Record Reviews

DELANEY & BONNIE ~ THE ORIGINAL DELANEY & BONNIE: ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE ELEKTRA 4943674139804 (Barcode: 4943674139804) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2013 This is the second album by American singer / songwriter couple Delaney BramlettFind albums by this artist and Bonnie BramlettFind albums by this artist, known as Delaney & BonnieFind albums by this artist and later on as Delaney & Bonnie & FriendsFind albums by this artist. This album, their only release on ElektraFind albums on this label Records (founded and run by Jac HolzmanFind albums by this artist), took them away from the image associated with Afro-American music which their previous label, StaxFind albums on this label Records, symbolized. The album was recorded by a dream team of top American musicians, which included pianist Leon RussellFind albums by this artist, guitarist Jerry McGeeFind albums by this artist, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Bobby WhitlockFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bobby KeysFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jim PriceFind albums by this artist, drummers Jim KeltnerFind albums by this artist and Jim GordonFind albums by this artist and the incredible vocalist Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten songs, most of which were penned by the Bramletts. Musically the album continues the direction put forward by the debut album, which amalgamates Rhythm And Blues, Soul, Gospel and Blues with Pop and Rock, adding this time some American Southern Rock accents. The resulting fusion produced some of the most perfect American Rock music ever. With the Bramletts´ writing talents, Bonnie´s incredible husky vocals, which at their best rival Janis JoplinFind albums by this artist, superb arrangements and perfect, soulful and inspired instrumental work, production and sound quality, the album is a timeless gem. The album was not very commercially successful at the time of its release, but fellow musicians and music industry figures recognized its sublime qualities. George HarrisonFind albums by this artist offered Delaney & Bonnie a contract with AppleFind albums on this label Records, which was even signed, but subsequently voided of course in view of the already signed Elektra contract. Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist loved the album, which led Delaney & Bonnie and the crew (to be called together Delaney & Bonnie & Friends) to play as an opening act on the Blind FaithFind albums by this artist American 1969 tour and later on to participate in the recording of his debut eponymous solo album "Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title". In order to get a full view of the talents of the musicians playing on this album, it is worth to remember that they were involved in making the following milestone recordings, all recorded in 1970: Joe CockerFind albums by this artist´s "Mad Dogs & EnglishmenFind albums with this title", Eric Clapton´s (as Derek And The DominosFind albums by this artist) "Layla And Other Assorted Love SongsFind albums with this title" and George Harrison´s "All Things Must PassFind albums with this title" – all this and more in just one incredible year! In retrospect this is a milestone recording in American music, which eradicated the racial discrimination between American Country and Folk music and the Afro-American Rhythm And Blues, Soul and Gospel traditions, creating, perhaps for the first time, a true all-American music. This album is an absolute must have in any serious Rock music collection and its everlasting values are still in full bloom five decades later. Essential!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 01/06/2018

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS ~ LIVE IN DENMARK 1969 ROX VOX 2165 (Barcode: 5292317216525) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2020 This is an archival live album by American singer / songwriter couple Delaney BramlettFind albums by this artist and Bonnie BramlettFind albums by this artist, known as Delaney & BonnieFind albums by this artist and later on as Delaney & Bonnie & FriendsFind albums by this artist. This album was recorded during the band´s European tour in 1969, capturing two concerts at the Copenhagen Falconer Theater on 10 and 12 of December 1969, immediately following the three shows that were recorded on 1, 2 and 7 of December 1969 during the UK leg of that tour and released in 1970 as the "On Tour With Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title" LP. The music was recorded by a dream team of top American and British musicians, which included Delaney Bramlett on guitar and vocals. Bonnie Bramlett on vocals, Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist on vocals, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist on lead guitar and vocals, Dave MasonFind albums by this artist on guitar, George HarrisonFind albums by this artist on guitar, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Bobby WhitlockFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bobby KeysFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jim PriceFind albums by this artist, drummer Jim GordonFind albums by this artist and percussionist Tex JohnsonFind albums by this artist. The album presents original songs, which were penned by the Bramletts, as well as classic Rock And Roll numbers. The set list of the two shows is almost identical. The "On Tour With Eric Clapton" album brought Delaney & Bonnie to the center of attention of many listeners, who missed their two earlier albums entirely, most probably due to the fact that if featured Clapton, who was already a superstar. But the music of Delaney & Bonnie was of course stylistically very different to what earlier Clapton recordings offered and presented an unprecedented mixture of Rhythm And Blues, Soul, Blues and Gospel with Rock and Pop, creating an entire new musical universe. This album turned out to be a huge commercial success, but in retrospect failed to establish Delaney & Bonnie as major artists and their career disintegrated after their divorce in 1973, after they managed to record three more excellent albums. This album, although less carefully recorded, offers the same fire and genuine Rock spirit as "On Tour With Eric Clapton" and is an invaluable addition to the rather limited recorded legacy by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and the rest of the musicians present herein, and as such is a Classic Rock gem. Side Note Obiterdictum Ltd, a company based in Cyprus (oh well you know the story… copyright laws and legal issues) releases mostly live recorded radio broadcasts from the 1960s on and offers an amazing source of music which was never officially released by some of the best Classic Rock and Jazz artists. The catalogue offers five hundred releases, which is an absolute treasure chest of music history, often appearing for the first time. Although the sound quality and sometimes also music quality range from absolutely brilliant to pretty poor, most of the material is surely listenable, especially after being remastered recently, and more importantly offers music which is not available elsewhere. The company releases the albums under several sub-labels: Air CutsFind albums on this label, EchoesFind albums on this label, Hi HatFind albums on this label, HotspurFind albums on this label, InterferenceFind albums on this label, KeyholeFind albums on this label, KlondikeFind albums on this label, Live On VinylFind albums on this label, London CallingFind albums on this label, OrbitFind albums on this label, Rox VoxFind albums on this label and Sound StageFind albums on this label. There is no ironclad logic as to what material appears on which label, except perhaps some internal considerations by the Obiterdictum owners. Approach with caution, but keep in mind that some of these releases are absolutely brilliant!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 07/01/2021

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS ~ ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON (EXPANDED EDITION) RHINO HANDMADE 603497949885 (Barcode: 603497949885) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2010 This is a reissue of the third album by American singer / songwriter couple Delaney BramlettFind albums by this artist and Bonnie BramlettFind albums by this artist, known as Delaney & BonnieFind albums by this artist and later on as Delaney & Bonnie & FriendsFind albums by this artist. This album, their only live recording and their first release on AtcoFind albums on this label Records, was recorded during the band´s UK tour in December 1969 and released in 1970 as a single LP. This reissue considerably expands the scope of the album offering entire 4 CDs full of music, presenting four entire concerts. The album was recorded by a dream team of top American and British musicians, which included Delaney Bramlett on guitar and vocals. Bonnie Bramlett on vocals, Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist on vocals, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist on lead guitar and vocals, Dave MasonFind albums by this artist on guitar, George HarrisonFind albums by this artist on guitar, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Bobby WhitlockFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Bobby KeysFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Jim PriceFind albums by this artist, drummer Jim GordonFind albums by this artist and percussionist Tex JohnsonFind albums by this artist. The album presents original songs, which were penned by the Bramletts, as well as classic Rock And Roll numbers. This album brought Delaney & Bonnie to the center of attention of many listeners, who missed their two earlier albums entirely, most probably due to the fact that if featured Clapton, who of course was a superstar. But the music of Delaney & Bonnie was stylistically very different to what earlier Clapton recordings offered of course and presented an unprecedented mixture of Rhythm And Blues, Soul, Blues and Gospel with Rock and Pop, creating an entire new musical universe. This album turned out to be a huge commercial success, but in retrospect failed to establish Delaney & Bonnie as major artists and their career disintegrated after their divorce in 1973, after they managed to record three more excellent albums. This album belongs to the small and exclusive "club" of the best live Rock albums, which also includes Joe CockerFind albums by this artist´s "Mad Dogs & Englishmen: The Complete Fillmore East ConcertsFind albums with this title", Humble PieFind albums by this artist´s "Performance Rockin` The Fillmore: The Complete RecordingsFind albums with this title", Allman Brothers BandFind albums by this artist´s "The 1971 Fillmore East RecordingsFind albums with this title" and a few others. Luckily for the music connoisseurs all these essential albums have also been released in expanded multi-CD versions, which allow the listener to witness the entire performances from which the original albums were assembled upon their original release. This limited edition lavishly packed Box Set, which is a mock of a road case, includes some of the most vital music Rock And Roll produced at its peak, and is a must have in every comprehensive Rock record collection and an essential piece of music history. The same set in a "fat boy" CD case was reissued by RhinoFind albums on this label Records in 2017, which makes it much affordable than the original, now out of print, release. Essential stuff!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 01/06/2018

CD 4 Digipak Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

GRAHAM NASH ~ SONGS FOR BEGINNERS ATLANTIC 081227977078 (Barcode: 081227977078) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2011 This is the debut solo album by British singer / songwriter Graham NashFind albums by this artist, one of the 20th Century Classic Rock icons, who is still active today. After a glorious career in the UK as a member of the legendary group The HolliesFind albums by this artist, Nash moved to the USA to join David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist (and later Neil YoungFind albums by this artist) to form one of the most influential Classic Rock bands in history: Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist (and Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist). Nash was decisively the catalyst and bonding element of these bands, with his British Cultural background, lyricism and superb feel of vocal harmony, as well as his personal manners and attitude, which was often in complete contrast to his American partners. This album was recorded in wake of the success of the CSN&Y debut album "Déjà VuFind albums with this title" released in 1970, which prompted all four members of the band to release solo albums, all of which were superb pieces of musical ingenuity. In retrospect, however, this album and David Crosby´s "If I Could Only Remember My NameFind albums with this title" stand out as icons of the era. The album presents eleven original songs, all written (music and lyrics) by Nash, except for one which was co-written with the British guitarist Terry ReidFind albums by this artist, an old friend and partner. Nash is supported by a formidable team of musicians, which includes vocalist Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist, Jerry GarciaFind albums by this artist, David Crosby and Dave MasonFind albums by this artist on guitars, Neil Young on piano, Bobby KeysFind albums by this artist on saxophone, bassist Calvin SamuelsFind albums by this artist and Phil LeshFind albums by this artist, drummers John BarbataFind albums by this artist and Dallas TaylorFind albums by this artist and numerous others. The songs exemplify not only his exceptional harmonic and melodic qualities but also his social awareness, which is strongly present in the fabric of the lyrics, many of which would become an integral part of the protest songs sung by the young generation in the early 1970s, when lyrics were meaningful and could move mountains. In retrospect this album is one of the absolute top achievements of the Classic Rock era, and remains completely relevant today, not losing an iota of its splendor and power over time. Almost half a Century after this music was created, it is still fresh, moving and exceedingly beautiful. How sad that nobody makes music like this any more…

Updated: 09/09/2018Posted: 09/09/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend