1

Apple TV+ is the new HBO.

HBO is in trouble. Actually, the entire enterprise, Warner Bros. Discovery, is in trouble. Once you start excising product to save money to stanch red ink you’re going in the wrong direction. When you’re pushing the envelope, do not be beholden to the Street. Because the Street only understands the distant future, the Cathie Wood future. They’ll invest in that, in the fantasy, but something more tangible, that they can kind of see now? They want to see profits. And tech has told us over and over again that to put profits first is to hamper your company. It’s all about users baby, never forget that in the attention economy. You want a huge user base,

And most people watching HBO are doing so via their cable provider, not via HBO Max. If they’re not watching in real time, they’re pulling up shows via on demand from said cable company. In other words, it’s positively old school. A dying paradigm. Now it’s all about subscribing to the individual streaming outlet, in this case HBO Max. There’s no differentiation between the two at this point, and even though cable subscribers get the app for free, they’re not using it. So when they cut the cord, and eventually everybody will, will they lay down an additional fifteen bucks a month for HBO Max after they’re already paying for Netflix and Amazon and maybe Hulu and Disney+ too? Doubtful. You’ve got to establish the habit, early, you’ve got to not only addict people, but get them used to paying. They’re comfortable paying the cable company, but you’d be stunned how many oldsters are still fearful of coughing up their credit card information. And HBO is the oldster channel.

But HBO offers premium product. And it continues to come up with hits. Albeit not a plethora.

But everybody is going to streaming.

Apple TV+ is streaming.

Apple TV+ started from scratch, there was no catalogue, no “Friends” or “Seinfeld,” it was only new product. But Tim Cook made a decision early on that it would only be highbrow, inoffensive content. It wouldn’t be salacious for no reason, it would not play to the lowest common denominator. And this is different from every streaming outlet other than HBO, which as I stated above, is not really about streaming.

Is everybody interested in highbrow content? No. But highbrow has a halo, it reflects positively on the underlying enterprise, it gets respect, and notice. People feel good about themselves when they talk about highbrow content.

Now Apple TV+ started with some misfires, stuff you didn’t need to see, like “The Morning Show.” But then came “Ted Lasso.” Comedy is incredibly hard to do, which is why networks don’t focus on it anymore. And it doesn’t travel well internationally. But the whole world is excited about “Ted Lasso.” That was the beachhead.

Now to be clear, although Apple TV+ was cheap, most people were watching for free. THEY’RE STILL WATCHING FOR FREE! Yes, Apple raised the price, and I paid for a month, but now I’m watching three months for free because I have a Roku? That’s nearly everybody, or close to it. And Uber Eats had a promotion and…

Apple is building something here.

And Apple is so damn rich that unlike its streaming competitors the streaming division does not have to balance the budget, may never have to balance the budget. Because ultimately, it’s about selling subscriptions, a bundle. And Apple TV+ is part of that bundle. It’s not about hardware anymore, it’s about software. And with Apple TV+ the Cupertino company is hewing to its paradigm, i.e. not volume, but quality. They don’t make a cheap iPhone…they don’t make a cheap anything! And Apple products impart a good feeling upon their owners. You may hate Apple, but it’s a large cult, and the members don’t care about your hate.

And Apple TV+ keeps rolling out one quality show after another. It’s not quite a juggernaut, but unlike Netflix there’s no dross, no reality detritus, the viewer is respected, and that counts for something.

2

“Slow Horses” is based upon the books by Mick Herron. My college buddy John Hughes recommended the books long before there was a TV series, although he hipped me to the TV series when the first season became available. Now I’m gonna check out one of the Herron books, because John is an intellectual, and most of these crime/mystery books are barely more than outlines.

So…

Don’t confuse “Slow Horses” with “Fauda.” “Slow Horses” is genre, fantasy, it doesn’t feel real at all. This is what studios are purveying, most notably with their superhero movies. But the truth is we’re all human beings, and we react to the visceral and real, and that’s “Fauda.” And if you can’t handle a little blood…then I guess you never had a boo-boo, you’ve never been injured, and you’re convinced you’re never going to be killed in a school shooting, or a mall shooting, they seem to happen every week in America, not only does Janie have a gun, seemingly everybody does!

“Fauda” is visceral, cutting edge, it feels real. And it’s tense and you should watch it.

You don’t have to watch “Slow Horses.” However, it’s done on a highbrow level, both the cinematography and the acting.

The first season was mostly set-up, establishing who and what the Slow Horses were.

The second season is pure plot. We know who the characters are, now we’ve got a story.

And I must say, I was not riveted by the first two and a half episodes, but then I got hooked. It’s not a big commitment, it’s only six.

You see there are the twists and turns, the surprises endemic to this genre.

But the real reason “Slow Horses” works is the acting.

Primarily Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the overseer of Slough House, of the Slow Horses. In the first season Oldman verged on chewing the scenery. But he’s more three-dimensional in the second season. He’s more believable. And Oldman gets so much credit for playing against type, he’s not a handsome beau, who knows when he last had a shower, he’s disheveled and unbothered by it, which is a great contrast to other productions where we get wooden actors in designer clothing and you can see, but you cannot feel.

Kristin Scott Thomas is always good, but she is not playing to the audience, she has no need to be liked, and that makes her ever more believable.

Jack Lowden as River Cartwright is a tad too good-looking. You know he’ll never die. But, he makes mistakes, he has blind spots, and that makes him transcend his looks.

Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho… He’s the computer expert/hacker. On one hand he’s a bit too one note, but by the end of the series he shows a bit more commitment as opposed to his usual detached demeanor.

My personal favorite is Saskia Reeves. You can Google her and find her attractive, a babe, but here she plays the secretary/assistant who puts not an ounce of effort into her look…Reeves looks her age, which is 61. But her beauty, her intelligence shines through. In an industry where everybody gets plastic surgery, where no one grows old, Reeves is a revelation.

So they’re all mixed up in the plot, and you get hooked by the story, and it’s complicated and…

Like I said, this is genre work. You’ve seen this construct before. Only “Slow Horses” is done at a highbrow level, it respects the audience, it’s not buffoonery on parade.

And it’s better than stuff endorsed by the hoi polloi, like “Poker Face,” which the “New York Times” labeled “the Best New Detective Show of 1973.” You’ve seen “Poker Face,” it’s just new faces with a slightly different plot. This is the stuff that HBO was the antidote to. This is the stuff the “Sopranos” fans pooh-poohed.

“Slow Horses” is not “Poker Face.” It’s a bit different from what you’ve seen before. It respects you. It does not play to the lowest common denominator.

It’s this high quality and respect that Apple is building its streaming service upon. Apple is not trying to be all things to all people. And Apple’s shows are not the indie movies that win awards but no one goes to see. The work is more mainstream than that. And it is series, which you can sink your teeth into.

We’re all looking for great stuff, when we find it we tell everybody about it.

People are now talking about Apple TV+, because you know if it’s on the service it might fail, but it’s a noble failure, everybody tried to do their best, to create great work.

And sometimes they succeed.

But still…

Watch “Fauda.”

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3StkPns

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Sv2Fl3

I bought “Child Is Father To The Man” used, one of only two albums I ever purchased that had previously been played, the other being Bob Dylan’s “John Wesley Harding” a year later in college. I’d seen a note on the community bulletin board that someone was selling their records and I went up to their room in Starr Hall, where I wouldn’t live for three years, and purchased an LP that looked like the guy had ironed his skis over it. I was caught up in the college experience, you know, when everything is brand new, before you become jaded and ultimately can’t wait to graduate. That Dylan album, which I paid two bucks for, convinced me that from then on every album I ever bought would be brand new, because no one treated their records like I did, I dare you to find a fingerprint on a single one. That’s me, that’s OCD. People forget the downsides of vinyl, the scratches, the skips, the warps… CDs were a revelation. Files even better. And if you want to buy an old analog album on vinyl, go for it. But if you’re buying a digitally cut album on vinyl, you’re actually missing a bunch of the music, vinyl is inherently limited in response, and then there’s the issue of the angle of the needle as it crosses the record and I have all of my vinyl, I never sold it, but I must admit I’m scratching my head on this vinyl revolution, furthermore it’s not like most of the buyers have a playback system good enough to hear the nuances anyway.

“Child Is The Father To The Man” was delivered to me in Modern European History, an AP class so boring I don’t think I retained a single thing. And a boring teacher too. I’ve had very few good teachers in my educational experience, a great teacher can make the most boring material interesting, it’s a reason to take that course, but oftentimes school was just dull, that’s the last place I ever want to go back to, the classroom.

So, the copy of “Child Is Father To The Man” even had the original clear plastic inner sleeve, as opposed to the paper with mini-album pictures of most other labels, it was a step up, or was perceived to be.

And my copy was not perfect, but it’s not like it was played only at a gram or so on a great turntable. Yes, the key element of a stereo system is the speakers, but back then a record player/needle could ruin a record, which is why I popped for a Dual 1228, even though it was years before the rest of my system lived up to that quality, and by that time I’d upgraded to a Technics direct drive.

Now at this point in time, over fifty years later, my favorite track on “Child Is Father To The Man’ is the closer, the Gerry Goffin/Carole King song “So Much Love.” Kooper is testifying, with the organ in the background, and then the horns flourish and the number goes from subtle to in-your-face and you can’t help but pay attention, you’re along for the ride, and oh, what a ride it is.

But for a long time my favorite cut on the LP was the second side opener, “I Can’t Quit Her,” a direct message delivered directly. With melody and emotion. It’s a tour-de-force.

And then there are the covers. Harry Nilsson’s “Without Her,’ a year before Three Dog Night had a hit with “One,” back when no one was covering Harry, you could read about him in the press if you were dedicated, but his was not a household name. Although Gene Pitney covered “Just One Smile,” it wasn’t until 1972 and “Sail Away” that most people had any idea who Randy Newman was. And “Morning Glory” originally appeared on Tim Buckley’s second album the previous year. Buckley never broke through to mass appeal, his son is famous, but the father was the darling of the cognoscenti back then, at least for a while.

And then there were the other originals. Steve Katz wrote “Megan’s Gypsy Eyes,” and the rest were Kooper’s. And “Somethin’ Goin’ On” and “My Days Are Numbered” deserve their own analysis, but today I’m focusing on the first track after the “Overture,” “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know.”

This “Overture” was a year before the one opening the Who’s “Tommy,” and it was shorter, but it was a symphonic version of what you were going to hear and then…there’s this hysteric laughing, a chorus of “YEAH” and then…there’s a soulful, stinging guitar, underpinned by organ chords, locked into an R&B groove and then…

How many times have I listened to “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”? Zillions! But Thursday night I finally got it. All those years I thought it was blustery bragging, the guy’s in control, but he wants the woman to know that he does care about her, he really does, as he goes on the road and takes advantage of opportunities and forgets about her.

But that’s not what’s really happening at all. He’s the underdog. He’s the one who needs her. He’s coming from the bottom, not the top. He’s down on his knee, emoting with all his heart, trying to convince her to believe.

“If I ever leave you

You can say I told you so”

He realizes she’s doubtful. After all, he’s a musician. And not a rich one. She’s not totally in, she’s holding back a little bit of herself, to avoid the inevitable hurt down the road.

“And if I ever hurt you, baby

You know I hurt myself as well”

He’s not talking about kicking her to the curb, crawling from the wreckage into a brand new car, if he missteps he’s gonna suffer the consequences, be broken up just as much as she is.

“Is that any way for a man to carry on

You think he wants his little loved one gone”

The music changes, it’s a pre-chorus, there’s an additional level of heaviness. Does she really think he wants her gone? He’s not going to misbehave, that’s not how he’s going to carry on.

“I love you, baby

More than you’ll ever know

More than you’ll ever know”

More than you’ll ever know. There are no words. It’s something he feels deep inside. He’s more than committed, he’s connected, he not only wants her, HE NEEDS HER!

“I’m not trying to be any kind of man

I’m trying to be somebody

You can love, trust and understand”

Trust. You don’t often hear that on the hit parade. But that’s the essence of a relationship, along with commitment. He’s not average, he’s not run-of-the-mill, he’s one of a kind, and he wants her to know!

“I know that I can be, yeah

A part of you that no one else could see

I just gotta hear, hear you say it

It’s all right, yeah, yeah, yeah”

He’s begging her, shine her light back on him, tell him she got the message, that she feels the way he does. PLEASE!

“I’m only flesh and blood

But I could be anything that you demand

I could be president of General Motors, baby

Or just a tiny little grain of sand”

Al tells a great story about Donny Hathaway’s version of “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know.” He gets a copy of it and THEY CHANGED THE LYRICS! Al is incensed, he calls Jerry Wexler all heated-up, complaining, and when he can finally get a word in edgewise, Wexler says AL, A BLACK MAN COULD NEVER BE PRESIDENT OF GENERAL MOTORS!

That’s 1973, fifty years ago. We’ve since had a Black president, but we’ve still got a long way to go.

Al’s at her mercy. He’ll be whatever she wants. Just as long as she commits and stays true. He’s doing it all for her, not himself.

“When I wasn’t making too much money

You know where my paycheck went

You know I brought it home to baby

And I never spent one red cent”

He’s hers. Everything he owns is hers. He’s doing it all for his baby.

And the amazing thing about listening to these old records is they sound amazingly clean, but they were mixed completely differently. Instruments play in one ear only. Engineers and acts wanted to demonstrate stereo, which was really just coming into vogue, after the labels raised the price of mono albums to those of stereo and then eliminated mono completely.

So we’ve got the stinging guitar, with just a bit of distortion added in. Clean. And an angelic choir in the left ear. And the organ in the right and all the instruments breathe, there’s enough air around them that they can be heard. And then a string flourish in the right ear. And then Fred Lipsius is blowing his alto sax in the right ear, setting your mind adrift, to think and contemplate.

It’s a who’s who on the track. Randy Brecker was in the original incarnation of the group. Jerry Weiss too. They left with Kooper before the second album.

But it’s not only the players, it’s the backup singers too, Melba Moore and Valerie Simpson. John Simon arranged the strings. Stephen Stills is even credited as an engineer!

“I love you, I love you, I love you, baby

Well, all right

I told you so many times before

I love you, I love you, I love you

You know, I got to tell you one more time

I love you, I love you, I love you”

He’s bearing witness like James Brown. The track contains everything but the cape. He wants her to get it. He needs her to get it. She’s gonna get it, right?

You never know.

I’m thrilled that our film captured your interest and compelled you to take two hours out of your busy day to watch.

My phone and inbox have been blowing up in the past few hours from readers of “The Lefsetz Letter,” some of whom knew I was the filmmaker behind “What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?,” some of whom did not…thinking I should be aware of the film about which you wrote so eloquently and passionately.

I very much appreciate your thoughtful perspective about BS&T, the political parallels and, as you say, “counterpoints” to today.

Thanks, too, for your kind words about the documentary. It was a real passion project from start to finish and I’ve got so many cool behind-the-scenes production stories on which I’m sure I’ll be dining for some time to come.

I’m very proud of this film and very much hope others will be equally affected by it.

All the best –

John Scheinfeld

Director/Writer/Producer

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS?

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Hello: I’m really looking forward to this..AL KOOPERS’ input  and influence extended past the first album..The original group with Al Singing was performing You Made Me So Very Happy, Smiling Phases,and More and More in their Live Show..All made it to the Second album with DCT singing Lead.

Louis Levin

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Something/someone important left out of the BS&T story – James William Guercio.   He brought Chicago Transit Authority to Clive Davis at Columbia in ‘68. Clive agreed to sign them, IF, Guercio agreed to produce the second Blood, Sweat & Tears album, which was to be released first. He did it, won the Grammy for album of the year (back when that still mattered), and then went on to produce 11 albums for Chicago, including 5 in a row that went Billboard number 1, (back when THAT still mattered.

Got this story from Jim Foglesong, back when he briefly headed Columbia.

Cheers.

Michael Canfield

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Bob.  BST put out two great, but very different, albums:  Child is the father to man and the first one with DCT. I would play both on the console stereo (before component took over) at home and mom and dad ignored the first but loved the DCT outing.  Dad was a child of the Big Band era and the influences of the second album rung clear to him.  You talk of the counterculture in the 60s and how our music connected a generation, and our battle with the over 30 crowd and the Vietnam war and how we were going to change the world. Yup, that was an amazing time and we talked about the unjust war and Mayor Daly and Kent and we wrote songs of protest – and they were everywhere.  Street corner buskers yelling down the war.  It was, truly, visceral. And, yes, we took off our bell bottoms and beads and went to work for the man and still smoked – at home.  But it never leaves you.  Not even today.  It (indeed) was the best of times and the worst of times.  And my vinyl still rolls.

Robert Tussey

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Thanks for the reminders…

I was in NYC in 68 and 69 and B,S & T’s owned it. America had changed the game once again.and i too am happy to have have had the Al Kooper experience in my live…

Best , o

Andrew Loog Oldham

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Wow!! Thanks for the heads up, Bob.

My first concert was The Chambers Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears at Fordham University. I was 13. It was fantastic! After the show, we went to a White Castle on Fordham Road and had a few 20-cent burgers.

I’ll never forget that night.

Vicky Germaise

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Child Is Father to the Man is one of my top five records ever.

My kids are in their mid 30’s. Their father was in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, I made them listen to my music all the time growing up, and I’ve made them watch 60’s-70’s documentaries. But I just can’t get them to feel it. How sure we were that we were changing the world. And how our music was everything

Kids…..

Amy Polan Clarke

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Thanks for writing about this. BS&T is an important band for many reasons; several of which you talked about. They were arguably the first jazz-rock band (Chicago took a little longer to gain traction).

And —-yes, as usual I’m talking about drummers—there is Bobby Colomby.

His clearly jazz inspired playing was really the first time you heard Philly Joe Jones’ influence in a rock band.

Bobby is a brilliant drummer… highly influential on many…. Of course he’s happily still with us; I just wish I could hear more of his playing on more records.

Regards,
Mark Feldman

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I’m an old Al Kooper fan and remember him from The Blues Project and earlier coming from Queens, NY and his first wife was my best friend.  He used to hang around my house and play our baby grand piano.

Loved their first album… It’s the best thing BS&T ever did, I agree.  Kooper’s “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”  Is one of the best songs ever written period.

Al’s a musical genius!

Iona S. Elliott

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I Can’t Quit Her is my favorite on BS&T, so many times Bob you send me back into my vinyl collection; I have 4 Al Kooper albums, but Child Is Father To The Man must have been lent out and not returned (understandably) and I only have the CD. Those 5 albums influenced my writing More Than You’ll Ever Know. I can’t wait to see this movie, please give us a ‘heads up’ when it’s available.

Jeff Watz

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I’ve been listening to Al Kooper solo records on repeat (I Stand Alone, You Never Really Know Who Your Friends Are, Act Like Nothing’s Wrong) for the past 3 days and then you sent me thismissive! Serendipity.

As a former high school band geek, BS&T were worshipped! I love all the LPs, even Nuclear Blues! 😨

I certainly appreciate that David Clayton-Thomas is never afraid to “Say Somethin'”

Cheers,

EveAnna Dauray Manley

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I love Al Kooper. Have all of his solo LP’s, all the Blues Project albums, and all of the BS&T albums. The first BS&T album is amazing and the second album is a classic. I cannot wait to see this movie.

Count me in the crowd.

Dennis Paulik

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Now I’m excited!   Thanks for the info.  This is one that I will find.  One of my all time favorite autobiographies is Al Kooper’s.  He was the Forrest Gump of the music scene.  From growing up with Paul Simon to Dylan, to BS&T, to Skynyrd and so much in between.  Will be on the lookout for this film.

Patti Martin

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I was a big fan of the Blues Project…attended their “final” concert at Town Hall and their reunion show years later at the Bond? Not sure of the venue name…1981?
I filled in the Blues Project’s songs I didn’t own on Napster.
The first CD I bought was a gold edition of BS&T’s, Father Is Child To The Man.
The great songs and performances of both bands still hold up.
Over the years I also wondered what the hell happened to them.
If you get wind of where and when this documentary will be available please let us know.
Thanks Bob.
Alan Crane

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Hi Bob — the first single off of BS&T3, was Hi-De-Ho.  That album followed up the DCT first post-Al Kooper album, the album with, what, three enormous hit singles; the album that won Album of the Year, beating out Abbey Road (imagine that!).  So .. no pressure when the band went in to record the follow-up!

JIm Charne

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The godfathers of smooth jazz? “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” is to Spyro Gyra what  “All Day And All Of The Night” is to The Ramones.

Also responsible for launching the careers of Al Kooper and Bobby Colomby, without whom we wouldn’t have Lynyrd Skynyrd or Jaco Pastorius.

Vince Welsh

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What goes up, must come down….I played alto saxophone (not very well!) in the jazz band in middle school when Spinning Wheel was on WABC in NYC multiple times per day.
Thanks for the memories and pointing me to this documentary- very much looking forward !

David Levin

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Very few records from this era still sound good 50+ years later.   I equate BS&Tears( Lou’s trumpet solo is still a master class) Katz Kooper and DC were beyond years.    Of course the drama with DCT comes up into play

But Spinning Wheel and Zep and Doors records still sound good.    Rest of the crap sounds like poorly recorded records that sonically still sound like crap .   BS@T s first record from the horn intros is still a piece of art.   I still have it on vinyl.    Don’t need a movie that I will never watch change that.   You fail to mention the additional MOFOs that played on this record

Chris Apostle

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Thank you, Bob Lefsetz.  I read you religiously and agree less than 1/2 the time.  I am 76 years old, an early “Boomer” and love our music. Can’t wait to see this movie. Keep us posted.

Jeff Douglas

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Did they get into when the great Jerry LaCroix was in the band?

Ex Boogie Kings, White Trash, then later joined Rare Earth for a while.

And 2 VERY GOOD solo albums.

Check out him singing I’ll Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know from 1974 and giving Kooper props.

Fun fact: It’s pronounced LaCraw. There’s an interview where I heard him say it.

Kevin Kiley

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Thanks for your review of the up of BS&T doc, Bob.  Looking forward to it.

I saw BS&T at Topanga Days a few years back… needless to say I was a bit worried about how they sounded after all these years… to my surprise the were excellent!  I went back in time when I listened to them via my older brother and sister, who had the their album in 1968.  When I Die was very profound for this young girl.

I’m now liking their songs on Spotify to listen to on my way to work tomorrow.

Thanks for the reminder.

Best,

Darlene Gorzela

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Worst band ever. Double bubblegum nonsense that led to the second worst popular band …ewww the RAMONES. One chord kindergarten stupidity that the world had to swallow because of numb ass critical reviews!
It’s all the fault of clown Andy Warhol!
Lol

Kenn Kweder

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Loved your comment on the Ramones, for me they are the most underrated band in music. They were great songwriters who’s sound blazed a trail for hundreds of artists to follow. As you mentioned their sound was was so different it took years for people to get it.

“Chewin’ out a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It’s not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach”

Michael Rosenblatt

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There is no other BS&T album! Just the first one! The Al Kooper one.

I don’t care if the second one had hits, and Lara Nyro songs.  It wasn’t BS&T.  And it certainly had no trace of the Blues Project.

“Child is Father to the Man” is still my hub (that’s husband) and my go-to album.

It holds up.  Really, really well.  (And so does Super Session, just as an aside).

I didnt even know about the political problems of BS&T or the green card thing.  The second album was painful for those of us who loved the “only” BS&T album and we moved on.  We stayed with Al and wherever he went, we went.  Al Kooper has always had his pulse on what should come next, before anyone else figured it out… and he did with BobDylan, the Blues Project, Shugie Otis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, with The Tubes and Standing Alone!

So, in memory of Danny Kalb… Thank you Bob for recognizing and celebrating Al Kooper. As an FYI, there is a crew of Erasmus Hall High School ( Brooklyn, NY) graduates, classes  of 1966 and 1967, who feel as you do.  As Al Kooper super fans, we attended all  or most of his annual birthday shows in NYC at the Bottom Line, and at BB Kings, and I think there might have been one or two at other clubs.

AL KOOPER IS NYC ROCK AND ROLL!!

Amy Krakow

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That first BS&T album is a classic, a fabulous album.  I had both that and the second album and at one point back in the day, I knew the later one as well as the first.  But I never listed to the second album and I come back to Child is Father to the Man frequently.

 

I recently went back and listed to Kooper’s early solo albums after he left BS&T.  Those albums are a bit uneven, but there’s some terrific music on them.

 

Finally, as well known as Super Session is, Kooper’s follow-up, Kooper Session with the young guitar phenom Shuggie Otis, is an even better album.

 

Don Friedman

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The film sounds great. Al Kooper is a genius and the first BS&T album has been on my top-10 list ever since it came out and someone turned me on to it at summer camp. .

– Greg Dennis

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I wore out three copies of ‘Child Is The Father To The Man’. One of my all time favorite albums… the band had soul (thank you Al Kooper).

Couldn’t get behind the David Clayton Thomas albums at all.  Deep as a glass of water.

Bruce Garfield

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I loved B,S &T.  Respected David Clayton-Thomas’s voice, but I couldn’t stand hearing “Spinning Wheel” or “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” at every bar mitzvah or wedding respectively that I went to as a kid in the early 70’s.  Right up there with “Joy to the World”.

That first album “Child is Father to The Man”… before you even opened it, the cover alone said this is gonna be f@ckin’ great. And it delivered. Kudos to the musicianship on the debut (Randy Brecker, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby to name but a few), but Al Kooper was, and is still the man.  Amongst his production credits, The Tubes debut was a fave. It wasn’t mastered as well as it could’ve been in my opinion, like a lion without teeth, all roar, no bite…but the arrangements, holy sh*t!

Brian Diamond

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Re: Brian Diamond e-mail

Sad, but true.

Al Kooper

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday February 25th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz