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tracks years

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tracks years NOTES TRACKS PHOTOS DISCOGRAPHY CREDITS

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For more track details, click on each track.

1. A Possible Projection Of The Future 6:30A Possible Projection Of The Future

2. I Wish You Would 3:53

Championship Wrestling

3. I Stand Alone 3:42I Stand Alone

4. Bury My Body 8:56

Kooper Session

5. Be Yourself Be Real 3:26Naked Songs

6. Brand New Day 5:09

Easy Does It

7. One 2:50

I Stand Alone

8. Going Quietly Mad 3:53

New York City (Youre A Woman)

9. Sad Sad Sunshine 5:05Easy Does It

10. Come Down In Time 4:40

New York City Youre A Woman

11. Buckskin Boy 3:09

Easy Does It

12. Love Theme from The Landlord 3:07Easy Does It

13. Ooh Baby I Love You/

Love Is A Mans Best Friend 4:20New York City (Youre A Woman)

14. I Got A Woman 6:28

Easy Does It

15. The Warning (Someones On

The Cross Again) 2:59New York City (Youre A Woman)

16. Unrequited 2:47

Naked Songs

17. Whiskey Train (Live at TheLiving Room NYC) 4:55Unreleased

18 Peacock Lady 3:23Naked Songs

19 Earth Mother 5:06Unreleased

20. She Gets Me Where I Live 3:34Easy Does It

21. You Never Know Who

Your Friends Are 2:53You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

22. The Man In Me 3:41

A Possible Projection Of The Future

23. Where Were You

(When I Needed You) 3:07Naked Songs

24. New York City (Youre A Woman) 4:55New York City (Youre A Woman)

More Tracks

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For more track details, click on each track.

Previous Tracks

25. John The Baptist 3:32

New York City (Youre A Woman)

26. Living In My Own Religion 4:49Rare & Well Done

27. Camille (backing track) 2:53Unreleased

28. Mourning Glory Story 2:12You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

29. Test Drive 4:40Unreleased 3

30. I Believe To My Soul 4:27Rare & Well Done

31. Honest I Do

(Live at The Living Room NYC**) 2:56Unreleased

32. Let Your Love Shine 4:00A Possible Projection Of The Future

33. Lookin For A Home 5:48

Kooper Session

34. Lucille 3:24You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

35. Magic In My Sox 3:54You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

36. 500 Miles(Can You Hear It Now) 3:26New York City (Youre A Woman)

37.Fly On (for Levi Stubbs) 3:14A Possible Projection Of The Future

38. Dearest Darling 3:53New York City (Youre A Woman)

39. As The Years Go Passing By 6:02Naked Songs

40. Nightmare #5 (demo) 3:06Unreleased

41. Nightmare #5 3:01New York City (Youre A Woman)

42. Wrestle With This 5:22Championship Wrestling

43. Childhoods End 3:26A Possible Projection Of The Future

44. Let The Duchess No 3:19Easy Does It

45. God Sheds His Grace On Thee 2:09Easy Does It

46. I Can Love A Woman 3:24

I Stand Alone

47. Jolie 3:44Naked Songs

48. Touch The Hem Of His Garment 4:03Naked Songs

49. I Dont Know Why I Love You 3:22You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

50.Im Never Gonna Let You Down 4:36You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

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1. A Possible Projection Of The Future (Al Kooper) 6:30..... a kinda great way to start off with a Murphys

Law-stricken old Al looking back at his life from 80

years old...fortunately, back in 1971, it was a POSSIBLE

projection, and things are actually much better today

than the outcome of said sad song...

Al Kooper -all instruments except: Bass- Herbie Flowers/Guitar-Alan Parker/

Drums-Barry Morgan/ Intro narration by JohnPunter

Engineered by John Punter at Trident Studios, London UK

Click on photo to enlarge

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2. I Wish You Would (Billy Boy Arnold) 3:53.....The Atlantic Records version by John Hammond, Jr. was the

inspiration and big fave of Jeff Baxter & myself. What a treat to

play this song with these musicians... 2 much fun!!!Al Kooper - organ & synthesizers/Jeff Baxter & Elliott Randall-guitars

Bass - Neil Stubenhaus/ Drums - Bruce Gary/Harp-Fingers Taylor

Percussion-Joe Vitale/ Horns-Tower of Power/Produced, Engineered &

Mixed by Bill Szymczyk

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3. I Stand Alone (Al Kooper) 3:42.....a song in which the singer professes powerful passion

for his woman despite all the obstacles in his way...also the

genesis of my recording pseudo-soul music in

Nashville as early as 1968...

Al Kooper - keyboards/Guitars-Wayne Moss,Jerry Kennedy, Charlie Daniels

Bass-Charlie McCoy/Drums-Kenny Buttrey/BG Vocals- The Blossoms

Horns-unknown/ Horns Arranged by Al Kooper & Charlie McCoy

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Nashville by Charlie Bragg

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4. Bury My Body (Al Kooper) 8:56.....thrilled to discover 15-year-old guitar genius Shuggie Otis,

I got his parents permission to make an album with him.

It starts off like this:

Keyboards - Al Kooper/Guitar-Shuggie Otis/Bass-Stu Woods/ Drums: Wells Kelly

BG Vocals - Hilda Harris,Albertine Robinson, Eileen Gilbert, Maretha Stewart,

Melba Moore. Engineered by Roy Segal at Columbia Studios, New York City


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5. (Be Yourself) Be Real (Al Kooper) 3:26..... as a lyricist, one of my favorite openings:

Why do we try to be what we wanna be

If we can never be what we are?

And if we could find a way to enjoy every day

We would have nothing to look forward to at all.....

Keyboards,Guitars & Synths-Al Kooper/Bass-John Paul Fetta/Drums-Eddie

Barbato/BG Vox- Tasha Thomas, Linda November, Eileen Gilbert, Maretha

Stewart,Patti Austin, Albertine Robinson. Engineered by Don Puluse

at Columbia Studios, NYC

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6. Brand New Day (Al Kooper) 5:09......written for my first film score, and re-recorded for the

Easy Does It album in 1970. This was my first experiment

playing 8 different guitar tracks.

Phasing at the end courtesy of Roy Halee...

Guitars & Keyboards-Al Kooper/Bass-Stu Woods/ Drums-Rick Marotta

Horns-Unknown/ Horns arranged by Al Kooper & Charles Calello

Engineered by Don Puluse at Columbia Studios NYC

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7. One (Harry Nilsson) 2:50...by this time I had become a huge fan & friend of Harry

Nilssons. This was the second of four songs I recorded of his.An amazing singer & songwriter!

Arranged & Conducted by Jimmy Wisner/Backround Vocals by

Robert John, Mike Gately & Jim Fairs/Musicians - unknown

Engineered by Frank Laico at Columbia Studios NYC

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8. Going Quietly Mad (Al Kooper) 3:53.....extremely Beatle-influenced as it was, so begins the

three-guitar harmony solos a la Les Paul & Randy Californiasmodernization of what Les started. This became an identifying

trait of this period for me...

Keyboards, Guitar solos - Al Kooper/Verse Guitar Fills-Caleb Quaye

Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Roger Pope/Engineered by Ken Scott

at Trident Studios, London, UK

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9. Sad Sad Sunshine (Al Kooper) 5:05.......first I was taught a new acoustic guitar tuning; then George

Harrison taught us all about Indian music; and finally the end of an

all night LSD journey found me in a San Francisco motel room on the

beach where I wearily composed this song in 1966. Years later, it

appeared on the Easy Does It album...

Acoustic Guitars - Al Kooper, Keith Allson, Freddy Weller/Sitar - Al Kooper

Tabla-Milt Holland/Bass-Joe Osborne/Drums-Joe Corero Jr./Strings Arranged by

Charlie Calello/BG Vocals - Al Kooper/ Recorded at Columbia Studios,

Hollywood, CA by Sy Mitchell

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10. Come Down In Time (Elton John-Bernie Taupin) 4:40....Elton & Bernie assisted me tremendously in recording the

New York City (Youre A Woman) and A Possible Projection Of

The Future albums in the UK nd introducing me to bassista

Herbie Flowers with whom I had always wanted to record within the studio. This track was a tip of the hat to the forever

songwriting duo of Elton and Bernie....

Keyboards, mellotron, & speedy guitar solo - Al Kooper/Acoustic guitars-Louie

Shelton/Acoustic Bass-Bobby West/Electric Bass - Herbie Flowers

Percussion-Bobbi Hall Porter/Drums-Paul Humphries/BG Vox-Rita Coolidge,

Dorothy Morrison, Claudia Lennear, Donna Weiss,Julia Tilman, Lorna WillardRecorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA by Sy Mitchell

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11. Buckskin Boy (Al Kooper) 3:09.....after delving into many volumes concerning the travails of the

American Indian, I was able to contain that acquired knowledge into

a sprawling, question-filled lyric I have always been proud of. At the

time, the rocking trio Bretheren (Stu, Tom & Rick) backed me up

majestically along with David Bromberg and the cinematicorchestrations of Charlie Calello. The guitar solo here is another

of the Al-three guitars-in harmony collection. One of my favorite

tracks I ever recorded...

Keyboards & Guitar Solo-Al Kooper/Skanky Guitar Fills - Tom Cosgrove/Rhthym

Guitar-David Bromberg/Bass-Stu Woods/ Drums- Rick Marotta/Strings & Horns

Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper/ Engineered by Glenn Kolotkin atColumbia Studios, NYC

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12. Love Theme (from the film The Landlord) (Al Kooper) 3:07.....I was priviliged that my first filmscore was for Hal Ashbys

maiden directorial effort. There were tears in my eyes when I first

watched how this particular aural landscape blended with Ashbys

vision. More 3 guitar carrying-on in the fade. Years later, this trackwas inexplicably sampled by Jay Z as well as

The Alchemist in the hip-hop world.....

Keyboards & Ending Guitar Solo - Al Kooper/Acoustic Guitars - Stu Scharff, Joe

Beck/Bass-John Miller/ Drums-Al Rogers/Percussion-George Devens/ BG Vox -

unknown/ Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper/ Engineered by Stan Tonkel

at Columbia Studios, NYC

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13. Medley: Oooh Baby I Love You/Love Is A Mans Best Friend

(Richard Parker-Al Kooper-Bob Brass-Irwin Levine) 4:20.......a cover of Fred Hughes Records hit at the time fusedWand

with a similar song I wrote with Bob Brass & Irwin Levine in theearly sixties. These west coast studio players & singers nailed

this one to the wall!!!

Piano, Organ & Wah Guitar-Al Kooper/Guitar-Louie Shelton/Bass-Bobby West

Drums-Paul Humphries/Percussion-Bobbi Hall Porter/BG Vox-Rita Coolidge,

Donna Weiss, Julia Tillman, Lorna Willard, Jesse Smith, Robbie Montgomery

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA by Robert GratzSpecial thanks - Denny Cordell

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14. I Got A Woman (Ray Charles) 6:28....I guess enough time has passed to mention that I was extremely

influenced tempo-wise by the Gerry Goffin produced Freddy Scott

cover. But arrangement-wise, Charlie Calello & I went to our ownplace - paying tribute to a Ray Charles ballad; which this was

NOT, originally....

Piano, vibraphone-Al Kooper/Bass-Stu Woods/Drums-Rick Marotta/Alto sax-

Fred Lipsius/Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper/Engineered by

Don Puluse at Columbia Studios, NYC

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15. The Warning (Someones On The Cross Again)

(Al Kooper-Phyliss Major) 2:59...Phyliss & I collaborated on about ten songs on which she was

the lyricist. The gospel side of me enjoyed her Biblical research and

topics, and Vanetta Fields step-out vocals in the choruses. I was

thrilled to be able to get the sound I heard in my head onto tape and

out to all of you....

Piano, Organ, Harmonium, Horn Arrangement-Al Kooper, Guitar-Louie Shelton/

Pedal Steel-Sneeky Pete/Bass-Carol Kaye/Drums-Paul Humphries/ Vocal Solos-

Vanetta Fields(!)/ BG Vox- Rita Coolidge, Clydie King, Donna Weiss, Julia Tillman,Edna Wright, Maxine Willard, Jay Siegel,Robert John, Mike Gately/ Recorded at

Columbia Studios Hollywood, CA by Brian Ross-Myring

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16. Unrequited (Al Kooper) 2:47..... a biography of an affair I had with a woman who was in an

open marriage. Covered wonderfully by Lynn Christopher shortly

thereafter, but sadly out of print today. Musically influenced by

Bachrach, Nilsson & Jim Webb......

Piano-Al Kooper/all other personell unknown/Arranged by Jimmy Wisner

Recorded by Frank Laico at Columbia Studios, NYC

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17. Whiskey Train (live at the Living Room NYC) -

(Robin Trower-Keith Reid) 4:55

......A Procol Harum obscurity loved by boomer guitarists.Usually played as an encore by my current rockabilly trio

captured here in 2006....

Electric Guitar-Al Kooper/Bass-Jesse Williams/Drums-Larry Finn/

Recorded Live by Steve Rosenthal

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18. Peacock Lady (Al Kooper) 3:23.....maybe the most folkie track I ever recorded. BIG help from

Stu Scharff, Maruga, and the always correct Jimmy Wisner.For all you folked-up fans out there....

Rhthym & gut-string guitar, harpsichord, Arp synthesizer (flute) Fender Bass-Al

Kooper/ lead acoustic gut-string guitar-Stu Scharff/clay & tuned hand drums-

Maruga/String Arrangement by Jimmy Wisner/ Recorded at Columbia Studios,

NYC by Don Puluse

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19. Earth Mother (Al Kooper) 5:06...One of my favorite lyrics I ever wrote. A Jackson Browne-sound-

ing ballad dedicated to a folksinging old friend. Never released be-

cause the term earth mother got square by the time I finished the

track, but I kinda love it today and Im glad its finally released......

Piano, Organ-Al Kooper/Guitars-Reggie Young,Steve Gibson/Pedal Steel-Pete

Drake/ Bass-Mike Leech/Drums-Kenny Buttrey/ Background Vocals- Ron Hicklin

Singers/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN by Neil Wilburn & Holly-

wood, CA by Sy Mitchell

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20. She Gets Me Where I Live (Al Kooper) 3:34.....My first Wrecking Crew session as an artist. Pretty amazing

evening. Jimmy Haskells arrangement was spot on and NOT easy

for trumpeters. Pretty commercial for me but of course, not a hit.....Acoustic Guitar, Organ-Al Kooper + The Wrecking Crew - Nylon String Guitar

Tommy Tedesco/12 String Guitar-Louie Shelton/Piano-Larry Knechtel

Bass-Lyle Ritz/Drums-Earl Palmer/Strings & Horns Arranged by Jimmy Haskell

Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA by Brian Ross-Myring

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21. You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (Al Kooper) 2:53........the hardest I ever TRIED to have a hit single. Lotsa bells &

whistles, Beach Boy & Beatle stuff, and the three guitars in harmony

in the fade. Lucky for me my mantra has always been: if you dontexpect anything, youre never disappointed....but a fer sure fun

listen nowadays....

Piano-Frank Owens/Guitars-Ralph Casale,Stu Scharff/ End Guitarsolo-Al Koop-

er/Synthesizer-Walter Sear/Bass-John Miller/Drums-Al Rogers/BG Vox-Mike

Gately,Robert John, Lou Christie/ Arranged by Al Kooper & Charles Calello/

Horns-unknown/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, NYC by Don Puluse

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22. The Man In Me (Bob Dylan) 3:41....I played on Bobs version of this, but later came up with this

arrangement including falsetto vocals and a George Harrison-likesolo. Dylanheads should enjoy this....

Organ,Mellotron, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Solos, - Al Kooper/Acoustic &

Electric Guitar-Alan Parker/Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Barry Morgan

Recorded at Air Studios, London, UK by John Punter.

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23. Where Were You (When I Needed You)

(Al Kooper-Irwin Levine) 3:07....some New York-style R&B written there by Irwin & I in 1963.

Covered unsuccessfully by a few soulsingers back then, but servedup brand new with THAT organ ten years later.......

Keyboards,Wah-Wah Guitar, Finger Snaps-Al Kooper/Rhthym Guitar-Frank Riban-

do/Bass-John Paul Fetta/Drums-Eddie Barbato/BG Vox- Tasha Thomas, Linda No-

vember, Eileen Gilbert, Maretha Stewart,Patti Austin, Albertine Robinson/String

Arrangement-Jimmy Wisner/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, NYC by Don Puluse

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24. New York City (Youre A Woman) (Al Kooper) 4:55....I was attempting to write a mini-symphony and this was the in-

tro. I wanted to capture what Manhattan was all about, musically &

lyrically. I wrote hours of instrumental passages and movers lost theenvelopes when I moved from downtown to uptown. I guess this is

all thats left. Bass players will enjoy the uniqueness of Herbie

Flowers on this track....

Piano , Organ, Mellotron, All Guitars-Al Kooper/Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Rog-

er Pope/BG Vox- Liza Strike, Barry St. John, Claudia Linnear, Linda Lewis/ Engi-

neered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London, UK

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25. John The Baptist (Al Kooper-Phyllis Major) 3:32...another biblically inspired lyric by Ms. Major complemented

by a Band-inspired arrangement. Ironically covered by

Blood Sweat & Tears.....

Piano, Organ, Acoustic Guitar -Al Kooper/Electric Guitar-Louie Shelton/Bass-Carol Kaye/ Percussion-Bobbi Hall Porter/Drums-Paul Humphries/BG Vox-Rita

Coolidge,Vanetta Fields,Clydie King, Donna Weiss, Julia Tillman, Edna Wright,

Maxine Willard, Robert John, Mike Gately, Jay Siegel/ Horn Arrangement by Jim-

my Haskell/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood CA by Brian Ross Myring

& NYC by Don Puluse

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26. Living In My Own Religion (Al Kooper) 4:49...it took me seven tries to write th song explaining my spirituality;is

i.e., that I am a man of God, but not a religion-follower. Finally,

after all those attempts, it came out just the way I hoped it would.One sings better when one is praising the Lord, ya know....

All Instruments by Al Kooper/BG Vox by Etta Britt, John Cowan & Bill Lloyd

Recorded by Gary Laney at Sound Emporium Studios, Nashville, TN.

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27. Camille (backing track) (Al Kooper-Tony Powers) 2:53........inspired by an Iber overture and written for the first Blood

Sweat & Tears album, this was finally recorded (with vocal) on my

first solo album, I Stand Alone. Here, one gets to hear the intricacies

of this early Calello-Kooper arrangement...

Organ,Piano-Al Kooper/Guitars-Hugh McCracken, Ralph Casale, Stu Scharff/ Bass-

John Miller/ Drums-Johnny Cresci/Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper

Strings, Horns, BG Vocalists-unknown/ Recorded by Fred Catero at

Columbia Studios, NYC

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28. Mourning Glory Story (Harry Nilsson) 2:12...With the exception of the horns, this session started at 10 AM

on a Tuesday and went straight through to 10 AM the next day.

The hard parts were the vocal arrangements. The horns were re-

corded prior to the rest of the track - too bad no photos were takenWednesday morning at 10:01 AM.....

Piano-Al Kooper/Voices -Lou Christie, Robert John, Mike Gately, Charlie

Calello,Al Kooper/Saxes: George Young, Sol Schlinger, Seldon Powell, Joe Far-

rell/Trumpets: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm/Trombones: Ray Desio,

Jimmy Knepper, Bill Watrous, Tony Studd/Voices & Horns Arranged by Al Kooper

& Charlie Calello/ Recorded by Don Puluse at Columbia Studios, NYC

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29. Test Drive (Al Kooper) 4:40.....I actually recorded the track BEFORE I wrote the finished

song, which is very rare. This was done in 1986, in betweenscoring the NBC-TV series Crime Story I enlisted the services

of the always amazing Buzzy Feiten on lead guitar to complete

this Prince tribute.....

All Instruments & Voices - Al Kooper except Lead Guitar - Buzzy Feiten (!!)/ Re-

corded at The Slammer, N. Hollywood, CA by Richard US MacIntosh

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30. I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles) 4:27.......Originally the b side of Ray Charles Im Movin On, when I was

barely in my teens, this was a life-changer for me and probably for

young Bobby Zimmerman who appropriated the intro to each verse

for Ballad Of A Thin Man. Add two dollops of Mick Taylor in his primeand a new groove and a little in-studio yakking before & after...

Keyboards & wah-wah guitar-Al Kooper/Lead Guitar-Mick Taylor/Bass-Bobby

West/Drums-Paul Humphries/ BG Vox - The Blossoms/ Recorded at Columbia Stu-

dios, Hollywood, CA by Robert Gratz & Air Studios, London, UK by John Punter

Mixed By Bill Szymczyk & Al Kooper at Reflection Sound, Charlotte NC

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31. Honest I Do (Live At The Living Room NYC) (Jimmy Reed) 2:56.......another oldie from my childhood, Jimmy Reed made raw

simplicity an art form. I can listen to hours of Jimmy Reed nowadays

to clear my ears of bad music, when it occasionally crosses my path.Here I am live, with my rockabilly trio, spreading the simplicity

gospel in 2006.....

Guitar - Al Kooper/Bass & BG Vocal-Jesse Williams/Drums-Larry Finn/ Produced

by Al Kooper & Steve Rosenthal/ Engineered Live by Steve Rosenthal

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32. Let Your Love Shine (Al Kooper) 4:00...Id be lying if I said this wasnt influenced by the After The Gold

Rush album.A smiling tribute to Neil, a year before I produced the

defamatory Young smear Sweet Home Alabama............Piano, Organ,Electric Guitars & Solos-Al Kooper/ Acoustic Guitars-Alan Parker

Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Barry Morgan/Backup Vocals-Mike Gately, Robert

John, Lou Christie/Recorded at Air Studios, London, UK by John Punter

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33. Lookin For A Home (Edward Forehand) 5:48.........While listening to Gloria & George Coleman play jazz in a

seedy bar in Jamaica, Queens in the early 60s, someone popped a

nickel in the jukebox and unleashed Little Busters version of this

song. Bought the 45 the next day,and teamed up with 15-year-old Shuggie Otis in 69 to allow him to scream on this version. In

the 70s my father became the lawyer for blind Little Buster. Small

world........

Keyboards - Al Kooper/Guitar-Shuggie Otis/Bass-Stu Woods/Drums: Wells

Kelly/BG Vocals - Hilda Harris,Albertine Robinson, Eileen Gilbert, Maretha

Stewart,Melba Moore/ Recorded at Columbia Stdios, NYC by Roy Segal

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34. Lucille (Al Kooper) 3:24...what if the Beach Boys and The Four Seasons teamed up on a

track ? That was the concept I had for this songs arrangement.

Having Charlie Calello onboard didnt hurt, as he arranged all the

Four Season singles originally. The Brian Wilson stuff we emulatedto the best of our abilities....

Organ & Celeste-Al Kooper/Guitar- Yuma Cracken/Bass-Jerry Jemmott / Drums-

Buddy Salzman/Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper/Backup Vocals-Mike

Gately, Robert John, Lou Christie/Recorded at Columbia Studios,

NYC by Don Puluse

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35. Magic In My Sox (Al Kooper) 3:54.......One of the craziest songs (musically AND lyrically) I ever wrote.

Powered by one of the best arrangement collaborations, this

definitely doesnt sound much like anybody elses work....

and thats what its all about sometimes......Organ, Piano,Guitar Solos, Wah Wah Guitar-Al Kooper/Rhythm Guitar-Hugh Mc-

Cracken/Bass-Chuck Rainey/Drums-Al Rogers/ Saxes: George Young, Sol Schlinger,

Seldon Powell, Joe Farrell/Trumpets: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm

Trombones: Ray Desio, Jimmy Knepper, Bill Watrous, Tony Studd/Arranged by Al

Kooper & Charlie Calello/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, NYC by Glenn Kolotkin

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36. 500 Miles (Can You Hear It Now) (adptd&arrngd-Al Kooper) 3:26.....folk songs can b soulful if youre in the right frame of mind.

A rare (outside of the group Chicago) guitar solo by Terry Kath

who,contractually at the time, had to do it on the sly; and wonderful

wailing by Rita Coolidge in the fade......

Organ, Piano, Mellotron-Al Kooper/Guitar-Louie Shelton/Guitar Solo-Terry Kath/

Bass-Bobby West/Drums-Paul Humphries/Percussion-Bobbi Hall Porter/Ending

Vocal Solo-Rita Coolidge/BG Vocals-Julia Tillman, Edna Woods, Lorna Willard, Rob-

bie Montgomery, Jesse Smith, Donna Weiss, Rita Coolidge/ Recorded at Columbia

Studios, Hollywood, CA by Robert Gratz

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37. Fly On (for Levi Stubbs) (Al Kooper) 3:14....songwriting very influenced by the 4 Tops. One of my fantasies

was that they might record it someday. There are few better

compliments to a songwriter than to have hadLevi sing your song.....

Electric Guitar, Mellotron, Piano, Organ, Arp Synthesizer-Al Kooper/ Acoustic

Guitar-Alan Parker/Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Barry Morgan/BG Vox-Claudia

Linnear,Linda Lewis, Mike Gately, Robert John/ Recorded at Air Studios, London

UK by John Punter

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38. Dearest Darling (Elias McDaniel) 3:53...there must always be at least one Bo Diddely tune no matter

what. A bizarre arrangement in relation to the Diddelyness of it,

but it trucks on nonetheless. Again, what wonderful players

and singers to work with!Piano, Organ, wah wah & lead Guitar, horn arrangement-Al Kooper/Bass-

Carol Kaye/ Guitar- Louie Shelton/Percussion-Bobbi Hall Porter/Drums-Paul

Humphries/BG Vox-Rita Coolidge, Vanetta Fields, Clydie King, Donna Weiss, Julia

Tillman, Edna Wright, Maxine Willard/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood,

CA by Robert Gratz

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39. As The Years Go Passing By (Don Malone) 6:02....an actual live jam, warts and all, not planned to be on an album,

and then overdubbed with piano, organ and voices. Recorded with

my live band at the time aka Frankie & Johnny. A great keepsake for

us and hopefully you...

Organ,Piano,Lead Guitar-AlKooper/Rhthym Guitar-Frank Ribando/Bass-John

Paul Fetta/Drums-Eddie Barbato/BG Vox- Tasha Thomas, Linda November, Eileen

Gilbert, Maretha Stewart,Patti Austin, Albertine Robinson/ Recorded at Columbia

Studios New York City by Glenn Kolotkin

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40. Nightmare#5 Demo (Al Kooper) 3:06......I would usually rush into the nearest studio to record demos

when I finished a few new songs. This was an actual dream I had 3nights in a row when I was 16 years old. It was quite memorable and

I was amazed I could get it into songform so easily.....

All instruments- Al Kooper except Drums-Roy Markowitz. Recorded at Electric

Lady Studios, NYC by Kim King

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41. Nightmare#5 (Al Kooper) 3:01....The main difference, other than better sound between the demo

& master (here) is the amazing bass playing of Herbie Flowers and

the great English drum sound of engineer Ken Scott. I probably singit better here as well.....

Piano, Organ, Mellotron, Acoustic Guitar-Al Kooper/Acoustic 12-String Guitar-

Caleb Quaye/Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Roger Pope/ Recorded at Trident Stu-

dios, London UK by Ken Scott

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42. Wrestle With This (Al Kooper) 5:22 ...actually the shell arrangement of a song that never survived.

I submitted this to the World Wrestling Federation for theme song

consideration. Im still waiting for a call back.....Clavinet, Fender Rhodes Piano, Lead Guitar (verses)-Al Kooper/ Rhythm Guitar

& Guitar Synthesizer solos-Jeff Baxter/Bass-Neil Stubenhaus/Drums -Vince Co-

liauta / Horns-Tower of Power/Percussion - Steve Forman/Horns Arranged by

Al Kooper & Charlie Calello/Recorded At Rudy Records, Hollywood, CA by Bill

Szymczyk, who also produced.

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43. Childhoods End (Al Kooper) 3:26......a sad song about growing up. I still believe that the core brain-

stance of each senior citizen never exceeds 27 years of age and that

none of us actually see our true image in the mirror.......Electric Guitar, Mellotron, Piano, Organ, Arp Synthesizer-Al Kooper/ Acoustic

Guitar-Alan Parker/Bass-Herbie Flowers/Drums-Barry Morgan / BG Vox-Claudia

Lennear,Linda Lewis,Barry St. John, Liza Strike, Mike Gately, Robert John/ Record-

ed at Air Studio, London, UK by John Punter

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44. Let The Duchess No (Jim Roberts-John Gregory) 3:19....Seatrain was a Blues Project spin-off band led by bassist Andy

Kulberg. This song was in their live show at the time and I took a

shine to it. In hindsight, this is most remembered (by me) for the

piano solo played right at Ray Charles....Piano, Organ, - Al Kooper/Guitars -Wayne Moss & Charlie Daniels/ Bass - Charlie

McCoy/ Drums- Kenny Butty/ Pedal Steel - Pete Drake / BG Vocals - The Blossoms/

Strings Arranged by Charles Calello/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN

by Neil Wilburn

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45. God Sheds His Grace On Thee (Al Kooper) 2:09....a fear tone poem spurred on by the reigning Nixon

administration. Sounded like it was written yesterday as the econo-

my began to crumble in the last days of the Bush administration......a nervous closer for the Easy Does It album...

The Wrecking Crew - Guitars- Tommy Tedesco, Louie Shelton/Piano-Larry

Knechtel/Bass-Lyle Ritz/Drums-Earl Palmer/Arranged by Jimmy Haskell & Al

Kooper/ Recorded at Columbia Studios Hollywood, CA by Sy Mitchell

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46. I Can Love A Woman (Al Kooper) 3:24....A love song the way you hope it will come out. One of those

that takes less than two hours and spills out with no obstacles.

The middle instrumental is a tribute to Beach Boy Brian & Pet

Sounds..........

Organ,Police Car-Al Kooper/Piano-Paul Griffin/ Guitars-Hugh McCracken, Ralph

Casale, Stu Scharff/ Bass-Chuck Rainey/Drums-Johnny Cresci/Arranged by Charlie

Calello & Al Kooper/ Recorded at Columbia Studios, NYC by Fred Catero

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47. Jolie (Al Kooper) 3:44.....I had a short affair with Quincy Jones daughter. I chronicled it in

a song and played it for her. After it was recorded, she made me play

it for Quincy. He listened intently and when it ended he said: I feel

like Im peepin thru the keyhole!....Willie Mitchell picked it up for an

Al Green session, but a new song by Al knocked it off the date.Musically, I kinda wrote it for Al Green.......

Acoustic Piano,Mellotron, Arp Synthesizer-Al Kooper+ The Atlanta Rhythm Sec-

tion - Wurlitzer Piano-Dean Daughtry/Guitars-Barry Bailey, J.R. Cobb/Bass-Paul

Goddard/Drums-Robert Nix/BG Vox- Tasha Thomas, Linda November, Eileen Gil-

bert, Maretha Stewart,Patti Austin, Albertine Robinson/ Recorded at Studio One,

Doraville, GA by Rodney Mills/Voices recorded in NYC by Don Puluse

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48. Touch The Hem Of His Garment (Sam Cooke) 4:03 .... I ended up one somg short for the Naked Songs album. So, late

one night, I tried this out, all by myself and left it as it was.

A gospel fan, I loved the Soul Stirrers when Sam Cooke & Johnnie

Taylor were in the group on the Specialty label....

Piano, Organ, all voices - Al Kooper/Recorded at Studio One, Doraville, GA

by Rodney Mills

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49. I Dont Know Why I Love You

(Hunter-Hardaway-Wonder-Riser) 3:22....an amazing composition originally recorded by Stevie Wonder.

I always wanted to record it and here was my chance with

the band of my choice...Guitar Solo, Organ-Al Kooper/Guitars-Eric Gale,Cornell Dupree/Electric Piano-

Paul Griffin/Bass-Chuck Rainey/Drums-Bernard Purdie/Percussion-George De-

vens/ Saxes: George Young, Sol Schlinger, Seldon Powell, Joe Farrell/Trumpets:

Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm/Trombones: Ray Desio, Jimmy Knep-

per, Bill Watrous, Tony Studd/Strings-unknown/Arranged by Al Kooper & Charlie

Calello/Recorded at Columbia Studios, NYC by Stan Tonkel

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50 50tracks years NOTES TRACKS PHOTOS DISCOGRAPHY CREDITS

50. Im Never Gonna Let You Down (Al Kooper) 4: 36....Another raging love song - a great album closer. At the end the

song, the background singers are singing: ..this is the end of the

album, trumpet solo by Marvin, etc..Also a great sax solo byJoe Farrell. God surely blessed me by allowing me to collaborate

with all the legendary players and engineers he sent my way over

the course of this fifty year career....so far.....

Organ-Al Kooper/Piano-Frank Owens /Guitars-Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken, Ralph

Casale/Bass-Jerry Jemmott/ Drums-Al Rogers/Percussion-George Devens/Back-

ground Vocals-Toni Wine, Linda November,Albertine Robinson, Melba Moore/

Saxes: George Young, Sol Schlinger, Seldon Powell, Joe Farrell/Trumpets: Bernie

Glow, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm/Trombones: Ray Desio, Jimmy Knepper, Bill Wa-trous, Tony Studd/Sax Solo-Joe Farrell/Trumpet Solo-Marvin Stamm/Strings-un-

known/Arranged by Charlie Calello & Al Kooper/Recorded at Columbia Studios,

NYC by Frank Laico

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This is what I though Id look like

BACK TO SONG CREDIT

Photo Credit: HORN-GRINER PHOTO

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...and this is what I actually look like

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Photo Credit: GUY WEBSTER

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Shuggie Otis at the kooper session

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Photo Credit: SONY RECORDS

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Al w/ Bernie Taupin in the early 70s

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Al shows Frank Owens why he hired Frank

to play piano on this song

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The Easy Does It band live At the Bitter End NYC 1970

w/ Stu Woods on bass & Rick Marotta on drums

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Tie-dyed and mystified with

Landlord director Hal Ashby - 1969

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Photo Credit: AL KOOPER COLLECTION

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Al & Charlie Calello making arrangements

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The actual person being discussed in this song

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BACKROWLEFTTORIGHT: SANDYSPEISER, HAROLDKOMISAR, EDLEE, GIORGIOGOMELSKY,MIKEGATELY, SANDY

(WALLYGOLDSSECRETARY), LLOYDZIFF, UNIDENTIFIEDLAD, UBIDENTIFIEDMAN, JAMESFOURATT.

FRONTROW: TWOMIDGETSACTUALLYFROMTHECASTOFTHEWIZARDOFOZ MOVIE, ANDALWHOWASTIEDUPATTHEMOMENT

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Photo from the singles sleeve

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King of The Bass, wide-eyed Herbie Flowers rolls along...

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O E CK O O CO C E

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Screamin Buzzy Feiten needs no test drive

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Photo Credit: GARY NICHAMIN

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My usual NYC femme fatales: Maretha Stewart, Melba Moore, Albertine Robinson,

Hilda Harris & Eileen Gilbert get ready put down amazing vocals on

Looking 4 A Home

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Shuggie Otis finds a home

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Charlie Callelo

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Here I am convincing Kris Kristofferom to let go of Rita Coolidge long enough

for her to sing the fade in 500 Miles. I did it, she hit it, and he lit it..

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Al & Bill Szymczyk reminisce about working together on Championship

Wrestling reversing their roles in this photo

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Trombonist Ray Desio, Charlie Calello, Al & Frank Owens change what is necessary

during the recording of Im Never Gonna Let You Down, 1968 NYC

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Recording Where Were You with my live band:

Frank Ribando, Eddie Barbato & John Paul Fetta 1972 NYC

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50 50tracks years NOTES TRACKS PHOTOS DISCOGRAPHY CREDITSCOMPILATION PRODUCED BY AL KOOPER

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: BRUCE DICKINSON & JOHN JACKSON

PROJECT DIRECTOR: ADAM BLOCK

REMASTERED AT SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK STUDIOS,SOMERVILLE, MA

BY DAVE ROBERTS & AL KOOPER

ORIGINAL TRACKS PRODUCED BYAL KOOPER

I WISH YOU WOULD & WRESTLE WITH THIS PRODUCED BY BILL SZYMCZYKMASTERS TRANSFERRED AT BATTERY STUDIOS BYMARIA TRIANA

ART DIRECTION: AL KOOPER

DESIGN BY TATIANA MARCUSIAN & ROB CARTER

BOOKLET COVER DESIGN BY TATIANA MARCUSIAN & AL KOOPER

DIGITAL BOOKLET ASSISTANCE:ROB CARTER

LINER NOTESBY JAMES ISAACS & BOB LEFSETZ

SPECIAL THANKSAdam Block, Tom Cording, Randy Haecker, Bruce Dickinson, both John Jacksons, Allan Tucker, Charles Calello,

Tatiana Marcusian, Rob Carter,James Isaacs, Susan Monosson, Bob Lefsetz, Sam Gomez, Che Williams, Jamie Bush,

Arthur Levy, Thom Jurek, Mike Goldsmith, Phil Antoinades, Nimbit, Dave Coffin, Rebecca Rist, Darren Salmieri,

Donna Kloepfer, Mike Kull, Courtney Smith. ,Mark Ostow, and all the musicians and photographers containedherein without whom this particular compilation would not exist..

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CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN SUPER SESSIONTHE LIVE ADVENTURES OF

MIKE BLOOMFIELD & AL KOOPER I STAND ALONE KOOPER SESSION

EASY DOES IT

LOST FILIMORE CONCERT 50/50ALS BIG DEAL

NAKED SONGS

CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING

A POSSIBLE PROJECTIONOF THE FUTURENEW YORK CITY(YOURE A WOMAN)YOU NEVER KNOW WHOYOUR FRIENDS ARE

RARE AND WELL DONE

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JAMES ISAACS

1 2 3 4 5So, you think you know Al Kooper?

If you are a longtime fan you know that

Kooper broke into big-time rocknroll at

age 14, when he joined the Royal Teens,

whose Short Shorts gave him a leg up in

the music business. And if youre a childof the 60s you are well aware that Kooper

helped create Bob Dylans hard, radically

new rock nroll sound (and, by extension,

what came to be known as folk rock

)_when he played the organ on Dylans

epochal single, Like a Rolling Stone.

You also are acquainted with Kooperswork with the Blues Project, and that

he founded the pioneering jazz-rock

band Blood, Sweat & Tears. And it might

come as no surprise that he co-wrote

the 1965 chart-topper This Diamond

Ring for Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

More Kooper achievements that might

ring a bell: came up with the concept of

Super Session, and produced the hit

LP on which he co-starred with guitar-

ists Michael Bloomfield and Stephen

Stills; recorded as a sideman with, among

many, many others, Jimi Hendrix, theRolling Stones, the Who, George Har-

rison, BB King, Tom Petty and The Who.

And if you own certain discs by Bob Dylan,

Lynyrd Skynyrd (a Kooper discovery), the

Tubes and Rick Nelson then you know that

Koopers producing credits are formidable.

But THIS you really should know:

Musician/producer/memoirist/prolific

recording artist Al Kooper has self-com-

piled the best of his Columbia Records solo

career. Most of the songs in this compila-

tion - appropriately titled 50/50 for the

number of songs in the package and the

half-century Kooper has been at the fore-

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front of the music industry. Previously un-

available digitally in the United States pri-

or to this release, Kooper took great care

to locate the original master tapes of each

song and in his home studio transferred

them carefully to utilize the latest technol-

ogy, in order to bring the sound up to date.

Creatively, they are untouched and standup proudly on their own merits. For the first

time, the listener can evaluate Als compar-

atively early tracks by todays standards.

As a songwriter, Koopers body of work

pays homage to its influences, yet intelli-

gently transforms them. Koopers ear for

talent led him to cover other songwrit-

ers material, many quite early in their

careers (Elton John and Harry Nilsson).

Rounding out 50/50 are 15 numbers

written by other artists such as songs

by the aforementioned John and Nils-

son alongside legendary figures such as

Bob Dylan, Jimmy Reed, Sam Cooke, Bo

Diddely, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

Thirty-five songs were written or co-

written by Al decades ago and they eas-

ily stand up to any of todays noted song-

writers. Ask musicians in their 20s what

the chords are to Buckskin Boy, Unre-

quited Magic In My Socks or Im Never

Gonna Let You Down and they surely will

be as flummoxed as if you had asked themto essay the harmonic structure of Lau-

ra, Tenderly or Dave Brubecks The

Duke. No wonder Donny Hathaway, The

Beastie Boys, Keely Smith, Gene Pitney,

Carmen MacRae, Lorraine Ellison, The Sta-

ple Singers, Pat Boone, Bobby Vee, Rufus,

Ten Years After, Roger McGuinn, Leo Sayer,

Jay-Z , Marc Broussard and many others

have all recorded Kooper compositions.

As a lyricist, Kooper is able to recount sto-

ries eloquently such as Nightmare #5

Peacock Lady, Earth Mother or Living In

My Own Religion with the skill and grace

recalling those of his fabled influences.

His fans ARE his fans because they eas-

ily relate to his tales the way he tells em.

JAMES ISAACS

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Providing musical assistance on these

tracks is a mini Whos Who of the past four

decades. Mick Taylor and Terry Kath, re-

spectively, rip off some searing solos. Su-

perstar studio musicians, the usually un-

credited and unknown geniuses that made

Brian Wilson, Burt Bachrach, Bob Dylan,

Phil Spector, and Motown shine on vinyl allthose years ago are also present. Kooper

would travel great distances to use cer-

tain brilliant players such as bassist Her-

bie Flowers in the UK, pedal steeler Pete

Drake in Nashville, guitarist Little Beaver

in Florida, and drummer Earl Palmer in Los

Angeles. And lets not overlook LAs Wreck-

ing Crew on a couple of these included

goodies. Many of todays studio stalwartsstarted out on these Kooper sessions like

drummers Rick Marotta and Vinnie Coliau-

ta, the latter of whom Kooper snatched out

of school at age twenty to go on the road

for the first time. In Koopers hometown

of New York, regular pickers on his dates

were keyboardists Paul Griffin and Frank

Owens, guitarists Eric Gale, Hugh McCrack-en and Al Gorgoni, bassists Chuck Rainey

and Jerry Jemmott and drummers Bernard

Pretty Purdie and Al Rogers. These musi-

cians relished the arrangements of Kooper

and Charles Calello, his most frequent ar-

ranging collaborator. In addition, Kooper

sometimes employed uber-arrangers Jim-

my Wiz Wisner and Jimmy Haskell. The

personnel of all tracks are included in detail,whenever possible, in this digital anthology.

Finally, Kooper was one of the first to self-

produce his recordings, beginning here with

I Stand Alone, his first solo album, and con-

tinuing up to the present. His mentors, John

Simon, Jerry Ragavoy, Brian Wilson and Steve

Alaimo remain good friends and fans today.

50/50 is a must-have for the Kooper

Kompleatist. Its all here, and its Al here in

all his undiscovered, new-sounding glory.

And you thought you knew Al Kooper . . .

James Isaacs

December 2008

JAMES IS ACSA

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Back in the day every time I saw that Super

Session record, I spun it. I didnt own it. I

couldnt afford it. But I needed I -Stand Alone.

You see I purchased that first BS&T album from a

kid in Social Studies class. Used. Its a masterpiece.People remember I Love You More Than Youll

Ever Know, Al has to play it at every gig, but my

absolute favorite is the closer, So Much Love...

More than enough to last a whole life through

And its all for you!

I HAD to buy Als first solo record, I Stand

Alone. I needed more of THIS!

There was an overture, that seemed to pick up

where the Underture from that first BS&T

album left off. Then came those swinging

horns, a groove people south of the Mason-

Dixon Line thought no white boy could pull

off, and soulfully Al sang...I STAND ALONE!

Dont we all.

Maybe you listened to your records at parties. I

played mine in my bedroom. They elated me, they

made me believe a better life was coming.

But it wasnt only the title track. There was a cover of

One that cut Three Dog Nights hit version of theNilsson song to shreds - I was converted. I had my

mother mail I Stand Alone to me that summer I

spent in Chicago. I had to play it for Paul, the frat rat

in the basement who ended up becoming a famous

AIDS doctor. Thats what you do with your favorite

records, you play them for everybody you know.

I purchased You Never Know Your Friends Are

the day it came out. At E.J. Korvette in Trumbull,

Connecticut. Time goes by so slowly now, while

we contemplate where all the great records went,

albums that we ripped the shrinkwrap off of and

played for a week straight to decode their essence.

Magic In My Sox was the record what was left of

BS&T wished they could cut. The cover of Mourn-

ing Glory Story has got the haunting feel from

that first BS&T effort. Dont forget, this was YEARS

before Harry Nilsson broke through on his own.

Al knew all the great cuts. Hell, youve got to loveANYBODY who covers Traffics Coloured Rain.

.....a few words from Bob Lefsetz...BOB LEFSETZ

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I finally went to college. There was no Amazon.

com, I had no automobile, I was hours from Kor-

vettes. A dedicated record collector like myself

couldnt pay full price for an album. But I forked

over my money for Als 1970 release Easy Does

It at the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury, Ver-

mont. I needed it. When I listen to Brand New Day

now it brings me right back there. Literally right to

the record bins in the back of that establishment.You remember purchasing important records.

And how could a New Yorker be so prescient

as to move to Hot Lanta and sign one of the

best southern rock bands ever, the one with

the perennial top three track, Free Bird?

Al doesnt get enough credit, nor royalties, for

making the first three Lynyrd Skynyrd albums.

But he was still a deity in my book. I remembermoving to L.A. and seeing him drive his Excalibur

down Sunset. Not long thereafter I saw him shop-

ping for records at Tower close to midnight. Thats

Al. Always in the right place, at the right time.

And all the players he worked with on the

tunes in this package. Everybody from

Tommy Tedesco to Herbie Flowers. He mar-

vels that he got these gods to play with him.

But in my book Al Kooper is a god. My heart skipped

a beat when I first saw his name in my e-mail inbox.

Al may not contemplate his place in rock history, but

in my world he will never be forgotten. Hes Top Ten.

Now youve got pristine versions of these classic

tracks. Revel in their sonic purity, bathe in their au-

ral greatness, marvel at the incredible work of this

living legend. I AM!

Bob Lefsetzs internet blogs are read by the entire

music industry and then some. Bob doesnt hold

back and praises and skewers those that deserve

his kindesses or rantings.

Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

If you would like to subscribe to the Lefsetz Letter,

http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

BOB LEFSETZ

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Photo Credit: JIM MARSHALL

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Photo Credit: MYRA ZELLER

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Photo Credit: BRIAN HENNESY

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Photo Credit: DILLARD BODDEN

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Photo Credit: DAVID GAHR

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5/28/2018 Al Kooper 50/50

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Al Kooper 50/50

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