BFrank Posted April 13, 2003 Report Posted April 13, 2003 Just got the re-issue/re-master of this. Sounds GREAT. This version is produced by Al Kooper, too. I always thought this was a classic album of its era. An interesting combination of musicians and an interesting selection of tunes. This release also has extra tracks (imagine THAT!). Also, I never noticed Harvey Brooks' bass so much before. I can see now, that he was really key to this session. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted April 13, 2003 Report Posted April 13, 2003 I've got this album on vinyl and I've been waiting for this new reissue. I really dig Bloomfield. His Butterfield and Electric Flag albums are part of my regular rotation. Did you pick up the live Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield cd they just reissued? I'm curious about that one. I'm sure I'll pick it up. :rsmile: Quote
Peter A Posted April 13, 2003 Report Posted April 13, 2003 This has always been one of my favourites. Good news they improved the sound a bit, as the original recording was rather "flat" sounding. I even bought the Mobile Fidelity reissue on vinyl, but it was no improvement. Great there are extra tracks too. Quote
BFrank Posted April 13, 2003 Author Report Posted April 13, 2003 Did not get the new live album - "Fillmore East - The Lost Concert Tapes". It seems to be more of a companion to the "Live Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield", which has also recently been re-released I believe. I wonder if it's equally as sloppy. BTW, the extra tracks consist of "Albert's Shuffle" and "Season of the Witch" (remastered without the horn section overdubs), as well as "Blues For Nothing" and "Fat Grey Cloud (Live)". Quote
Ragu Posted April 13, 2003 Report Posted April 13, 2003 I always found the original album to be very uneven for my tastes and mostly like it for Bloomfield's moments. The new live album I really enjoy. There is some sloppiness but...there is some killer Bloomfield playing-his sound, his style, his vibrato...if you're a fan, get it. Quote
chris olivarez Posted April 19, 2003 Report Posted April 19, 2003 Just curious but is the remaster SACD or SACD hybrid.Personally I liked Stills work on "Super Session" but didn't he have to step in because of some reliability issues with Mike Bllomfield? Overall though I prefer the work of Bloomfield.He was my first guitar hero. Quote
BFrank Posted April 19, 2003 Author Report Posted April 19, 2003 It doesn't say anything about being an SACD disk. The liners talk about how Bloomfield "split for home" after his day in the studio (chronic drug problems) and Kooper had to scramble to find another musician. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Speaking of Bloomfield. I love his work with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the Electric Flag. Have any of you heard the Electric Flag's soundtrack to the movie "The Trip" - It has been a favorite of mine for years. If you've seen the movie, you'll know how well the music complements the action. It's an interesting recording by this group. It doesn't sound much like anything else they did. As for the Butterfield band. I've long been a fan of their early albums, such as East/West. I picked up a copy of Butterfield's post-Bloomfield 1969 album, Keep on Moving, which was reissued by a small reissue label called Wounded Bird Records. I'm surprised at how much I enjoy this record. In fact, I was listening to it this morning. I like some of the Butterfield albums when they added the horns. :rsmile: Quote
chris olivarez Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 Ditto on that Africa Brass.The Bloomfield solos on the first Butterfield album are still strong nearly forty years later.I still remember being floored the first ime I heard "East-West" and I think all the dates with a horn section with the exception of the last one were super.Bloomfield and Butterfield were a dynamic combination and IMO not very many six stringers could top Bloomfield especially when he was on. Quote
BFrank Posted May 2, 2003 Author Report Posted May 2, 2003 I recently picked up an Electric Flag collection called "Old Glory" which has some pretty good vintage 60's stuff on it. I always thought that Nick Gravenites had a pretty good voice. Quote
Ragu Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 I'm a huge Bloomfield fan and recently picked up "The Trip" soundtrack, but I wasn't that knocked out and ended up dumping it after a listen or two. Maybe I should have given it more time. FWIW, there were two CD issues of the soundtrack and the one I got had less music on it than a previous issue. There are some pretty great Bloomfiled/Butterfield in their prime boots. One called Live At The Unicorn Coffehouse 66 and On called Droppin' In. One of the most exciting sounds I ever heard in my life was the sound of the Butterfield Band blasting from inside a club playing a first set, while I stood in line waiting for the second set. The sounded better and more powerful coming through a brick wall than most bands did standing in front of their speakers. Quote
mikeweil Posted May 4, 2003 Report Posted May 4, 2003 For me, Bloomfield was the greatest white blues guitarist ever! But he had his ups und downs, Kooper's new liner notes to the Live Adventures reissue are very telling in this respect. But nevertheless, this disc contains what is IMHO Bloomfield's greatest solo on disc, in "I Wonder Who". His vocals are second rate, but his guitar solo is fantastic; listen to the point where he milks that one note and stretches the beat to its utter limit. Gonna get me that new reissue. Curious to hear that track without the horns, who were, as Kooper already stated on the original liner, "added as an afterthought". Second afterthought: take your own choice ..... BTW I'm looking for Nick Gravenites' live LP (Fillmore?) with Bloomfield guesting (Epic). Anybody got that, or was there any reissue? Quote
BFrank Posted May 7, 2003 Author Report Posted May 7, 2003 I agree. I think the "sans" horns tracks are interesting on their own. Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted May 7, 2003 Report Posted May 7, 2003 According to amazon, the CD reissue of Nick Gravenites My Labors (which was part live/part studio with a different band) contains 3 bonus tracks for Live at The Filmore (would've made more sense to combine all the live stuff in a new package but..). Last time I checked Al Kooper's web site he was talking about a Bloomfield box later this year. I haven't popped for the improved Super Session or the new live stuff, but I might go for the box. Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted May 7, 2003 Report Posted May 7, 2003 According to amazon, the CD reissue of Nick Gravenites My Labors (which was part live/part studio with a different band) contains 3 bonus tracks for Live at The Filmore (would've made more sense to combine all the live stuff in a new package but..). Last time I checked Al Kooper's web site he was talking about a Bloomfield box later this year. I haven't popped for the improved Super Session or the new live stuff, but I might go for the box. Quote
mikeweil Posted May 13, 2003 Report Posted May 13, 2003 Well, better than nothing. Just ordered My Labors and The Lost Tapes. Quote
RiRiIII Posted January 13, 2009 Report Posted January 13, 2009 8 Mike Bloomfield related albums (incl. at Fillmore West) have been just reissued in Japan as mini LPs. Great sound with some extra bonuses, inlc. a fantastic "I was born in Chicago". Super Session My Labors - N. Gravenites At Fillmore West Live Adventures of Al Kooper and MB A Retrospective It is not killing me A long time comin' - The Electric Flag Triumvirate - Hammond, MB, Dr John Alex For me, Bloomfield was the greatest white blues guitarist ever! But he had his ups und downs, Kooper's new liner notes to the Live Adventures reissue are very telling in this respect. But nevertheless, this disc contains what is IMHO Bloomfield's greatest solo on disc, in "I Wonder Who". His vocals are second rate, but his guitar solo is fantastic; listen to the point where he milks that one note and stretches the beat to its utter limit. Gonna get me that new reissue. Curious to hear that track without the horns, who were, as Kooper already stated on the original liner, "added as an afterthought". Second afterthought: take your own choice ..... BTW I'm looking for Nick Gravenites' live LP (Fillmore?) with Bloomfield guesting (Epic). Anybody got that, or was there any reissue? Quote
medjuck Posted January 13, 2009 Report Posted January 13, 2009 In his autobiography, Al Kooper's explanation of how this record came to be is pretty funny. The whole book (of which he's done 3 editions) is pretty interesting. I can't remember the title and I'm out of town. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 Might have said this before, but Mike Bloomfield and I engaged in regular screaming matches (his version of a discussion) late night in the JRM around '66/68. Never forget the night he claimed the "AACM guys had hoodwinked me and Coltrane's Ascension was bullshit". I then played Ascension and walked him through it. Then he said something like "well, that does have form". He was a trip. Suburban kid run amok. Quote
Hot Ptah Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 Might have said this before, but Mike Bloomfield and I engaged in regular screaming matches (his version of a discussion) late night in the JRM around '66/68. Never forget the night he claimed the "AACM guys had hoodwinked me and Coltrane's Ascension was bullshit". I then played Ascension and walked him through it. Then he said something like "well, that does have form". He was a trip. Suburban kid run amok. Chuck, Can you shed any light on why Bloomfield seemed to mostly walk away from music just when he had gone through a period of mostly fine recordings, and was quite well known? Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 Probably drugs and unlimited money from the family fortune. Just my speculation. Quote
Stereojack Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 Probably drugs and unlimited money from the family fortune. Just my speculation. I believe Bloomfield was bipolar - periods of great intensity and creativity, intermittent with unreliablity and disappearance. Eventually fell into "self-medication" which ultimately caused his early demise. For a few years in the late 60's he was exceptional, before he lost control. I saw him with Butterfield and with the Electric Flag, and he was amazing! Quote
AllenLowe Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) yes I agree - as for "Bloomfield was the greatest white blues guitarist ever, " no need for qualifiers - he was a genius, I think, and led a movement that did a lot more than copy what had come before, as a matter of fact, the rockers, to my way of thinking, revived a form that was getting a little bit tired with age and gave it new musical life. As for his walking away from fame, he clearly had drug and other problems- HOWEVER - he also had specific principles and did not want to just go after the fame and money (yes, it helped that he came from a wealthy family). He could play anything, and I have even heard some amazing Merle-Travis like guitar. Kooper told me a few years back in an email that there is a LOT of stuff that Hammond Sr. recorded of Bloomfield that he hopes will come out one day, including amazing acoustic stuff. I saw him at the Fillmore East circa 1970 go up against BB King, and he was astounding - kind of played BB's stuff right back at him with odd twists and turns, somewhat taunting and teasing. Amazing night - Edited January 23, 2009 by AllenLowe Quote
felser Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 yes I agree - as for "Bloomfield was the greatest white blues guitarist ever, " no need for qualifiers - he was a genius, I think, and led a movement that did a lot more than copy what had come before, as a matter of fact, the rockers, to my way of thinking, revived a form that was getting a little bit tired with age and gave it new musical life. As for his walking away from fame, he clearly had drug and other problems- HOWEVER - he also had specific principles and did not want to just go after the fame and money (yes, it helped that he came from a wealthy family). He could play anything, and I have even heard some amazing Merle-Travis like guitar. Kooper told me a few years back in an email that there is a LOT of stuff that Hammond Sr. recorded of Bloomfield that he hopes will come out one day, including amazing acoustic stuff. I saw him at the Fillmore East circa 1970 go up against BB King, and he was astounding - kind of played BB's stuff right back at him with odd twists and turns, somewhat taunting and teasing. Amazing night - Bloomfield is a fascinating study. Maybe the first 60's "guitar hero"? "East West" was certainly a breakthrough, and remains a mind-blowing milestone. My understanding (I think from Kooper's liner notes on the US reiussue/remaster) was that the Stills side of Super Session came about because Bloomfield went AWOL after recording the material on the first side. The Bloomfield material seems much stronger to me, even though "Season of the Witch", with Stills, was the cut I heard non-stop in Cincinnati on WEBN back in the day. The great Bloomfield mystery to me has always been what were he/they thinking with It's Not Killing Me, which is awful and makes no sense given his abilities. Any thoughts on that one? Quote
mikeweil Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Great to see there are quite a few Bloomfield fans around here ... Quote
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