[.ca] Boz Scaggs

One of those "forgotten classics":
You don't hear songs from this CD on the radio any more (even on the classic rock stations). As with some other "forgotten classics" from that era (examples would be "Forever Changes" by Love, "East-West" by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Rod Stewart's first album), this album received rave reviews and got a fair amount of airplay on the cutting-edge FM stations of the late 60s and early 70s. However, it didn't generate any "hits" and is now easily overlooked in the CD racks at the music stores. That's a shame, because this is Boz at his best - soulful, expressive, at times joyous and playful, at other times blue to the point of tears. "Loan Me a Dime" is the centerpiece of the album. Boz' voice, the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, and Duane Allman's no-holds-barred guitar combine to make the song soar and cry. "Finding Her" is a quiet, romantic contrast to the mournful pyrotechnics of "Loan Me a Dime", it's a little gem that gives Duane a chance to swoop and soar (turn the volume up at the end to hear his trademark "twitter"). "Waiting for a Train" is a lovely tribute to Jimmy Rodgers, Boz sings it with a woeful, resigned tone while Duane inserts little dobro fills and echoes; Barry Beckett does a nice little saloon-piano break in the middle. The rest of the songs are good to excellent. No "filler" and not a "clinker" in the bunch, they're all worth listening to. Don't pass this CD up when browsing the racks or surfing thru this web site. If you were listening to FM radio during the era when this came out, you'll be nodding your head and flashing back as you hear each song. If you weren't, this CD will give you a sense of what was being played in those days. P. S. If you have the Duane Allman Anthology Vol 1 CD, you HAVE to get this CD. The Anthology album has "Loan Me a Dime", but the mix of the song puts the volume of Duane's guitar so low that you have to strain to hear it. You really need Boz' CD to fully hear and appreciate Duane's performance.

Great album....but not the original mix:
This is actually Boz' SECOND ALBUM...He recorded an accustic album in Stockholm in 1965!! This is a classic album, recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and was originally Produced by Jann Werner. Issued 1969, it sold poorly and in 1977, somebody at Atlantic had the bright idea of completely remixed the original album (it was done in Los Angeles), bringing up Duane Allman's guitar and drowning other aspects of the original mix. On "Finding Her", for example, the volume level of the music drops down way low for the last 40 (or so) seconds....something the original mix never had. Apparently, the original mix is only available on the original vinyl LP (SD-8239). Lord knows if Atlantic still has both mixes in their vaults (they did not renumber the 1977 mix). I wish someone would reissue the original mix...it's SOOOOOOOOO much better.

the mother lode:
Have had 4 copies of this item during last 33 years. Original vinyl is up in the attic somewhere. Others were lost/stolen by girlfrends et al. All the cuts are great but " Loan me a Dime" is the best example of the premier live slide player ever. This cut could run another 20 minutes and it wouldnt be enough for me.Heard the ABB do this at Jones Beach w/ derek Trucks in 2000 and my only reaction was tears and goosebumps. This is what real music is all about. If you havent heard this yet... open your ears!!!

Muscle Shoals plus Duane Allman plus Boz--a classic:
The rhythm section that propelled the great Atlantic soul singers like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding...the legendary lead guitarist Duane Allman just as he was forming his great band...the keys to the kingdom were handed to the former Steve Miller Band guitarist and aspiring singer Boz Scaggs for his debut solo album in 1969...and boy oh boy did Boz ever deliver! "Boz Scaggs" is another candidate for the greatest overlooked, unjustly forgotten album of the classic rock era. It wasn't overlooked in its own day. Back when FM radio was "free form" and could play 10 minute-long cuts, the amazing "Loan Me a Dime," a delicately soulful blues wail that evolves into a monstrous Allman guitar workout, was a staple, especially at night. But the whole album is as good as that climactic moment. "I'll Be Long Gone," which Tracey Nelson also memorably covered, is an emotional inspiration. There are many other highlights--"Look What I Got" has the emotional directness of the Band; "Sweet Release" is heavenly soul. The album is sequenced beautifully; it is almost flawless. A lot of fans of this album like to bemoan the fact that Boz Scaggs seemed to "go commercial" in later years, especially with "Silk Degrees." I think this is the wrong way to look at his career. This album is so complete, so rich, and so thoroughly occupies the territory, what else could he have done with it? Scaggs obviously loves the whole wide expanse of soul, blues and R & B, and feels no need to settle into a single groove within that broad category. So, with each album, he explores a sound as thoroughly, creatively and thoughtfully as he can, and then, on his subsequent album, moves on to explore another aspect. "Silk Degrees" happened to be very successful, but it's just as fresh as this album, a classy, creative take on the dance music of its time. "Middle Man" went even further uptown; it is the only Steely Dan-influenced album that belongs on the same shelf with them. Some day, a label like Rhino is going to do the kind of comprehensive job on Scaggs' career that they have done with other artists of this period, finally releasing the albums that have sunk out of sight like "Moments," unearthing some unreleased and obscure tracks that show his work with his consistently great array of sidemen, remastering (although this disk, old as it is, sounds just fine), maybe digging out some live performances (Scaggs has never released a full live album), and finally get this great artist the credit he is due.

Excellent work.:
I'm particularly fond of Beckett's organ riffs that introduce "Now You're Gone". For the Deadheads, a bit of trivia: Donna Thatcher, one of the three principle backup singers, is better known to you all by her later married name, Donna Godchaux.

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