Al Kooper - Easy Does It

Al Kooper is like a rock and roll Swiss Army Knife. I can't actually recall hearing anything by him as an artist, but I would read his name on a lot of my favourite albums. I mean, if all he was ever known for was discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd and producing their first three classic albums, that would be a crowning feather in anyone's cap.

As a teen he co-wrote "This Diamond Ring," which was recorded by Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and then in his early twenties he'd play the Hammond organ on a number of Bob Dylan recordings, notably "Like a Rolling Stone." He'd also be present at Dylan's infamous Newport Folk Festival appearance when Bob decided it was time to go electric.

Al Kooper was more than an occasional sidesman. He was a gifted multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, organ (yeah, there is a difference), guitar, vibes, sitar (echoes of the '60s, baby), and something called an Ondioline (an analog synth that was first built in the '40s, from what I can see. I suppose it was a precursor to the Mellotron). In addition to being a heck of a writer, he was a pretty decent singer too.

By 1970 he had a couple of solo records under his belt, and with Easy Does It, Al dropped a double album of eclectic songs that ran the gamut from country to an expanded jazz/blues jam on Big Joe Williams' classic "Baby Please Don't Go" that is pretty great, and quite different than I expected.

I'm getting ahead of things. Let's start at the beginning.

I had no idea what to expect when I dropped the needle, and the opening to "Brand New Day" was pretty cool. By the time the horns kicked in to support, I was hooked. The song was apparently in a movie called The Landlord. It kind of reminded me a little of The Band, but that's more me just reaching for something to compare this to. The flanger sweep on the drum ending before the horns fade out is pretty cool.

Rather than launch right into another song to maintain the momentum, Al inserts a two-minute piano interlude (or, as it states on the credits, an "introduction") before segueing into the Ray Charles classic "I've Got a Woman." Slowing the tempo and adding strings and horns, the song is served up as a smoky jazz standard. Al's voice works, but he's pushing the edges of his range. I tried to imagine this being performed by one of the golden crooners, but the rich arrangement just adds a counterpoint to Al's interpretation, and frankly it works.

"Country Road" is a James Taylor cover, and it's a pretty interesting interpretation. Layered with strings and wonderfully prominent harp throughout the song.

The first side ends by going full-on country with "I Bought You the Shoes," a song that borders on novelty but is played straight. "Oh I shoulda known that someone who owned such beautiful shoes would turn right around and walk outa town with a new love ... and a new pair of shoes."

Be right back, gonna go flip it over.

The second side opens up with a bit of studio chatter before counting into "Easy Does It," a blues number that is only missing Jake and Elwood ... except this is about a decade too soon. So it would have probably been at home on an Edgar Winter and White Trash album, except that too was about a year out. So, in fairness to Mr. Kooper, he was sort of doing his own thing and others would follow. Of course, one could argue this was being done by Black artists and being done better long before Al decided he had the blues.

"Buckskin Boy" plays like a hippie anthem that laments the treatment of North America's First Nations. An interesting piece for all that, but not really a song that worked for me. The song would crossfade into the closing track on side two, "Love Theme from The Landlord," which was pretty good but seemed to end before it really went anywhere. That was kind of strange, as the song was a little over three minutes. I'll have to go back again and listen, as I was probably still trying to process the previous song and likely missed most of what was going on.

So far, one platter down, and all in all a pretty cool time capsule. I'm glad I found this one, and it's certainly interesting to hear all of the different influences and genres that Mister Kooper is playing with. I can see myself playing this again, but honestly nothing really jumped out. It was more an appreciation of what was going on.

Next up, side three.

"Sad, Sad Sunshine" is really cool. With Al Kooper on the sitar, the song feels more like the '60s than the rock of the early '70s. Then again, in 1970 the seeds that were planted the previous decade were starting to germinate, and it would be a few years before the hippies would move off the communes and trade in their beads and flowers. Then again, here I am spouting off and waxing all nostalgic like I know what I'm talking about. I was all of ten when this came out, and seeing the late '60s and the '70s through the eyes of a child is hardly the bird's-eye perspective of an adult.

"Let the Duchess No" is another pretty cool mid-tempo pop song that sort of blends country and pop, and even features a short voice-over section. The piano work on the solo is killer.

The next song, "She Gets Me Where I Live," is really good. I'm actually kind of surprised this wasn't a single. Yeah, it feels a tad generic now, but the horn section propels the song, and it really does feel like a standout track.

Rather than build on the momentum, we're back to a slow country lament with pedal steel and a beer glass full of tears on "A Rose and Baby Ruth," which was first recorded back in the mid-'50s. Then, just like that, the side is over.

On the final leg, and I'm getting back to where I started before getting ahead of myself. "Baby Please Don't Go" takes up most of side four, and it's a pretty genius jazz-infused interpretation. While this may not bear a lot of repeated plays, I will call it out as one of the showpieces on the album. The song never seems to veer off too far into the weeds, but it does stretch things out and gets a bit trippy when the noise pans back and forth while maintaining a sense of urgency. It's an interesting tightrope walk, and it's pulled off beautifully.

Closing out the whole experience is "God Sheds His Grace on Thee," another really great pop song that must have been from the same session as "She Gets Me Where I Live," as it's the same cast of musicians. The song is too short, which is a shame ... the song ends with Al exclaiming, "Ah shit," before a canned audience breaks into applause as the needle trails off into the dead wax.

This was my first exposure to Al as a solo artist, and frankly it was a pretty cool album. I'm not sure how much I actually liked it, but there were some pretty interesting moments. I really had no idea what to expect, and I really enjoyed hearing what would come next and where things would go.

It was never boring.