When I first started roaming the web looking for music back in ’06, Al Kooper albums were impossible to find. They were almost as hard to find in stores, too, as Al’s impressive late 60s/early 70s catalog was often out of print, necessitating import pricing (or trips to Japan) to get a fix. I’ve been meaning to post these for a while, but haven’t had the time to properly write something up about them. Still don’t. So… I’ve just copied the text from an older post of I Stand Alone to get you started before I went fishing. We’ve got more Koop in the archives, including 1970′s very cool Kooper Session (HERE) and Al Kooper’s Lost Psychedelic Album (HERE). Seek out an online bio (here) and read about Koop’s eye-opening career (from penning Gary Lewis & The Playboys’ “This Diamond Ring” to discovering and producing Lynyrd Skynyrd) or get his entertaining biography, Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards (here). Click the covers for links to Amazon. Some of Koop’s catalog is being reissued (in Japan, of course) on March 12th. But, from what we’ve seen, there don’t seem to be any bonus tracks involved. A crime.
I Stand Alone (1968)
I Stand Alone ranks as one of the psychedelic era’s most underrated concoctions. It’s not your standard, fuzz-laden, dope-riddled excuse for unfettered expression, though. Instead, Kooper brought all his abilities and influences to bear for his first solo album, creating a mesh of pop/R&B, jazzy rock & blues that’s cut together as ably as any psych-era studio creation you’d care to name. After years in the biz – Brill Building composing, The Blues Project, a brilliantly opportunistic star-making session with Dylan, conceptualizing (then getting the boot from) Blood, Sweat & Tears, the outstanding Super Session (recorded before this debut) – Al Kooper finally decided to stand alone. His 1968 “debut” is a masterclass consisting of elaborately arranged overtures, grand and sweeping R&B, and a psychedelic, near Pepper-y elegance, evidenced by Koop’s horn and choral arrangements. I Stand Alone is enhanced by Kooper’s choice of, what he hoped would be, a cross-section of commercially viable material. His multi-layered vocals on Nilsson’s “One” are note perfect, framed with a grandiose “Eleanor Rigby“-styled string & horn arrangement. Al works a similar magic with a faithful reading of Traffic’s “Coloured Rain.” It’s when Kooper tackles his main musical love, R&B, that his reedy vocals get stretched to the breaking point, however, exposing his white/Jewish/Brooklyn roots. White guys and the blues… what are you gonna do? Still, many fans find Al’s limited vocal range charming.
Overture (4:39)
I Stand Alone (3:37)
Camille (2:56)
One (2:53)
Coloured Rain (3:01)
Soft Landing On The Moon (4:02)
I Can Love A Woman (3:28)
Blue Moon Of Kentucky (2:15)
Toe Hold (3:53)
Right Now For You (2:34)
Hey, Western Union Man (3:41)
Song And Dance For The Unborn, Frightened Child (4:33)
You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (1969)
Magic In My Socks (3:57)
Lucille (3:25)
Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (3:22)
First Time Around (2:49)
Loretta (Union Turnpike Eulogy) (3:50)
Blues, Part IV (4:39)
You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (2:56)
The Great American Marriage/Nothing (4:47)
I Don’t Know Why I Love You (3:24)
Mourning Glory Story (2:17)
Anna Lee (What Can I Do For You) (3:20)
I’m Never Gonna Let You Down (4:40)
Easy Does It (1970)
Brand New Day (5:13)
Piano Solo Introduction (2:01)
I Got A Woman (4:33)
Country Road (4:26)
I Bought You The Shoes (2:00)
Introduction (0:51)
Easy Does It (5:28)
Buckskin Boy (3:10)
Love Theme From “The Landlord” (3:15)
Sad Sad Sunshine (5:08)
Let The Duchess No (3:20)
She Gets Me Where I Live (3:38)
A Rose And A Baby Ruth (3:32)
Baby Please Dont Go (12:30)
God Shed His Grace On Thee (3:28)
New York City (You’re A Woman) (1971)
New York City (You’re A Woman) (5:21)
John The Baptist (Holy John) (3:35)
Can You Hear It Now (500 Miles) (3:28)
The Ballad Of The Hard Rock Kid (4:20)
Going Quietly Mad (3:54)
Medley: Oo Wee Baby, I Love You, Love Is A Man’s Best Friend (4:24)
Back On My Feet (3:22)
Come Down In Time (4:40)
Dearest Darling (3:56)
Nightmare #5 (3:01)
The Warning (Someone’s On The Cross Again) (3:01)
A Possible Project Of The Future/Childhood’s End (1972)
A Possible Projection Of The Future (6:30)
The Man In Me (3:44)
Fly On (3:17)
Please Tell Me Why (4:40)
The Monkey Time (3:21)
Let Your Love Shine (4:06)
Swept For You Baby (3:34)
Bended Knees (Please Don’t Leave Me Now) (3:41)
Love Trap (4:04)
Childhood’s End (3:33)
Naked Songs (1973)
(Be Yourself) Be Real (3:27)
As The Years Go Passing By (6:04)
Jolie (3:49)
Blind Baby (3:07)
Been And Gone (2:36)
Sam Stone (4:41)
Peacock Lady (3:23)
Touch The Hem Of His Garment (4:04)
Where Were You When I Needed You (3:13)
Unrequited (2:52)
Act Like Nothing’s Wrong (1976)
Is We On The Downbeat? (0:36)
This Diamond Ring (4:13)
She Don’t Ever Lose Her Groove (3:48)
I Forgot To Be Your Lover (2:59)
Missing You (3:39)
Out Of Left Field (5:11)
(Please Not) One More Time (3:34)
In My Own Sweet Way (2:43)
Turn My Head Towards Home (4:36)
A Visit To The Rainbow Bar & Grill (0:41)
Hollywood Vampire (6:48)
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You, kind sir, are a prince!
Thanks… but Al did most of the work.
Ah ! Thank you !
Aloha Cap’n W. Thanks for these. I had never listened to much Kooper until you posted ‘Al Kooper’s Lost Psychedelic Album’ way back when. I’m really looking forward to giving these a listen. Thanks again.
He’s somewhat of an acquired taste, sometimes self indulgent and sometimes off the beaten path. But… his talent is undeniable
And he never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
You saying Al was a bullshitter? Never heard that about him, though… I’ve never really read all that much about him, either.
He gets a lot of mileage out of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ (and rightfully so). Here’s one example — scroll down to the ‘Rael’ section: http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/WhoSellOut.htm
Kooper has some questionable tales about the recording of Blonde on Blonde, and reacts rather vigorously if anyone questions them. See:
http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69328&p=1133145
And, though this guy is, um, not a favorite of mine:
http://bobdylanencyclopedia.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/leaving-planet-kooper.html
Kooper is much more entertaining than Gray, and has better taste, but I think Gray is closer to the mark on that (frankly somewhat absurd) contretemps.
Thanks Wardo & Pete. Never bothered checking his stories myself. Doesn’t negate his Gump-like career or pockets of brilliance, of course. Thanks for the links. Do Koop’s indiscretions seem purposeful or is he just a lifelong 60s stoner… which he most certainly is.
I’d say lifelong … the thing is, he always knows what should have happened
One of the most interesting unsung artists. BS&T should have been his big break…a brilliant conception and the most interesting use of an orchestra in any psych album.
These are somewhat uneven but always interesting.
Thanks as always, Willard.
Bought ACT LIKE NOTHING’S WRONG when it came out, mostly because of Al’s first band, the Blues Project, and his work with Lynyrd Skynyrd on their first three albums. It was one of my favorite albums for quite a while and I still give it a listen from time to time. Thanks for this post. I’ll be able to fill in a couple of holes in my Kooper collection.
Thanks Willard – Love your blog, it’s a daily visit from me. Can’t thank you enough for all the eclectic music here.
Thanks. Did you find the Passion Sources link?
Yes – Thanks for such a quick response for Passion Sources. I should be more interactive at Twilightzone also!
In the last year I haven’t been interactive with anybody. I can’t get a widget to display covers and text from others in my blogroll, and I have no time, so I can’t keep up with anybody. I always check exy, though. He seems to have everything.
Thanks for all the Al. I’ve been a fan and had the opportunity to see him last year doing his tribute to Mike Bloomfield. Still got the chops, still tells a great story and still can’t hit the high notes!
Funny
Great post. One of my all time favs is Child is the Father to the Man.
Check out the live versions of many of his classics on “Soul of A Man” – great stuff. And some vintage bs between songs…if you think he a bs’er.
Bullshitter = raconteur.
There’s nothing the matter with a good tale generally.
And if his stories were considered to be cashing in, he doesn’t seem to have cashed OUT that much. At least within a few years ago he still had a gig at Berklee music school.
AND as I recall his manager at one point was Stan Polley the s-head who pretty much killed Pete Ham of Badfinger by his predatory actions, so I don’t think he’s cashing too many checks from those days.
Give a guy a break. He’s a diverse musician. And he tells a good tale.
Ace K.
I believe I’ll go along with that line of thinking. But, I’ve been partial to the guy since I was a teenager, so it’s not hard.
Don’t forget Super Session when talking about his catalog. That album open a number of doors for me back in the day.
Thanks W.
I’ve been a fan since someone loaned me The Blues Project ‘Projections’ (along with Paul Butterfield’s first, The Doors First and Love ‘Da Capo’) back in the late 60s. Then, being a Hit Parader Magazine fanatic (you should know how influential that mag was … before Rolling Stone appeared it was all we had , three months behind the then present or not it was crucial reading) I was lead to BST’s ‘Child Is Father To The Man’ and ‘Super Session’ (which wasn’t had to embrace with Bloomfield then late of Electric Flag & Stills from Buffalo Springfield) and of course by then I was primed for ‘I Stand Alone’.
It’s one of the few original LPs I purchased new that I still have on vinyl, as much for nostalgia’s sake as for the fact that it influenced me so much. You didn’t mention his way ahead of the curve rockabilly take on ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’ (with future leading light Charlie Daniels on lead guitar,, whom Kooper had crossed paths with during the Dylan ‘Blonde On Blonde’ sessions.
I have to admit to abandoning him about that time as I moved in a different direction ( I was 20 in 1971 and at my first record store job and by default was the buyer since I possessed the most comprehensive general knowledge of all my workers. This lead me to expand my listening in exponential ;leaps and soon Al became a secondary then tertiary passion. It took me ten years down the road before I was able to catch up on Koop when I began working at a Used Record Shop as a buyer again. Even then i didn’t venture much beyond ‘I Stand Alone’ and ‘Super Session’.
Everyone always cites his discovery of Lynyrd Skynrd which he produce and premiered on his Sound Of The South/MCA imprint. But I was more a fan of Mose Jones on the same labe. Still haven’t re-found THAT one. If you do I think you’ll like it better than Skynyrd, too. Check out ‘Barroom Sweeper’ for starts.My memory fades attempting to recall if there were any other Sound s Of The South beyond the second Skynyrd and second Mose Jones, which I barely remember.
He sure had a great run from 19966-1971. It’s fun now to go back and discover who he was covering ( like Elton John). I’ve been appreciating his post-1971 releases on Cloumbia much more.
One more side tale. After my first wife left me ( the size of my record collection being a primary reason) she ended up in Nashville doing Art Direction for Music Videos, designed the Nashville Asylum Records logo when it was a Nashville only imprint for a time (she told me later she thought it was ironic since I was the music guy that SHE got so deep into it in Nashville) she ran into Al Kooper who was living in town during the late 80s and dated him several times (nice to know he and I had SOMETHING in common). She broke it off primarily because he did nothing but talk about himself and she felt a bit underwhelmed by him after a time.
Glad to see his bio has dropped in price on Amazon. For a while you couldn’t touch a copy for less than $150. Maybe now I can finally get it. It’s been on my wish list for years.
BTW, I seem to recall a one-off project he did as part of a band called (if memory serves) Four On The Floor…maybe on United Artists about the same time as ‘Act Like Nothing’s Wrong’. Never seen it anywhere. Was it an illusion of my fevered mind? Anyone else ever heard of that on either? I seem to recall it being a four piece band.
This is an album that I have always wanted to hear but never allocated the time or resources to buying it.The album is real mix of styles and changes
Thanks for the share
Regards
Rhod