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5 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.

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: 01/06/2018CD 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: 07/01/2021CD 2 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS ~ MOTEL SHOT (EXPANDED EDITION)
REAL GONE MUSIC 0516 (Barcode: 848064005162) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock

Recorded: 1970 Released: 2017

This is fifth 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 third and last release on AtcoFind albums on this label Records, was recorded in 1970 and released in 1971 with a new version of "Friends", which includes, keyboardist Bobby WhitlockFind albums by this artist, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist, drummer Jim KeltnerFind albums by this artist and guests like pianist Leon RussellFind albums by this artist, guitarists Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist and Dave MasonFind albums by this artist, vocalists Gram ParsonsFind albums by this artist and Joe CockerFind albums by this artist and others. The original album presents twelve songs, which are the usual mixture of Bramletts´ originals and Rock / Rhythm And Blues classics. This expanded and remastered version adds eight bonus tracks, taken from the earlier recording session of the same material, done during the couple´s short lived ElektraFind albums on this label days.

Musically the album presents the already established Delaney & Bonnie formula, mixing Rhythm And Blues, Soul and Country music with Rock instrumentation and featuring the duo´s vocal harmonies and Bonnie´s heartwrenching vocal pyrotechnics. Combined with superb instrumental work by the "Friends", the music is full of energy and genuine enthusiasm spiced with talent and good taste, which at that time was still around. The concept of this album being almost entirely acoustic and "informal", recorded during impromptu jam sessions in motel rooms, is nor really reflecting the reality.

In spite of the success of a couple of singles taken out of this album it did not sell well and remained highly regarded by some critics and Delaney & Bonnie devotees, but in retrospect disappeared into oblivion, which is a great pity as the music it offered was excellent all through and certainly worth being remembered. On the other hand considering the quality of music that was being produced at an incredible rate at the time, many classic Rock albums shared the faith of this one.

It is great to see that the album is available on CD thanks to the outstanding work by the Real Gone MusicFind albums on this label reissue label, which means it can be enjoyed by people who still remember it when it happened in real time as well as being (hopefully) discovered by some younger listeners. Wholeheartedly recommended!
Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 13/07/2018CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks 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: 01/06/2018CD 4 Digipak Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS ~ TO BONNIE FROM DELANEY
WOUNDED BIRD 326 (Barcode: 664140032620) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock

Recorded: 1970 Released: 2016

This is fourth 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 second release on AtcoFind albums on this label Records, was recorded and released in 1970 with a new version of "Friends", since the previous version of "Friends", which accompanied them on the live album "On Tour With Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title" was practically hijacked by Leon RussellFind albums by this artist to accompany Joe CockerFind albums by this artist on his US 1970 tour, which produced the legendary "Mad Dogs & EnglishmenFind albums with this title" album. The new "Friends" retained only keyboardist Bobby WhitlockFind albums by this artist from the previous band, but offered an impressive list of players, such as guitarists Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist (who played slide guitar) and Charlie FreemanFind albums by this artist and many others, including the Memphis HornsFind albums by this artist brass section, which took part in the recording of their debut album "HomeFind albums with this title". The album presents twelve songs, which are the usual mixture of Bramletts´ originals and Rock / Rhythm And Blues classics.

Musically the album presents the already established Delaney & Bonnie formula, mixing Rhythm And Blues, Soul and Country music with Rock instrumentation and featuring the duo´s vocal harmonies and Bonnie´s heartwrenching vocal pyrotechnics. Combined with superb instrumental work by the "Friends", the music is full of energy and genuine enthusiasm spiced with talent and good taste, which at that time was still around.

In spite of the success of the preceding live album, this album did not come near to the same level of success and remained highly regarded by some critics and Delaney & Bonnie devotees, but in retrospect disappeared into oblivion, which is a great pity as the music it offered was excellent all through and certainly worth being remembered. On the other hand considering the quality of music that was being produced at an incredible rate at the time, many classic Rock albums shared the faith of this one.

It is great to see that the album is available on CD thanks to the outstanding work by the Wounded BirdFind albums on this label Records reissue label, which means it can be enjoyed by people who still remember it when it happened in real time as well as being (hopefully) discovered by some younger listeners. Wholeheartedly recommended!
Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 02/06/2018CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

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