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Super Session
lives up to its name. It was a blues supergroup of sorts: keyboardist
Al Kooper formerly of Blood Sweat and Tears, guitarist Mike Bloomfield
late of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the Electric Flag,
and guitarist Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield fame. It
should be prefaced, however that Bloomfield and Stills were not
playing guitar together at the same time in teh same studio;
Bloomfield recorded his parts and left, leaving Kooper to recruit
Stills to finish the rest of the sessions. What makes this album
timeless is the spontaneity and informal nature of the whole
process, thus the interplay among the three musicians catches
fire. The first half of the record certainly belonged to Bloomfield
whose guitar work smokes and provides the counterpoint to Kooper's
soulful organ/keys playing, particularly on "Stop"
and "Albert's Shuffle"; Bloomfield hits a high on "His
Holy Modal Majesty" with his piercing work, and hits it
home with "Really." The rest of the album was completed
with Stills, who himself was a fine guitarist in his own right,
even bringing a rootsy country feel on the Dylan-penned "It
Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." Kooper is
not a slouch his keyboard stylings and the occasional lead vocal
brought a sense of urgency and white boy soul that recall Stax
and the Memphis sound--his interpretation of Donovan's "Season
of the Witch" still hasn't lost its charm. For a record
that was blues dominated, it concludes with the jazzy "Harvey's
Tune," emblematic of this record's ability to also surprise
in some ways. Soul and blues never complemented each other so
well as on this album. The reissue features several bonus tracks
including "Albert Shuffle" without the horns (it sounds
much better in this mix--the horns gave the original a Vegas
treatment) and an outtake from the sessions that never appeared
on the original release called "Blues for Nothing."
Fans of Kooper and the late Bloomfield
will relish upon the release of this live concert from New York's
famed rock venue from late 1968. For several reasons the performances
that make up this CD was never released until It was recently
unearthed from the Sony vaults and remastered. It showcased the
onstage prowess of the two principals and a crackerjack rhythm
section. Bloomfield particularly shine here by chiming in with
a brilliant run here and there like "One Way Out,"
and his dueling with Kooper on "Please" is worth the
price of admission. "Tell Me Partner;" the band mainly
interpret other people' songs: including a slow blues take of
Paul Simon's "59th Street Bridge Song," a quasi-funk
take of Arthur'Crudup's "That's All Right Mama" (popularized
by Elvis) and the blistering blues of Albert King's "Don't
Throw Your Love On Me So Strong." Kooper, though not a charismatic
frontman, excels with his organ work and voice. The highlight
here is when Bloomfield introduces a young guitarist named Johnny
Winter, whose only appearance on one song, "It's My Own
Fault" won over the crowd thanks to his hot axe work--the
interaction between him and Bloomfield is amazing. That is arguably
the best track on this CD. The band's sense of daring and musicianship
seem rare now In an age now when performances seem too controlled
and lacking excitement. Thankfully these performances have now
seen the light of day. It took a damn long time but well worth
the wait.
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