Fusion 45

…we’re blessed with a tremendous library system (courtesy of those crunchy-granola liberal thinkers in nearby Portland, who consider books and music to be an important resource for a strong community). So, in the spirit of turning you on to new grooves, here’s the first of (still) another new (occasional) series from Fusion 45: I Found It At The Library.

George Harrison - You - A semi-hit, I guess, from dear old George but highly underrated. An ass-kicking studio team, including our hero, Jim Keltner.
The Fall Call- The Walls Came Down - Fans of The Fall Call will likely scoff — this is the only one that non-Fall Call fans know — but any band that can get Charlton Heston to play keyboard in their video is OK with me.
The Fiery Furnances - The Philadelphia Grand Jury - The Furnaces are a band I really like but haven’t gotten to spend much time with. One of the few groups I’ve read about in The Wire that I actually understand.
Big Star - Take Care - Magazines love to write about Big Star…fallen idols, band that never quite cracked the glass ceiling of stardom. But, if they had, no one would be so intrigued, would they?
James Blackshaw - Stained Glass Windows - Remember when records were cheap enough that you could take the chance and buy one because it had a cool cover? Well, I borrowed this one for the same reason. Reminds me of Adrian Legg.
Kasey Chambers - sign On The Door - Kasey Chambers’ voice is a little thin for my tastes but her material equalizes that complaint. This is actually a pretty inventive album (Carnival)
Mark Knopfler - Secondary Waltz - Knopfler is one of those guys you can’t help but respect and I always enjoy his solo stuff. But I’m never quite as satisfied as I am when I listen to the first Dire Straits record.
Rickie Lee Jones - Road To Emmaus - I like the broad guitar sound in this tune. The good thing is that there are even better tunes on this album (The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard).
Stephen Malkmus - Phantasies - Don’t know his stuff well enough to know if this is typical but, either way, he owes Lou Reed a commission on this one.
Black Sabbath - Iron Man - I borrowed this one because one of my 10 year old’s friends has been singing it in the back of the car on the way to soccer practice. I’ve never gotten Black Sabbath and probably never will. Lame songs, bad production, marginal musicianship. This song is so bad it’s good (for a laugh, anyway).
Arcade Fire - Intervention - Another band for whom I’ve never understood the hype…but anything with a pump organ deserves at least a listen.
Peter Himmelman - Impermanent Things - This is from Strength to Strength, which I bought on cassette years ago. I think he’s brilliant and wish I had time to dig deeper into his stuff.
R. Crumb And The Cheap Suit Serenaders - I Want A little Girl - There’s really no comment necessary.
The Delgados - Friendly Conventions - Variety is the spice of life, a little noise is good for the soul.
Joan Armatrading - A Woman in Love - From her recent Into The Blues album, which was highly praised. She seems to nail every genre she touches.

By popular demand, I’ve dropped the ZIP’s and added MP3s for the Jim Keltner post I did a few months back.

My set of tunes featuring Steve Gadd was so well received I thought I’d dive into a series of posts featuring great session drummers. Here’s a (short) dozen from Jim Keltner.

Steely Dan – Josie (Aja, MCA, 1977)

This should probably be the finale in this set, not the opener. Notoriously finicky, Becker and Fagen put Keltner to the test on this one and he scored an “A”. Block out everything and listen to the high hat work – he mixes eighths and sixteenths from measure to measure with the grace of a Jack DeJohnette.

Leon Russell – Lay Right Here In Heaven (Will O’ The Wisp, Shelter, 1975)

This copy is a little too dirty to hear the nuances but it’s still a great groove: “Sometimes I feel like bitin’ your toes, heaven knows, anything goes”. Keltner actually shares the drum credit with two others on this tune.

Jackson Browne – Red Neck Friend (For Everyman, Elektra, 1975)

Eight bars of guitar and then it’s straight rock and roll right to the last drum beat. Decidedly un-Jackson Browne, in my book, and no doubt covered by a few million bar bands since the 1970’s. Great piano, too.

James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Gorilla, Warner Brothers, 1975)

The credits say Keltner shared the drum duties with Jim Gordon but it’s hard to hear exactly how that happens. Maybe there’s one of them on tambourine? Even so, it’s a tasty shuffle with Carly doing background vocals and Sanborn on sax. Reminds me of summertime…

Carly Simon and James Taylor – Mockingbird (Hotcakes, Elektra, 1974)

A case of the remake beating the original with Carly and James reversing roles on this one (it appears on Carly’s album with James credited as the background singer). Just like Steve Gadd’s four-on-the-floor in “Danny’s All-Star Joint,” this proves that a funky drummer doesn’t have to show off…just a clean funky beat, cowbell in hand, thank you.

Seals and Crofts – Yellow Dirt (Summer Breeze, Warner Brothers, 1971)

Seals and Crofts have been much-maligned for being too soft to be called rock and roll but, in fact, they could get a little funky. The drums and pianos work together nicely here as Keltner lays down a slow groove. I love the group picture of all the happy hippies on the inside cover of the album.

John Lennon – I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier (Imagine, Apple, 1971)

Most bios of Keltner immediately refer to his work with three of the four Beatles (sans McCartney) and it’s true. He was a favorite of that gang (and their accessories like Harry Nilsson) for his diversity and ability to adapt to any style. Dirty groove is the best way to describe this one.

George Harrison – Give Me Love (Living In The Material World, Apple, 1973)

Having heard this song a billion times, I’ve never once paid attention to the drum part until today. And, truth be told, it’s one of the more complicated and tasty in Keltner’s repertoire. Funky but delicate and light of touch, this really is a masterpiece. (And there’s a “Jim Keltner Fan Club” logo on the back!)

Nilsson – Daylight Has Caught Me (That’s The Way It Is, RCA, 1976

This is another deceptively intricate drum part that doesn’t stand out against the vocals and piano. But, give this a listen with your ears focused on the drumming and you’ll him changes styles a couple of times during the song: from straight funk to reggae to rock and roll and back again. Once more, great hi-hat work.

Elliman – Sally Go ‘Round The Roses (Night Flight, RSO, 1978)

OK, this one’s a little off the beaten path. Who’d have thought Keltner would be in the company of a pop star like Yvonne Elliman? But, then again, she’s not so far afield. She sang with Clapton and hung with Delaney and Bonnie, all part of Keltner’s circle. But, stylistically, it’s definitely a stretch.

Joe Cocker – The Letter (Mad Dogs and Englishmen, A and M, 1970)

I freely admit this is a guess: Jim Gordon and Jim Keltner are credited equally for drumming on this record without pointing to specific songs. But this sounds an awful like Keltner’s style…if not, does it really matter?

All these cuts come from my well-worn record collection. Want cleaner copies? Buy the CD’s or download the tracks at Amazon.

My set of tunes featuring Steve Gadd was so well received I thought I’d dive into a series of posts featuring great session drummers. Here’s a (short) dozen from Jim Keltner.

Steely Dan – Josie (Aja, MCA, 1977)

This should probably be the finale in this set, not the opener. Notoriously finicky, Becker and Fagen put Keltner to the test on this one and he scored an “A”. Block out everything and listen to the high hat work – he mixes eighths and sixteenths from measure to measure with the grace of a Jack DeJohnette.

Leon Russell – Lay Right Here In Heaven (Will O’ The Wisp, Shelter, 1975)

This copy is a little too dirty to hear the nuances but it’s still a great groove: “Sometimes I feel like bitin’ your toes, heaven knows, anything goes”. Keltner actually shares the drum credit with two others on this tune.

Jackson Browne – Red Neck Friend (For Everyman, Elektra, 1975)

Eight bars of guitar and then it’s straight rock and roll right to the last drum beat. Decidedly un-Jackson Browne, in my book, and no doubt covered by a few million bar bands since the 1970’s. Great piano, too.

James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Gorilla, Warner Brothers, 1975)

The credits say Keltner shared the drum duties with Jim Gordon but it’s hard to hear exactly how that happens. Maybe there’s one of them on tambourine? Even so, it’s a tasty shuffle with Carly doing background vocals and Sanborn on sax. Reminds me of summertime…

Carly Simon and James Taylor – Mockingbird (Hotcakes, Elektra, 1974)

A case of the remake beating the original with Carly and James reversing roles on this one (it appears on Carly’s album with James credited as the background singer). Just like Steve Gadd’s four-on-the-floor in “Danny’s All-Star Joint,” this proves that a funky drummer doesn’t have to show off…just a clean funky beat, cowbell in hand, thank you.

Seals and Crofts – Yellow Dirt (Summer Breeze, Warner Brothers, 1971)

Seals and Crofts have been much-maligned for being too soft to be called rock and roll but, in fact, they could get a little funky. The drums and pianos work together nicely here as Keltner lays down a slow groove. I love the group picture of all the happy hippies on the inside cover of the album.

John Lennon – I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier (Imagine, Apple, 1971)

Most bios of Keltner immediately refer to his work with three of the four Beatles (sans McCartney) and it’s true. He was a favorite of that gang (and their accessories like Harry Nilsson) for his diversity and ability to adapt to any style. Dirty groove is the best way to describe this one.

George Harrison – Give Me Love (Living In The Material World, Apple, 1973)

Having heard this song a billion times, I’ve never once paid attention to the drum part until today. And, truth be told, it’s one of the more complicated and tasty in Keltner’s repertoire. Funky but delicate and light of touch, this really is a masterpiece. (And there’s a “Jim Keltner Fan Club” logo on the back!)

Nilsson – Daylight Has Caught Me (That’s The Way It Is, RCA, 1976

This is another deceptively intricate drum part that doesn’t stand out against the vocals and piano. But, give this a listen with your ears focused on the drumming and you’ll him changes styles a couple of times during the song: from straight funk to reggae to rock and roll and back again. Once more, great hi-hat work.

Elliman – Sally Go ‘Round The Roses (Night Flight, RSO, 1978)

OK, this one’s a little off the beaten path. Who’d have thought Keltner would be in the company of a pop star like Yvonne Elliman? But, then again, she’s not so far afield. She sang with Clapton and hung with Delaney and Bonnie, all part of Keltner’s circle. But, stylistically, it’s definitely a stretch.

Joe Cocker – The Letter (Mad Dogs and Englishmen, A and M, 1970)

I freely admit this is a guess: Jim Gordon and Jim Keltner are credited equally for drumming on this record without pointing to specific songs. But this sounds an awful like Keltner’s style…if not, does it really matter?

All these cuts come from my well-worn record collection. Want cleaner copies? Buy the CD’s or download the tracks at Amazon.

Original Recording | November 1994 | Ithaca, NY

Digital Remaster | September 2007 | Brush Prairie, WA

Cowboy Junkies - Anniversary Song
Michael Murphy - Carolina in the Pines
Alison Krause - Everytime You Say Goodbye
Stephen Stills - My Angel
Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine
Leon Russell - If I Were A Carpenter
Bruce Cockburn - Wonder Where The Lions Are
Brewer and Shipley - Sweet Love
Pure Prairie League - Fallin’ In And Out of Love
Indigo Girls - Hammer and a Nail
Mary Chapin-Carpenter - Middle Ground
George Harrison - Give Me Love
Bare Naked Ladies - Will You Be Waiting
Rickie Lee Jones - Jolie Jolie
Subdudes - Need Somebody
Traffic - You Can All Join In
Los Lobos - Saint Behind The Glass
Clannad - Banba Oir

<a href=”http://www.fusion45.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/2007/master_4.mp3″>A-Frame Tapes, Volume 3</a>