen
- The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Ewan MacColl
- Tryin’ Times – Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson
- Ballad of the Sad Young Men – Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf
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