This is the third solo effort from rock & roll wunderkind Al Kooper. Originally issued as a two-LP set, Easy Does It
(1970) is a diverse album that reveals the layer upon layer of
musicality that has become synonymous with the artist. He draws deeply
upon his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and equally
engaging arranger. The extended run-time of the double album format
likewise allows Kooper
to thoroughly exhibit his wide-ranging and virtually mythical
adaptability as an artist whose sheer talent defies the boundaries of
genre or style. The set kicks off with the youthfully optimistic rocker
"Brand New Day." This is the first of two tracks Kooper used in his score for Hal Ashby's
directorial cinematic debut, The Landlord, a highly affable
counterculture classic starring Beau Bridges. The haunting "The Landlord
Love Theme" is also included, and is poignantly dovetailed with one of
the disc's profoundly affective epics. "Buckskin Boy" is an uptempo
rocker that lyrically offers a brutally honest assessment of the Native
American situation, which was quickly becoming a national plague upon
the social conscience of the country in the early '70s. The song is
replete with Kooper's
dynamic chord changes and trademark phrasing. The "morning after"
fallout from a particularly potent experience with LSD is credited as
the inspiration behind "Sad, Sad Sunshine." The cut features some
heavily Eastern-influenced lead sitar work reminiscent of the sounds of Donovan circa Hurdy Gurdy Man
(1968) and the burgeoning Canterbury-based progressive folk movement of
the late '60s and early '70s. There is a decidedly Yankee contrast on
the country-rocker "I Bought You the Shoes (You're Walking Away In)" as
well as the cover of John Loudermilk's "A Rose and a Baby Ruth." Other well-placed cover tunes include a classy, soulfully subdued reading of Ray Charles
"I Got a Woman'" as well as the spacy and well-jammed-out version of
"Baby Please Don't Go." Throughout the 12-plus minute side there are
definite recollections of the extended instrumental interaction that
defined Kooper's former band, the Blues Project, as well as some of the inspirational improvisation heard on the original Super Session (1968). This performance alone is more than worth the time and effort of seeking out Easy Does It. (by Lindsay Planer)
Personnel: Al Kooper (keyboards, guitar, ondioline, sitar, vibraphone, vocals) Rick Marotta (drums) Stu Woods (bass, background vocals) + Keith Allison (guitar on 09.) Joe Beck (guitar on 08.) The Blossoms (background vocals on 10.) David Bromberg (pedal steel-guitar on 04., 07. + 12.) Ken Buttrey (drums on 10.) Bobby Colomby (percussion on 13.) Joe Corero, Jr. – drums on 09.) Tom Crosgrove (guitar on 07. + 12.) Charlie Daniels (guitar on 10.) George Devens (percussion on 08.) Pete Drake (pedal steel-guitar on 10.) Milt Holland (tabla on 09.)
Peter Ivers (harmonica on 04.)
Larry Knechtel (piano on 01. + 14.)
Fred Lipisus (saxophone on 03.) Jackson Marlie (vocals) Charlie McCoy (bass on 10.)
John Miller (bass on 08.) Wayne Moss (guitar on 10.) Joe Osborn (bass on 09.)
Earl Palmer (drums on 11. + 14.)
Lyle Ritz (bass on 11. + 14.)
Al Rogers (drums on 08.)
Stu Scharf (guitar on 08.)
Louie Shelton (guitar on 11. + 15.)
Tommy Tedesco (guitar on 11. + 14.) Freddie Weller (guitar on 09.)
Tracklist: 01. Brand New Day (Kooper) 5.10 02. Piano Solo Introiduction/I Got A Woman (Kooper/Charles/Richard) 6.30 03. Country Road (Taylor) 4.22 04. I Bought You The Shoes (You're Walking Away In) (Brass/Levine/Kooper) 1.57 05. Sad Sad Sunshine (Kopper) 5.04 06. Let The Duchess No (Gregory/Roberts) 3.17 07. She Gets Me Where I Live (Kooper/Calello) 3.34 08. A Rose And A Baby Ruth (Loudermilk) 3.29 09. Baby Please Don´t Go (Williams) 12.26 10. God Shreds His Grace On Thee (Kooper/Calello) 3.27
