Tag Archives: Rick Marotta

Aretha Franklin: Let Me In Your Life

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Let_Me_In_Your_Life

On February 25, 1974, “Atlantic” label released “Let Me in Your Life”, the twenty-first Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded April – September 1973, at the “Whitney Studios” in Glendale, and was produced by Jerry Wexler and Aretha Franklin.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, acoustic and electric piano
  • Donny Hathaway- acoustic and electric piano
  • Bob James- organ, keyboards
  • David Spinozza- guitar
  • Cornell Dupree- guitar
  • Hugh McCracken– guitar
  • Deodato- arranger, electric piano
  • Kenneth Bichel- synthesizer
  • Richard Tee- keyboards
  • Stanley Clarke– bass
  • Chuck Rainey- bass
  • Willie Weeks- bass
  • Rick Marotta- drums
  • Bernard “Pretty” Purdie- drums
  • Pancho Morales – percussion
  • Ralph MacDonald- percussion
  • Arif Mardin- string arranger
  • Gene Orloff- concert master
  • Joe Farrell- tenor saxophone, flute
  • Ernie Royal- trumpet
  • Gwen Guthrie- backing vocals
  • Margaret Branch – backing vocals
  • Cissy Houston- backing vocals
  • Ann S. Clark – backing vocals
  • Sylvia Shemwell – backing vocals
  • Myrna Smith- backing vocals
  • Judy Clay- backing vocals
  • Deirdre Tuck Corley – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Let Me in Your Life – Bill Withers
  2. Every Natural Thing – Eddie Hinton
  3. Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  4. I’m in Love – Bobby Womack
  5. Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) – Clarence Paul,Stevie Wonder, Morris Broadnax
  6. The Masquerade is Over – Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel
  7. With Pen in Hand – Bobby Goldsboro
  8. Oh Baby – Aretha Franklin
  9. Eight Days On the Road – Michael Gayle, Jerry Ragovoy
  10. If You Don’t Think – Aretha Franklin
  11. A Song for You – Leon Russell

Warren Zevon: Bad Luck in Dancing School

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Warren_Zevon_-_Bad_Luck_Streak_in_Dancing_School

On February 15, 1980,“Elektra” label released “Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School”, the fourth Warren Zevon studio album. It was recorded in 1979, and was produced by Greg Ladanyi and Warren Zevon. The term “dancing school” was used as a euphemism for a brothel since the mid-17th century.

Personnel:

  • Warren Zevon– lead vocals, organ, synthesizer, bass, guitar, harmonica, piano, strings, keyboards
  • Jorge Calderón– guitar; backing vocals
  • Waddy Wachtel– lead guitar, guitar
  • Joe Walsh– lead guitar
  • David Lindley– lap steel, guitar
  • Don Felder– guitar
  • Jackson Browne– guitar, slide guitar; backing vocals
  • Ben Keith– pedal steel guitar
  • Leland Sklar– bass
  • Rick Marotta– vocals, drums, percussion, bells, Syndrums
  • The Sid Sharp Strings – strings
  • Linda Ronstadt– descant, backing vocals
  • Glenn Frey– harmony vocals
  • Don Henley– harmony vocals
  • D. Souther– backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Warren Zevon, except where noted

  1. Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School
  2. A Certain Girl – Naomi Neville
  3. Jungle Work – Jorge Calderón, Warren Zevon
  4. Empty-Handed Heart
  5. Interlude No. 1
  6. Play It All Night Long
  7. Jeannie Needs a Shooter – Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon
  8. Interlude No. 2
  9. Bill Lee
  10. Gorilla, You’re a Desperado
  11. Bed of Coals – T-Bone Burnett, Warren Zevon
  12. Wild Age

Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy

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Excitable_Boy

On January 18, 1978, “Asylum” label released “Excitable Boy”, the third Warren Zevon studio album. It was recorded in 1977, at “The Sound Factory” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Jackson Browne and Waddy Wachtel.

Personnel:

  • Warren Zevon – lead, harmony and backing vocals, piano, organ, synthesizer
  • Jackson Browne– guitar, harmony and backing vocals
  • Waddy Wachtel– guitar, synthesizer, harmony and backing vocals
  • Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar- guitar, percussion
  • Kenny Edwards, John McVie- bass
  • Bob Glaub, Leland Sklar– bass
  • Russ Kunkel– drums
  • Mick Fleetwood– drums
  • Rick Marotta– drums
  • Jeff Porcaro– drums, percussion
  • Luis Damian – jarana
  • Arthur Gerst – Mexican harp
  • Manuel Vasquez – requinto
  • Jim Horn– recorder
  • Greg Ladanyi– bells
  • The Gentlemen Boys (Jackson Browne, Jorge Calderón, Kenny Edwards, J. D. Souther, Waddy Wachtel) – backing and harmony vocals
  • Jorge Calderón– harmony and backing vocals, Spanish vocals
  • Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff– backing and harmony vocals
  • Jennifer Warnes– harmony vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Warren Zevon, except where noted.

  1. Johnny Strikes Up the Band
  2. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner – David Lindell, Warren Zevon
  3. Excitable Boy – LeRoy Marinell, Warren Zevon
  4. Werewolves of London – LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Warren Zevon
  5. Accidentally Like a Martyr
  6. Nighttime in the Switching Yard – Jorge Calderón, Lindell, Wachtel, Warren Zevon
  7. Veracruz – Jorge Calderón, Warren Zevon
  8. Tenderness on the Block – Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon
  9. Lawyers, Guns and Money

Steely Dan: Gaucho

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Steely_Dan_-_Gaucho

On November 21, 1980, “MCA” label released “Gaucho”, the seventh Steely Dan studio album.  It was recorded 1978 -1980, at the “Sigma Sound of Philadelphia” and “Village Records” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Gary Katz.

Personnel:

  • Donald Fagen – lead vocals, synthesizer, electric piano, organ, rhythm arrangements
  • Walter Becker – bass, guitar, guitar solo, rhythm arrangements
  • Steve Khan- guitar, lead guitar
  • Mark Knopfler, Larry Carlton – lead guitar
  • Hugh McCracken, Hiram Bullock, Rick Derringer – guitar
  • Rob Mounsey- piano, synthesizer, horn arrangement
  • Don Grolnick- electric piano, clavinet
  • Pat Rebillot, Joe Sample  – electric piano
  • Chuck Rainey, Anthony Jackson  – bass
  • Steve Gadd – drums, percussion
  • Bernard Pretty Purdie,  Rick Marotta, Jeff Porcaro – drums
  • Crusher Bennett, Victor Feldman, Ralph McDonald, Nicholas Marrero – percussion
  • Tom Scott- alto saxophone and clarinet; tenor saxophone, lyricon, horn arrangement
  • Michael Brecker, Dave Tofani – tenor saxophone
  • David Sanborn- alto saxophone
  • Ronnie Cuber- baritone saxophone
  • Randy Brecker- trumpet, flugelhorn
  • George Marge, Walter Kane – clarinet
  • Wayne Andre- trombone
  • Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, Frank Floyd, Diva Gray, Gordon Grody, Lani Groves, Leslie Miller, *Zachary Sanders, Toni Wine – backing vocals
  • Paul Griffin, Don Grolnick, Rob Mounsey – rhythm arrangements
  • Rob Mounsey, Tom Scott – horn arrangements
  • Vartan- art direction
  • Suzanne Walsh – art direction, design
  • Michael Diehl – design
  • John Tom Cohoe – design assistant
  • Rene Burri – photography
  • Ryan Null – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Michael Becker and Donald Fagen, except where noted

  1. Babylon Sisters
  2. Hey Nineteen
  3. Glamour Profession
  4. Gaucho – Michael Becker, Donald Fagen, Jarrett
  5. Time Out of Mind
  6. My Rival
  7. Third World Man

Steely Dan: Aja

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Aja

On September 23, 1977, “ABC” label released “Aja”, the sixth Steely Dan studio album . It was recorded January – July 1977, at the “Village Recorder” in  West Los Angeles, “Producer’s Workshop” and “Sound Labs”  in Hollywood, “Warner Bros” studios in Burbank, “ABC” studios in New York City,  “A&R” studios in Manhattan, and was produced by Gary Katz.  In July 1978, the album won the “Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording”. In 2003 “Aja” was ranked number 145 on “Rolling Stone” magazine “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. The album was certified Platinum in US by the “RIAA”.

Personnel:

  • Donald Fagen- lead and backing vocals, synthesizer, police whistle
  • Walter Becker- bass, guitar, guitar solos
  • Larry Carlton- guitar, guitar solo
  • Denny Dias- guitar
  • Dean Parks- guitar
  • Steve Khan- guitar
  • Jay Graydon- solo guitar
  • Victor Feldman- electric piano, vibraphone, piano, percussion
  • Joe Sample- electric piano, clavinet
  • Paul Griffin- electric piano, backing vocals
  • Michael Omartian- piano
  • Don Grolnick- clavinet
  • Chuck Rainey- bass
  • Paul Humphrey- drums
  • Steve Gadd- drums
  • Bernard Purdie- drums
  • Rick Marotta- drums
  • Ed Greene – drums
  • Jim Keltner- drums, percussion
  • Gary Coleman – percussion
  • Tom Scott- tenor saxophone, lyricon, horn arrangements
  • Wayne Shorter– tenor saxophone
  • Pete Christlieb- tenor saxophone
  • Jim Horn, Bill Perkins, Plas Johnson, Jackie Kelso – saxophones, flutes
  • Chuck Findley, Lou McCreary, Slyde Hyde – brass
  • Michael McDonald, Timothy B. Schmit, Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields, Rebecca Louis – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

  1. Black Cow
  2. Aja
  3. Deacon Blues
  4. Peg
  5. Home At Last
  6. I Got The News
  7. Josie