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Click here for The Best Of Delaney & Bonnie (LP)

Click here for The Best Of Delaney & Bonnie (CD)

Delaney & Bonnie and Friends

Albums

Like shooting stars, Delaney & Bonnie burned bright, lived fast and then their fire went out. After Gram Parsons discovered them at a small club in LA and brought them to the attention of George Harrison, the ripples began to spread. Members of the Rolling Stones drooled. George told Eric Clapton. Before long, the family-like entourage of exceptionally talented musicians, many of whom would become household names in their own right, became Eric’s preferred company during Blind Faith’s US tour of 1969. The “supergroup” just wasn’t clicking, while the support act, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, definitely was.

The rest of the story can be found elsewhere. What we are left with is a clutch of albums from the late sixties to early seventies that retain a bright, warm glow. They proclaim fresh, exuberant and often joyous outpourings of human emotion. Their musical integrity comes from the talent of those involved and from having genuine

roots in a range of American musical genres, including a healthy dose more gospel than most contemporaries were adding to the mix at the time.

The lack of unreleased material appearing over the last 35 years is a big disappointment. A few such tracks were slated to appear with the remastered “Together” CD but after familiar deliberations with lawyers and marketing folk, these were replaced with an odd sample of tracks from Delaney and Bonnie’s solo albums that had already been fully released on CD. At least the packaging of "Together" was more informative than the minimalist approach to the other Western CD releases. The Japanese releases, as often the case, came with transcriptions of all the songs, in both languages.

But let’s not be churlish, when we can be grateful for this wonderful body of work. Rock and Roll won’t save your soul… but it sure can give it a lift.

ALBUM	TRACKS	MUSICIANS / COMMENT
GENESIS 1971	What The World Needs Now You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling Heartbreak Hotel () Tomorrow Never Comes () I Can't Take It Much Longer I've Got A Woman () Lonely Me () Without Your Love () Better Man Than Me () Liverpool Lou () You Never Looked Sweeter () You Have No Choice () () Delaney Bramlett solo	Recorded in the sixties but only released in 1971 after the success of "Accept No Substitute", this sounds by far the most dated D&B album and includes songs where the duo aren't actually singing together. There's a noticeable whiff of English sixties music, which thankfully disappeared soon afterwards, in preference to more local influences. P.S. No, that's not Bonnie on the cover.
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HOME 1969	It's Been A Long Time Coming A Right Now Love We Can Love My Baby Specializes Everybody Loves A Winner Things Get Better Just Plain Beautiful Hard To Say Goodbye Pour Your Love On Me Piece Of My Heart	Released in December 1969, again after the acclaim of "Accept No Substitute". Backed by Booker T's band with additional support from Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd and William Bell (background vocals) plus teenager Bobby Whitlock on keyboards and vocals. A Memphis mixing of the races as well as musical roots, all to good effect. Stacks of singing to make the hairs on your neck stand up and dance. Only half an hour of music but just feel the quality.
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ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE 1969	Get Ourselves Together Someday Ghetto When The Battle Is Over Dirty Old Man Love Me A Little Bit Longer I Can't Take It Much Longer Do Right Woman, Do Right Man Soldiers Of The Cross Gift Of Love	Released in May 1969 by Elektra, this was D&B's breakthrough album and showed some creative development from the more familiar sounds that were heard on the Stax recording of "Home". This was in part due to the rhythmic gospel drive from Leon Russell's piano that so impressed Joe Cocker amongst others and led to Leon's briefly successful involvment with Joe a couple of years later. The Band on this album became the backbone of Joe's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour of the USA. Bobby Whitlock and Carl Radle helped Eric Clapton form Derek & The Dominos and Jim Keltner nearly did too. Rita Coolidge successfully struck out on her own, Bobby Keys and Jim Price have since played horns for everyone and Jerry McGee's guitar deservedly got around as well. Other incarnations of Delaney & Bonnie's "Friends" were often similarly impressive. Happily, the music here still sounds that way too.
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ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON 1970	Things Get Better Poor Elijah - Tribute To Johnson Only You Know And I Know I Don't Want To Discuss It That's What My Man Is For Where There's A Will There's A Way Coming Home Little Richard Medley	Recorded at least for the most part at Fairfield Hall, Croyden, London in 1969, during the band's tour of Germany, England and Scandanavia. George Harrison (credited as Mysterioso) joined in a few shows, including this one.
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TO BONNIE FROM DELANEY 1970	Hard Luck And Troubles God Knows I Love You Lay Down My Burden Medley: Come On In My Kitchen / Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean / Going Down The Road Feeling Bad Love Of My Man They Call It Rock & Roll Music Soul Shake Miss Ann Alone Together Living On The Open Road Let Me Be Your Man Free The People	Little Richard volunteered for a rare appearance on someone else's album and put in a rollicking trademark piano performance of his composition, "Miss Ann" that ended up greatly edited in length for the likes of you and me. On other tracks, Duane Allman adds some equally inspirational accompaniment on slide guitar. Top class performances all round, drawing on the full range of musical styles for which Delaney & Bonnie became renowned.
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MOTEL SHOT 1971	Come On In The Kitchen Never Ending Love Song Sing My Home Going Down The Road Lonesome And A Long Way From Home Where The Soul Never Dies Will The Circle Be Unbroken Rock Of Ages Long Road Ahead Faded Love Talkin' About Jesus Don't Deceive Me	Unplugged before MTV. Features Gram Parsons, Duane Allman, Bobby Whitlock and Dave Mason. An uncredited Joe Cocker can also be heard wailing away. Loose, ragged at times, exuberant always. Spontaneuos, infectious, committed music making, souding almost as if it were done for the sheer fun of it, with the album released as an after thought.
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COUNTRY LIFE 1972	Country Life Big Change Comin' Only You Know And I Know Sound Of The City A Good Thing (I'm On Fire) Groupie (Superstar) Move 'Em Out Wade In The River Jordan Try A Little Harder Well, Well I Know Something Good About You Coming Home	Only released on 8 track cassette. Same tracks as "Together", apart from having "Try A Little Harder" instead of "I Know How It Feels To Be Lonely".
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TOGETHER 1972	Only You Know And I Know Wade In The River Of Jordan Sound Of The City Well, Well I Know How It Feels To Be Lonely Coming Home Move 'Em Out Big Change Comin' Good Thing, A (I'm On Fire) Groupie (Superstar) I Know Something Good About You Country Life Over And Over I'm Not Your Lover, Just Your Lovee Good Vibrations Are You A Beatle Or A Rolling Stone How Glad I Am, (You Don't Know) California Rain	Recorded between 1971 and 1973 and first issued on CD in Japan. A remastered version then added a disappointing selection of non D&B "bonus" tracks, with interesting liner notes by Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters). Delaney & Bonnie's last album together, with varying levels of assistance from Tina Turner (not creditited but easily recognisable), Eddie Kendricks (vocals), Eric Clapton (guitar), King Curtis (sax), James Jamerson (bass), Dave Mason, Billy Preston, Duane Allman, Leon Russell and Steve Cropper. Produced by Delaney, David Anderle and Doug Gilmore.
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THE BEST OF DELANEY & BONNIE (LP) 1973	When TheBattle Is Over Dirty Old Man Only You Know And I Know We've Got To Get Ourselves Together Where There's A Will, There's A Way Never Ending Song Of Love Coming Home The Love Of My Man Soul Shake Come On In My Kitchen Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean Going Down The Road Feelin' Bad Free The People	A predicatable compilation, this was the first Delaney & Bonnie album I stumbled across. I soon traded it in, which was the way to get around more music back then. Not because I didn't like it but because it was just obvious I needed all the individual albums represented here. Sort of wish I'd kept it now, for sentimental reasons.
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THE BEST OF DELANEY & BONNIE (CD) 1990	Get Ourselves Together When The Battle Is Over Ghetto () Piece Of My Heart () Comin' Home Groupie (Superstar) Things Get Better Where There's A Will, There's A Way That's What My Man Is For () I Don't Want To Discuss It Soul Shake Free The People The Love Of My Man () Will The Circle Be Unbroken Never Ending Song Of Love Going Down The Road Feeling Bad Only You Know And I Know Move 'Em Out (*) CD bonus track	A generous compilation with interesting sleeve notes but sadly lacking even a sniff of previously unreleased material. Misses four tracks from the 1973 'Best Of' album but adds a lot more. A good place to start... but be warned, it won't be enough!

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