"...Only You Know And I Know..."
Released in the last few days of March 1972 - "D & B
Together" would indeed be their last platter as a married couple and
musical duo before Delaney Bramlett went solo in November of that same year
with his "Some Things Coming" album (also on Columbia Records).
There is a Musicians and Vocalists list that is huge and although it
doesn't tell us in this reissue who plays on what – check out these names -
Leon Russell and Bobby Whitlock, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Dave Mason (of
Traffic), Rita Coolidge, Steve Cropper of Booker T & The MG's, The Muscle
Shoals Horns and Rhythm Section, Eddie Kendricks, John Hartford, Duane Allman,
Patrice Holloway, Venetta Fields, Shirley Matthews and Clydie King – to name
but a few! They had always traded in a sort of Rock-Soul songbook - a bit of
Stax meets Atlantic meets two great vocalists who adored the genres and could
pen a tune or two into the bargain. In fact the dynamic duo had clocked up five
prior albums to this - "Home" on Stax and "Accept No
Substitute" on Elektra in May and August 1969 and then three more on Atco
- "Delaney & Bonnie and Friends On Tour With Eric Clapton" (April
1970), "To Bonnie From delaney" (October 1970) and "Motel
Shot" (April 1971). And although "D & B Together" peaked at
No. 133 and stayed on charts for just 6 weeks - its remembered with affection
and even viewed by some as a wee bit of a lost classic. Let's get to the good
things comin'...
US released April 2003 - "D & B Together" by DELANEY &
BONNIE and FRIENDS on Columbia/Legacy CK 85743 (Barcode 886972450629) offers a
Remaster of the 12-Track April 1972 LP Plus Six Bonus Tracks and plays out as
follows (59:25 minutes):
1. Only You Know And I Know [Side 1]
2. Wade In The Water Of Jordan
3. Sound Of The City
4. Well, Well
5. I Know How It Feels To Be Lonely
6. Comin' Home
7. Move 'Em Out [Side 2]
8. Big Change Comin'
9. A Good Thing (I'm On Fire)
10. Groupie (Superstar)
11. I Know Something Good About You
12. Country Life
Tracks 1 to 12 are their sixth album "D & B Together" -
released 29 March 1972 in the USA on Columbia KC 31377 and July 1972 in the UK
on CBS Records S 64959. It peaked at No. 133 in the USA LP charts (didn't chart
UK).
BONUS TRACKS:
13. Over And Over
14. I'm Not Your Lover, Just Your Lovee
15. Good Vibrations
16. Are You A Beatle Or A Rolling Stone
17. You Don't Know (How Glad I Am)
18. California Rain
Tracks 13 and 14 from the 1972 Delaney Bramlett LP "Some Things
Coming" on Columbia KC 31631
Tracks 15 and 17 from the 1973 Bonnie Bramlett LP "Sweet Bonnie
Bramlett" on Columbia KC 31786
Tracks 16 and 18 from the 1973 Delaney Bramlett LP "Mobius
Strip" on Columbia KC 32420
Tracks 13 and 14 were also the A&B-sides of a September 1972 US
7" single on Columbia 4-45696
Tracks 15 and 17 were also the A&B-sides of a July 1973 US 7"
single on Columbia 4-45897
Tracks 16 and 18 were also the A&B-sides of an October 1973 US
7" single on Columbia 4-45950
The 12-page booklet has outtake photos from the original album shoot, a
live shot of Jimi Hendrix joining Delaney on some stage somewhere and detailed
reissue credits. The new GREG MARTIN liner notes fill in the tangled history
but unfortunately someone stills hasn't waded through the tape boxes to tell us
which celeb plays on what track. But what gets me a tad excited is an Audio
Engineer I admire a lot - VIC ANESINI - who has handled Presley, Paul Simon,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nilsson, The Byrds, Carole King, Roy Orbison, Santana,
Mountain and other huge names. The audio here is great - to the music...
From ear I can discern backing vocals on "Sounds Of The City"
by Tina Turner, Eric Clapton is on "Well, Well" while he and (I
think) Duane Allman play guitars on "Comin' Home" and "Big
Change Comin'".
Steve Cropper of Booker T & The MG's co-wrote "Move 'Em
Out" with Bettye Crutcher – a duet between Bonnie and Delaney about moving
out that old man so the new lady can move in (with you baby). I've always loved
their cover of Dave Mason's - "Only You Know And I Know" – a tune
Joan Osbourne would do to fantastic effect on her 2002 cover versions album -
"How Sweet It Is".
Bonnie credits herself as Bonnie Sheridan on the so-Allmans Funky geetar
been-out-on-the-road rock of "Comin' Home" recorded (I believe) as
far back as 1969 with Eric and Duane. Weird jerky rhythms comes at us in the
very Joe Cocker Funk Rock of "A Good Thing (I'm On Fire)" – another
passion belter – more ants in his pants and ardour burning up his insides
(great little tune and the kind of song they ate for breakfast). Little Feat
chug-chug infuses the Delaney Bramlett and Joe Hicks song - "I Know
Something Good About You" – those Muscle Shoals brass fills complimenting
the guitar Funk. And on it goes. The six bonus album tracks that double-up as
the A&B-sides of three singles from 1972 and 1973 are simply more of the
same if not a little jaded by then (the Average White Band was effectively
Bonnie's backing band for the "Sweet Bonnie Bramlett" album).
I can't help thinking that someone like Esoteric Recordings should do a
6LP/6CD Box Set of DELANEY & BONNIE and their 1969 to 1972 output - get all
their stuff out there in one cool remastered place - hopefully sometime in the
future. In the meantime, give this cheap but rather cool little CD reissue a
spin. "...I Know Something Good About You..." they sang 47 years ago.
Indeed we do...
