Friday, June 15, 2018
Al Kooper Interview ‘Super Session’ Remastered Kooper Uncovers New Music with Column
Al Kooper Interview ‘Super Session’ Remastered Kooper Uncovers New Music with Column
By Ray Shasho
-Interviewed July 2nd 2014
Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist AL KOOPER continues to relish an incredible life of music. Although these days it�s mostly through his weekly online column for The Morton Report entitled �New Music for Old People�
Kooper reveals�
�This column is like the title says - its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the 60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadays. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and I have been following the new releases every Tuesday ever since I realized there was an endless stream of music I could enjoy there. The reason I am writing this column is to make sure others dont miss this. These are not top ten items; but they SHOULD be!�
Kooper is also excited about the re-release of the classic �Super Session� album featuring Al Kooper-Mike Bloomfield-Stephen Stills. The album is re-mastered with the latest (Hybrid Multichannel SACD) technology. The package includes new liner notes written by Al Kooper that tells the story of the Super Session album and the new 5.1 Multichannel mix. The 5.1 mix by Al Kooper with mastering by Bob Ludwig was never released and yet it has acquired some fame from industry insiders familiar with the Multichannel mix with comments like "excellent" and "it deserves to be heard."The new mastering of the Stereo tracks for new SACD Stereo and CD Stereo audio are by mastering engineer Steve Hoffman. -The official release of �Super Session� on amazon.com is -September 9th.
AL KOOPER: had a life changing undertaking technologically and musically after receiving a Webcor reel to reel tape recorder as a Bat Mitzvah gift in 1957.Born in Brooklyn and growing up in Queens, New York � Kooper began his incredible music career as a fourteen year old guitarist with The Royal Teens (�Short Shorts� #3 U.S. Hit in 1958).
In 1960, Kooper joined the songwriting team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine and wrote �This Diamond Ring� (#1 U.S. Hit in 1965) for Gary Lewis & the Playboys. At 21, Kooper moved to Greenwich Village and began a momentous relationship with Bob Dylan. He performed and recorded with Dylan including adding his classic Hammond organ riffs on �Like a Rolling Stone�(#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Hit in 1965). During those recording sessions, Kooper met Michael Bloomfield.
In 1967, Al Kooper joined The Blues Project as their keyboardist. He left the band before the group was to appear at the infamous Monterey Pop Festival, and instead, along with bandmate Steve Katz, formed the jazz/rock/psychedelic/ R&B/ group �Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Kooper left Blood, Sweat & Tears after their critically-acclaimed debut release � �Child Is Father to the Man� (1968). The album spawned the classic rock mainstays � �I Love You More Than You�ll Ever Know� (Penned by Kooper) and �I Can�t Quit Her� (Written by Kooper/Levine).
Al Kooper recorded a jazz inspired jam entitled �Super Session� in 1968 with Michael Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. The album spawned an incredible cover of Donovan�s �Season of the Witch� and my favorite track �His Holy Modal Majesty� (Written by Kooper and Bloomfield). The album peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold.
It was Al Kooper who called Judy Collins in the middle of the night and put Joni Mitchell on the phone to sing �Both Sides Now� which eventually became a huge hit for Collins in 1968.
Throughout the years �Kooper became a mainstay in the recording studio performing with The Rolling Stones, The Who, B.B. King, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Alice Cooper, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joe Cocker, Tom Petty, and Roger McGuinn to name just a few.
Kooper discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972 after watching several of their appearances at a frequented club in Atlanta. Al moved to Atlanta and signed the band to his new record label �Sounds of the South.� (He would eventually sell the label to MCA Records). Al Kooper produced and performed on Lynyrd Skynyrd�s first (3) albums� (�Pronounced �L?h-�n�rd �Skin-�n�rd, Second Helping, and Nuthin�Fancy). Also on the singles �Sweet Home Alabama,� �Free Bird,� and �Saturday Night Special.�
Al Kooper produced The Tubes, David Essex, Nils Lofgren, Rick Nelson, Ray Charles, The Staple Singers, Bob Dylan, and Lynyrd Skynyrd � to name just a few. He also played and arranged three tracks on George Harrison�s �Somewhere in England� album and performed with the remaining Beatles � George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, on Harrison�s Hit single �All Those Years Ago� (U.S. #2 Billboard Hot 100 Hit in 1981). Kooper has also written and composed on countless albums and scores for television and motion pictures.
And let�s not forget an incredible SOLO CAREER � I Stand Alone (1969), You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (1969), Easy Does It (1970), New York City (You�re A Women)(1971), Possible Projection of the Future/ Childhood�s End (1972), Naked Songs (1973), Act Like Nothing�s Wrong (1977), Championship Wrestling (1982), Rekooperation (1994), Soul of a Man (Live album 1995), Black Coffee (2005), and White Chocolate (2008).
Al Kooper published his well- received memoir entitled � Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock �N� Roll Survivor. The first edition was released in 1977 with subsequent editions released in 1998 and 2008. (The 2008 edition being the best of the three).
I had the rare opportunity of chatting with Al Kooper about the remastered classic �Super Session� album on 5.1 Multichannel mix � Al�s column �New Music for Old People� � The Music industry today � Discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd � My infamous �Field of Dreams� question� And much-much more!
Here�s my interview with founding member of The Blues Project, Blood Sweat & Tears, Collaborator with artists such as Bob Dylan, Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, and many-many other legendary artists! Co-writer of the hit single� �This Diamond Ring,� Producer for numerous bands including Lynyrd Skynyrd & The Tubes � Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Multi-instrumentalist/Columnist/Author/ �AL KOOPER. ...(WHEW!)
Ray Shasho: Al, thank you so much for being on the call today.
Al Kooper: �You weren�t just talking with David Clayton-Thomas were you?�
Ray Shasho: (Laughing) No, haven�t gotten around to chatting with David yet. I did chat with Judy Collins recently and she told me it was you that introduced her to Joni Mitchell.
Al Kooper: �Yes. I was actually living in her apartment for awhile.�
Ray Shasho: Judy had great things to say about you.
Al Kooper: �Well, that�s why we pay her. (All laughing)�
Ray Shasho: Let�s chat about the re-release of the classic �Super Session� album. The package includes new liner notes written by you that tells the story of the Super Session album and a new 5.1 Multichannel mix.
Al Kooper: �There was a time when Sony the label that owns it had a whole SACD, 5.1 department and they called and asked me if I�d be interested in doing some 5.1 remixes of stuff that I have worked on. So I said sure, they wanted me to do �Super Session� and �Child is Father to the Man.� I didn�t produce �Child is Father to the Man� and so I called the producer and asked him if he was interested � and he said you should do it. So I said are you sure, because you�re the first choice in my book? He said no, I�m not interested and you are. So I did the first one in a week and the second a week after. I�ve only done those two and haven�t done anything else in 5.1.�
Ray Shasho: What will be the main difference in sound using 5.1?
Al Kooper: �You�ve got a great more space to deal with, it�s more of like a totally three dimensional space, so that helps tremendously and gives you more room to spread the instruments out � and vocals etc. I thought it was great that we could do that because when s
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