This was $3.20. Looking at the names on the cover, if you know anything about music and musicians, you would take a chance on this album.
Al Kooper organized Blood, Sweat, and Tears, worked with Dylan among others in the early days, and is kind of a musician’s go-to musician if that makes sense. Mike Bloomfield was one of the first music superstars to be known purely for his guitar playing. He later died of an overdose. Steven Stills was in Buffallo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, (with and without Young) and is Still alive in spite of that.
This album was made in 1968. Kooper, who had just left BS&T, and Bloomfield, who was about to leave Electric Flag, decided to book some studio time with bassist Harvey Brooks and drummer “Fast”Eddie Hoh ( who incidentally played on the Monkee’s albums. The two knew each other from working with Dylan. Bloomfield was a no-show however for the second day, however so Kooper called Stills, who was in the process of leaving Buffalo Springfield. So the theme of this album and this post is leaving things.
The album sold well and went Gold. It also paved the way for other super-group albums, for better or for worse. You decide. Fast Eddie Hoh on the other hand, quit music in the seventies. He died in a nursing home last November.
The album is pretty good. The best songs are “His Holy Modal Majesty” and Donovan’s ” The Season of the Witch” (which has excellent drumming from Hoh). However, both songs are long and I do not like posting long songs, so here is a cut from the Bloomfield session, “Stop”. It is pretty funky.
Top Rated album.