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Bonnie's second Warner
Brothers platter "Give It Up" from the winter of 1972 cemented the
reputation and career opener of "Bonnie Raitt" in 1971 - another
great Blues Rock album played by a woman steeped in the traditions of American
R&B and ably supported by a gang of likeminded quality musicians. And for
"Give It Up" - the Burbank Blues woman threw in three songs of her own amidst
the cleverly chosen covers. Here are the ladylike details...
UK released March 2002 –
"Give It Up" by BONNIE RAITT on Warner Brothers 8122-78378-2 (Barcode
081227837822) is a straightforward Remaster of the album and plays out as
follows (36:57 minutes):
1. Give It Up Or Let Me Go
2. Nothing Seems To Matter
3. I Know
4. If You Gotta Make A Fool
Somebody
5. Love Me Like A Man
6. Two Long At The Fair
[Side 2]
7. Under The Falling Sky
8. You Got To Know How
9. You Told Me Baby
10. Love Has No Pride
Tracks 1 to 10 are her
second studio album "Give It Up" - released October 1972 in the USA
on Warner Brothers BS 2643 and November 1972 in the UK on Warner Brothers K
46189. Produced by MICHAEL CUSCUNA - it peaked at No. 138 on the US album charts.
The 8-page inlay gives
song-by-song breakdowns, photos of the ensemble musicians and some liner notes
on the players by producer MICHAEL CUSCANA (as well as reissue credits).
There's a 'Digitally Remastered' logo sticker on the jewel case and a silver
inlay that says the same. GREGG GELLER has co-ordinated the Warner Remasters
Series with TERESA CAFFIN and ED CHERNEY carrying out the transfers and
remasters. They've done a fab job. This CD sounds fantastic – a transfer that's
brought out the original production values with aplomb. Fans are going to love
it.
It opens on the barnstorming
and decidedly jolly (for a mean song) "Give It Up Or Let Me Go" where
our Bonnie warns her potential suitor that if he wants he's... The ragtime
Bluesy tune benefits from her giving it some National Steel bottleneck while
John Payne, Peter Eckland, Amos Garrett and Freebo do the honours on Saxophone,
Cornet, Trombone and Tuba. It's followed by the gorgeous "Nothing Seems To
Matter" (without you) - a ballad with Dave Holland on Double Bass and John
Payne on Saxophone (of "Astral Weeks" fame) both adding a huge amount
of ambience to the song. Both opening tracks are singing with the Remaster too.
New Orleans songwriter and R&B singer Barbara George enjoyed a No. 3 Pop
placing with her own "I Know" on the obscure A.F.O. Records 302 way
back December 1961 - Bonnie keeps it Orleans and does some fantastic National
Steel while Marc Jordan plays funky piano and John Hall (later with Orleans)
and British Apple singing Jackie Lomax provide backing vocals). The goodies
just keep on coming with a wickedly good cover of James Ray's "If You
Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody" (written by Rudy Clark) - a No. 22 Pop hit
Washington DC singer way back in December 1961 on Caprice Records 110.
A
perfect Side 1 ends on another winner - a Chris Smither Blues boogie and
probably many people's fave track on the album - "Love Me Like A
Man". I loved Smither's CD album "Drive You Home Again" from
1999 on Hightone Records (check it out if you can) and fell for his huge voice
and sly way with a lyric. They’re songwriting/musical connection stretches way
past 1972 though. Raitt does a duet with him on a haunting cover of Bob Dylan's
"Desolation Row" on Smither's "Train Home" CD album from
2003 – fantastic stuff. Back to 1972 - on "Love Me Like A Man" it's
like Smither has tapped into her zeitgeist - the swagger and sexiness of the
woman mixed with a need for a pair of strong arms and not flapping jaws
("...a man who take me home instead of taking me for a ride..."). And
she plays great slide on it too - superb stuff.
Side 2 changes mood big time
and offers us "Too Long At The Fair" by Joel Zoss - a forlorn tired
song with John Hall giving it some superb Lead Electric Guitar. None other than
Jackson Browne penned the driving boogie of "Under The Falling Sky"
which features Paul Butterfield on Harmonica and Tim Moore on Backing Vocals
(very cool little tune and the remaster rocks). "You Got To Know How"
is an old Sippie Wallace song with additional lyrics from Jack Viertel - Van
Morrison's blower John Payne giving it some ragtime clarinet throughout.
Bonnie's own "You Told Me Baby" is original number three - an
excellent song that's a bit marred by too many instruments fighting for
supremacy (horn arrangements by Eric Kaz). Libby Titus and Eric Kaz wrote the
touching closer "Love Has No Pride" where Bonnie sings with
conviction - "...love has no pride...when I call out your name...I'd give
anything...to see you again..." She also plays all instruments except
Freebo on the Fretless Bass.
You'd have to say that Side
2 isn't as consistently good as Side 1 - but that doesn't stop the whole album
from feeling like "Give It Up" is some kind an 'overlooked' gem that
begs rediscovery.
In February 2016 Bonnie
released her 20th album "Dig In Deep" and already it's received a
warm welcome and many rave reviews. This great American Blues Lady has been a
class act for a very long time...time to respect that...
