Blues Series#25: Bloomfield Kooper Stills-Super Sessions

[joe]

Considered another ground breaking album from the late '60's, this recording is more a session than it is an actual band. Guitarist Mike Bloomfield had played on Paul Butterfield Blues Band's s/t debut in 1965 and was recruited by Bob Dylan for Highway 61 Revisited the same year. 1966, East-West from The Butterfield Blues Band was released(featured in a earlier thread in this serious) and Bloomfield left to form Electric Flag, a blues based band incorporating horns to add a soul sound and they debuted at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released the debut in 1968, A Long Time Comin'.

Bloomfield then teamed up with organist Al Kooper, former bandmates with Bob Dylan and Kooper had just left Blood, Sweat And Tears after the highy praised Child Is Father To The Man and his other group, The Blues Project, a blues/psychedelic endeavour.

Halfway through the recording Bloomfield left due to his heroin addiction and Kooper then recruited Stephen Stills as Buffalo Springfield split up to finish out the album.

Bloomfield's contributions included the groovy "Albert's Shuffle" and the Eastern influenced "His Holy Modal Magesty", amongst others on side 1. Stills and Kooper do a jaw-drooping version of Donovan's "Season Of The Witch" which is the highlight on side 2.

Classic

 

[hawk11]

Great album Joe! I picked it up years ago and listened to it recently where it still sounds damn good. Besides the songs you mentioned with Bloomfield I also like "Stop".

Another one of my favorite albums that Mike Bloomfield played on was Muddy Waters' "Father and Sons" which also featured Paul Butterfield, Otis Span, Donald "Duck" Dunn ect.

 

[joe]

^^^I haven't heard that album hawk. I'll have to check out some tunes from it. Bloomfield is one hell of a guitarist and I can't but help to think what more contributions he could of made if it wasn't for his addiction. Al Kooper is very talented but I don't care much for "Child Is Father To The Man" which is a brass/jazz/blues/folk fusion. It's been a long time since I've put it on to the turntable. Maybe I should try it again.

I recently listened to his other band, The Blues Project and the album Projections which is very eclectic combining blues/pop/psych and a bit of folk. Not my taste.