Tag Archives: Somebody to Love

Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow

On February 1, 1967, “RCA Victor” label released “Surrealistic Pillow”, the second Jefferson Airplane studio album. It was recorded October – November 1966, at “RCA Victor” in Hollywood, and was produced by Rick Jarrard.

Personnel:

  • Grace Slick – lead and co-lead vocals, piano, organ, recorder
  • Marty Balin – lead and co-lead vocals, guitar, design
  • Paul Kantner – lead and co-lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Jorma Kaukonen – lead vocals, lead guitar
  • Jack Casady – bass guitar, fuzz bass, rhythm guitar
  • Spencer Dryden – drums, percussion
  • Jerry Garcia – “musical and spiritual advisor”, guitar
  • Herb Greene – photography
  • David Hassinger – engineer

Track listing:

  1. She Has Funny cars – Jorma Kaukonen, Marty Balin
  2. Somebody to Love – Darby Slick
  3. My Best Friend – Skip Spence
  4. Today – Marty Balin, Paul Kantner
  5. Comin’ Back to Me – Marty Balin
  6. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds – Marty Balin
  7. D.C.B.A. – 25 – Paul Kantner
  8. How Do You Feel – Tom Mastin
  9. Embryone Journey – Jorma Kaukonen
  10. White Rabbit – Grace Slick
  11. Plastic Fantastic Love – Marty Balin

Etta James: Let’s Roll

On May 6, 2003, “Private Music” label released “Let’s Roll”, the twenty-sixth Etta James studio album. It was recorded in 2003, and was produced by Etta James, Josh Sklair, Donto Metto James and Sametto James. “Let’s Roll” won a “Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album” in 2003, and in 2004 the “W. C. Handy Award” as the “Soul/Blues Album of the Year” from the “Blues Foundation”.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocal
  • Josh Sklair – banjo, 12 string guitar, acoustic and electric, slide guitar, synthesizer
  • Bobby Murray – electric guitar
  • Jimmy “Z” Zavala – harmonica, tenor and baritone saxophone
  • Sametto James – bass guitar
  • Donto James – vocals, drums, percussion
  • Tom Poole – trumpet
  • Lee Thornburg – trombone

Track listing:

  1. Somebody to Love – Delbert McClinton, Gary Nicholson
  2. The Blues Is My Business – Kevin Bowe, Todd Cerney
  3. Leap of Faith – Glen Clarke, Gary Nicholson
  4. Strongest Weakness – Bekka Bramlett, Gary Nicholson
  5. Wayward Saints of Memphis – Kevin Bowe, Delbert McClinton
  6. Lie No Better – Gary Nicholson
  7. Trust Yourself – Kevin Bowe, Grady Champion
  8. A Change Is Gonna Do Me Good – Al Anderson, Bob DiPiero
  9. Old Weakness – Gary Nicholson
  10. Stacked Deck – Billy Wright
  11. On the 7th Day – Kevin Bowe, Kostas Lazarides
  12. Please, No More – David Egan, Greg Hansen

Queen: A Day At The Races

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On December 10, 1976, “EMI” label released “A Day at the Races”, the fifth Queen studio album.  It was recorded at the “Sarm East”, “The Manor” and “Wessex Studios”, and was produced by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. This was  the second band’s album that took  its name from  Marx Brothers movie (the previous was “A Night at the Opera). In 2006, in “BBC” pool “A Day at the Races” was voted the 67th greatest album of all time. The album was certified Platinum in Canada by “Music Canada”; Platinum in Poland by “ZPAV”, and Platinum in the US by the “RIIA”.

Personnel:

  • Freddie Mercury- lead and backing vocals, piano
  • Brian May- lead and backing vocals, electric, slide and acoustic guitars, plastic piano and harmonium
  • Roger Taylor- lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion, timpani, rhythm guitar, gong
  • John Deacon- bass guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Mike Stone – additional vocals
  • Richard Gray – design

Track listing:

  1. Tie Your Mother Down – Brian May
  2. You Take My Breath Away – Freddie Mercury
  3. Long Away – Brian May
  4. The Millionaire Waltz – Freddie Mercury
  5. You and I – John Deacon
  6. Somebody to Love – Freddie Mercury
  7. White Man – Brian May
  8. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy – Freddie Mercury
  9. Drowse – Roger Taylor
  10. Teo Torriatte – Brian May

Freddie Mercury

On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died aged 45. He was musician (piano, guitar) singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and front man of the band Queen. He wrote some of the band’s best known songs featuring “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We Are the Champions.”As a singer he had powerful vocal with over a four-octave range, and had unique stage appearance. In 1992, Mercury was awarded the “Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music”; in 2001,as a member of Queen, he was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”; in 2002 Mercury was ranked at number 58 in the BBC’s poll of the “100 Greatest Britons”; in 2003 he was inducted in the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”; in 2005 he was inducted in the UK “Music Hall of Fame”; in 2005, in “Blender” and “MTV2” pool, Mercury was voted the “Best male singer of all time”; in 2008, editors of the magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked Mercury at number 18 on their list of the “100 greatest singers ever” and in 2009, “Classic Rock” poll elected him the best rock singer of all time.