Record Reviews

DELANEY & BONNIE ~ HOME (RESEQUENCED AND EXPANDED EDITION) STAX 025218862622 (Barcode: 025218862622) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 - 1969 Released: 2006 This is a reissue of the debut album by American couple: vocalist / guitarist / songwriter Delaney BramlettFind albums by this artist and his wife vocalist / songwriter 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 StaxFind albums on this label Records, which was primarily associated with Afro-American artists, presents their early recordings, supported by a formidable set of musicians, including the Stax house band Booker T. & The MG`sFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Leon RussellFind albums by this artist (who brought them to Stax in the first place), keyboardist Isaac HayesFind albums by this artist, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist and others, including the Memphis HornsFind albums by this artist brass section. This expanded and resequenced reissue includes the ten original tracks and six bonus tracks and a new order of tracks to create a more coherent listening experience. About half of the tracks are originals written by Delaney Bramlett or co-written with Bonnie Bramlett, the rest were mostly contributed by the musicians playing on the album, with the exception of the legendary "Piece Of My Heart", which gets here a fabulous interpretation. The music of Delaney & Bonnie was a wonderful amalgam of American Country, Rock (which in America also derived from Country) and the entire palette of what was considered as "black" music at the time, i.e. Rhythm And Blues, Soul, Funk and Gospel. The fact that they were "white" musicians did not help them, while America was still swamped by the racial bigotry at the time, and this album failed to succeed on the music market, in spite of its excellent material and musicianship. Only after Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist engaged them to perform as the opening act during the US tour of Blind FaithFind albums by this artist in mid-1969, they gained considerable public attention. This led to the recording of their third album "Live On Tour With Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title" and their involvement in the recording of Clapton´s eponymous debut album ("Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title"). In retrospect this music sounds as fresh and vital today as it did when I first heard it five decades ago. It is full of great vocal performances and harmonies and superb instrumental work, and most importantly honesty and no bullshit attitude, which simply does not exist in music today. Considering the fact that Delaney & Bonnie left a limited recorded legacy, every album of theirs is a musical treasure, especially for people who have no problem to listen to music without preconceptions and snobbish stylistic restraints. Superb stuff!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 30/05/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks 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: 02/06/2018

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

STEPHEN STILLS ~ LIVE AT BERKELEY 1971 OMNIVORE 515 (Barcode: 810075113013) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2023 This is an archival live album by American singer / songwriter Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist, recorded on August 20 and 21, 1971 during the tour supporting Stills’ second solo album. with a stellar team of musicians, including bassist Calvin SamuelsFind albums by this artist, drummer Dallas TaylorFind albums by this artist and the legendary Memphis HornsFind albums by this artist. Lifetime friend David CrosbyFind albums by this artist joins Stills on two songs. The album presents fifteen tracks, almost all with songs written or co-written by Stills. The music includes acoustic material, which features Stills on guitar / piano and vocals, including the spine-chilling duets with Crosby, and also more electric Rock oriented material, which features the full band with the horns. Several songs from the Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist repertoire are naturally included as well. Stills is absolutely amazing as a guitarist and vocalist and his output over the years is obviously at the very top of American Rock achievements. He has very few competitors as far as writing brilliant songs, with intelligent lyrics, full of social awareness, which were the soundtrack of my generation. Not surprisingly, the music lost absolutely nothing of its strength and beauty over the time, and remains at the core of classic Rock. As uplifting as it is, it is also devastating, showing the tragic state of contemporary music, which completely “lost it” in time. Overall, this is a great document of the era, spotlighting the incredible talents of one of the greatest American Rock heroes, captured for posterity. It takes just one man with his acoustic guitar and incredible charisma to mesmerize thousands of people, no effects, electronics, auto-tuning and all the gadgetry that replaced talent over time. This is as good as music gets, no BS, and let’s not forget it.

Updated: 04/06/2023Posted: 04/06/2023

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

STEPHEN STILLS ~ STEPHEN STILLS 2 ATLANTIC 075678238925 (Barcode: 075678238925) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 1991 This is the second studio album by iconic American singer / guitarist / songwriter Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist. Following the release of the epic debut albums with Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist and Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist, Stills was the second member of these groups to release a solo album, and in his case two solo albums in rapid succession, his eponymous debut and this, its successor. He was supported on this album by bassist Calvin SamuelsFind albums by this artist and drummers Conrad IsidoreFind albums by this artist and Dallas TaylorFind albums by this artist, as well as several high profile guests like keyboardists Dr. JohnFind albums by this artist and Billy PrestonFind albums by this artist and guitarists Nils LofgrenFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist and Jerry GarciaFind albums by this artist. David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and others sung backing vocals on some tracks and the famous Memphis HornsFind albums by this artist played brass arrangements on selected tracks. The album presents twelve original songs, all by Stills. Although coldly received by the critics at the time, in retrospect this album is a splendid collection of superbly crafted songs, which Stills has been weaving with great talent since his Buffalo SpringfieldFind albums by this artist days. His ability to amalgam American Country, Folk and Blues with Rock and even Latin Music enables him to create a versatile musical output matched only by a few other songwriters of his generation. In retrospect the album stands the test of time wonderfully, without losing any of its superb melodic sensitivities, sincerity and values. Stills might not be a highly sophisticated lyricist, but his honesty and straightforwardness are often more explicit and striking than complex lyrics created by his peers. Almost fifty years after this album was created, it still offers more music than most of the "music" created today, which of course is hardly surprising.

Updated: 31/07/2019Posted: 25/01/2019

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend