Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs (Speaker Corners)
Boz Scaggs (Guitar, Vocals) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Boz Scaggs]
Barry Beckett (Keyboards), Al Lester (Fiddle), Joe Arnold (Tenor Saxophone : A2 to B3), Gene "Bowlegs" Miller (Trumpet, Trombone : A2 to B3), James Mitchell (Baritone Saxophone : A2 to B3), David Hood (Bass), Duane "Skydog" Allman (Dobro, Slide Guitar), Roger Hawkins (Drums), Duane Allman (Guitar), Eddie Hinton Guitar), Jimmy Johnson (Guitar)
Backing Vocals (A1 to A3, A5 to B3) : Donna Thatcher, Jeannie Greene, Mary Holliday
Written by Boz Scaggs (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B3), Barry Beckett (A1, B3), Charles Chalmers (A6), D. Rhodes (A6), Jimmie Rodgers (B1)
1 LP, gatefold sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Speakers Corner
Original Label : Atlantic
Recording: 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Recorders, Muscle Shoals, AL, by Martin Greene
Production: Boz Scaggs, Jann Wenner & Marlin Greene
Originally released in September 1969
Reissued 2019
Tracks :
Side A :
- I'm Easy
- I'll Be Long Gone
- Another Day (Another Letter)
- Now You're Gone
- Finding Her
- Look What I Got
Side B :
- Waiting For A Train
- Loan Me A Dime
- Sweet Release
Reviews :
« Departing from the Steve Miller Band after a two-album stint, Boz Scaggs found himself on his own but not without support. Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, his friend, helped him sign with Atlantic Records and the label had him set up shop in Muscle Shoals, recording his debut album with that legendary set of studio musicians, known for their down-and-dirty backing work for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, among many other Southern soul legends. The Muscle Shoals rhythm section, occasionally augmented by guitarist Duane Allman, gives this music genuine grit, but this isn't necessarily a straight-up blue-eyed soul record, even if the opening "I'm Easy" and "I'll Be Long Gone" are certainly as deeply soulful as anything cut at Muscle Shoals. Even at this early stage Scaggs wasn't content to stay in one place, and he crafted a kind of Americana fantasia here, also dabbling in country and blues along with the soul and R&B that grounds this record. If the country shuffle "Now You're Gone" sounds just slightly a shade bit too vaudeville for its own good, it only stands out because the rest of the record is pitch-perfect, from the Jimmie Rodgers cover "Waiting for a Train" and the folky "Look What I Got!" to the extended 11-minute blues workout "Loan Me a Dime," which functions as much as a showcase for a blazing Duane Allman as it does for Boz. But even with that show-stealing turn, and even with the Muscle Shoals musicians giving this album its muscle and part of its soul, this album is still thoroughly a showcase for Boz Scaggs' musical vision, which even at this stage is wide and deep. It would grow smoother and more assured over the years, but the slight bit of raggedness suits the funky, down-home performances and helps make this not only a great debut, but also an enduring blue-eyed soul masterpiece. » AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
"Boz Scaggs" – not to be confused with the early Polydor recording entitled "Boz" from 1965 – is the first album in which the producers did everything right. Perhaps the most important participant of all is the legendary guitar Duane Allman, who paved the way for the highly talented Scaggs to enter the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama. Top-class soul musicians were lined up for him who had performed as the house band for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett.
The elite combo picked up their instruments immediately and offered a rich background sound in the bluesy "I’m Easy", with powerful rapid scale passages in the bass and fired-up winds. Inspired by the timbre of the blues, Scaggs sings a series of lyrical songs, sometimes backed by a small group of instruments – yet always well dosed and finely balanced. At times the organ whispers to the singer ("I’ll Be Long Gone"), elsewhere finely tuned voices pipe up in the background ("Another Day"). And then there are down-to-earth waves of warm sound from the slide guitar and cheerful sounds of the fiddle in the strophic country song "Now You’re Gone".
Highlights of the album are the yodelling hobo song "Waiting For A Train" and the blues number "Loan Me A Dime", a show of strength if ever there was one. Before the magazine Rolling Stone could rank the well-selling LP among the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, it had to be given a makeover and so a new sizzling mix was made in 1978. Scaggs had demanded the remix to enhance the quality of the recording. After this came nothing for a long, long time. Now this album is available for the first time after 1978 in freshly pressed vinyl!
Ratings :
Allmusic : 4.3 / 5 , Discogs : Rate Your Music :