March 1972 : When The Blues Meet The Boogie

All of these albums were released in March of 1972


[Buy Smokin']

With co-founder Peter Frampton off seeking solo glory, Clem Clemson comes aboard to play some smokin' guitar on this Top Ten hit. Humble Pie is Steve Marriott's band now. He produces the album and actually collapses from nervous exhaustion during recording. The album's best known for "30 Days In The Hole" but "You're So Good To Me" is one of 1001Songs fave songs of the 70's. You can almost see The Robinson brothers of Black Crowes fame sitting together furiously taking notes.

[Buy Roadwork]

The live double disc follow-up to White Trash, Roadwork - which hit number 23 on the album charts- plays like a rock soul blues and gospel revue. Like his blues guitar playing brother Johnny, Edgar is a Texas albino with enormous talent as a keyboardist, saxophone player and vocalist. About halfway into the show Johnny comes onstage to play on Rick Derringer's "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" . Later in the year, Winter will release They Only Come Out At Night featuring his #1 monster hit "Frankenstein" and the #14  "Free Ride".

[Buy D and B Together]

Atlantic Records exec Jerry Wexler wasn't thrilled with Country Life, the last Delaney and Bonnie album the duo recorded, so he added a few cuts ( some, like "Comin Home" and "Groupie" dating back to 1969) and changed the running order. It's a sign of  Delaney and Bonnie's popularity among musicians that they were able to get Eric Clapton, Tina Turner and Billy Preston, among others, to play on the album. The couple divorced in 1973.

[Not Available]

Featuring both his Derek and the Dominos band mates and Delaney Bramnlett, Bobby Whitlock's self-titled debut album is full of similar whiskey drenched southern blues rock . George Harrison and Klaus Voorman also play on this, the opening track. Criminal that this is out of print.

[Buy Recall The Beginning A Journey From Eden]

The last album Steve Miller would release before hitting his commercial stride with 1973's The Joker, Recall has a brilliant second side featuring one of Miller's best songs ever -- "Journey From Eden".  

Six Degrees of Separation: Nick Drake to Donovan

1. In 1970, for his album Bryter Layter, Nick Drake records "Poor Boy" which features backing vocals by UK hitmaker P.P.Arnold.

2. P.P. Arnold also provides the backing vocals on the Small Faces 1967 hit "Tin Soldier", written and sung by Steve Marriott. (Marriott originally wrote it for P.P. Arnold to record but changed his mind.)





3.A 16 year old Steve Marriott--who played the Artful Dodger in the 1960 London stage production of "Oliver!"-- plays the drummer in the 1963 film "Live It Up!". The singer is Heinz Burt. The guitar player is David Hemmings.



4. In the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film "Blow Up" Hemmings sees a Yardbirds gig. While Jeff Beck is having all kinds of problems with his guitar, Jimmy Page is chilling on stage. (There's a cleaner version of this scene here .)

5. In his session musician days Page plays guitar on this rockin 1967 cut by singer Dana Gillespie.The song is written by Donovan.

6. There is no evidence Dana Gillespie inspired Donovan's song "Superlungs (My Supergirl) " for his 1969 album, Barabajagal. But one can see how one might make the mistake