News about Dave's death showed up on various sites back in April, and honestly, I realized I’d had him confused for years. Never having been much of a Traffic fan - beyond the songs I’d heard on the radio - and only really knowing that one hit, Dave Mason was mostly just a name to me. Somewhere along the way I’d gotten my internal wires crossed and convinced myself he was Graham Parker ... and to make things worse, I’d somehow also thought Graham Parker was actually Gram Parsons. I'd like to say this is an example of The Mandela Effect, but honestly, it’s just kind of par for how my brain works.
Over the years, I've been able to craft and populate whole histories based on a simple misconception that, over time, becomes a foundational support to an opinion I am certain is immutable. A good example for me would be Led Zeppelin sucks. I think this started with my dislike of "D'yer Mak'er" and from there all things were tainted. Of course, I have mostly recanted and have been trying to make amends, but it's still a tall order not to taste bile when I hear, "Oh oh oh oh oh oooo-oooh."
Anyway, what any of this has to do with Mister Dave Mason is absolutely nothing, but considering I was only eleven when this came out, anything older than this was well outside my limited exposure. It’s my meanderambling way of trying to say that Dave Mason is new to me.
I found this in the dollar bin (along with several other records) at Redrum recently, and I correctly recalled that Dave Mason was the guy who did the disagree song. I scanned the back cover and didn’t see it, but I kept the record because I recognized "All Along The Watchtower," and to me it was worth the buck to hear.
There was no insert and no credits, which to me is always a little sad. However, the jacket, aside from a bit of ring wear, was decent, and the record itself, after a bath, was practically pristine. The music, though - the music is really good. This is a good sounding record, and given that it was released in 1974, it sounds remarkably current at times. It’s not a stretch to attribute the sonic clarity to engineer Al Schmitt.
Dave Mason had been on a treadmill, cranking out an album a year since 1970 (I'm counting the Cass Elliot collaboration), and when he dropped his self-titled album, it was his fifth album and first solo gold record in the States.
Keeping with the theme of odd associations, listening to this Dave reminded me of another Dave: Dave Loggins and his 1974 album Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop) and "Please Come to Boston." Not that they really sound alike - it was just a passing thought.
Hearing Dave Mason with today's ears, I'm amazed at how some of the songs resonate. While there are no duds on the album, there are some standout tracks. "Get Ahold On Love" is a song that just put a grin on my face. The biggest giveaway to the era is the fade-out; otherwise, this, at least to me, is simply a good song.
I'd called out "All Along The Watchtower" as the song I recognized when I first saw the record - it’s an interesting cover. It’s more of a laid-back groove than what Jimi Hendrix laid down back in '68, and I like it for what it is. The other cover, Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me," feels like a mini gospel church service.
"Relation Ships" is anchored by an acoustic arrangement accompanied by the band and features some great organ work. It gets a little trippy and ends with a slow fade as the band eases into an impromptu feeling jam-band coda, which I suppose is forgivable considering it was released in '74.
The album's closer is a slow burn that gets better with each play: "You Can't Take It When You Go."
If there's a negative here, it's that the record is too short. Not that the songs are the issue. They are what they are ... I'm sure there was a 10th song somewhere to be had - apparently not. So we're left with a decent 9 song album that hardly crests a half hour.
Oh well, leave 'em wanting more.
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