Naked Songs
Encyclopedia
Naked Songs is the sixth and final album by singer-songwriter Al Kooper
for Columbia Records
, released in 1973.
A contract-fulfilling release, coming months after Kooper had set up the Sounds of the South label through MCA Records
, it was quickly recorded at New York City
's Record Plant (the first time Kooper had recorded in New York since 1970's Easy Does It) and at Studio One
in Doraville, Georgia
(where the following year Kooper would produce Lynyrd Skynyrd
's smash hit "Sweet Home Alabama
").
Mixing a heavier dose of gospel into the mix and the Arp synthesizer, Kooper effortlessly blended soul
, rhythm and blues
, rock
, country
and pop
music much as he had on all of his Columbia albums.
With
Al Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, released in 1973.
A contract-fulfilling release, coming months after Kooper had set up the Sounds of the South label through MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, it was quickly recorded at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Record Plant (the first time Kooper had recorded in New York since 1970's Easy Does It) and at Studio One
Studio One
Studio One is one of Jamaica's most renowned record labels and recording studios, having been described as "the Motown of Jamaica." One online review of "Respect to Studio One" released by Heartbeat adds "Stax-Volt" to the American R&B comparison and describes Studio One's founder Clement...
in Doraville, Georgia
Doraville, Georgia
Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,330.-History:Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871...
(where the following year Kooper would produce Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
's smash hit "Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
").
Mixing a heavier dose of gospel into the mix and the Arp synthesizer, Kooper effortlessly blended soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music much as he had on all of his Columbia albums.
Tracks
All tracks composed by Al Kooper; except where indicated- "(Be Yourself) Be Real" – 3:26
- "As the Years Go Passing By" (Don RobeyDon RobeyDon Robey was an American record label executive, songwriter and record producer, who used criminal means as part of his business model...
) – 6:03 - "Jolie" – 3:48
- "Blind Baby" – 3:07
- "Been and Gone" (Annette PeacockAnnette Peacock- Biography :Annette Peacock began composing at the age of four. Her mother was a violist in the San Diego and Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestras....
) – 2:35 - "Sam StoneSam Stone (song)"Sam Stone" is a song written by John Prine about a drug-addicted veteran with a Purple Heart and his death by overdose.The most familiar refrain in the song is "There's a hole in daddy's arm, where all the money goes"...
" (John PrineJohn PrineJohn Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
) – 4:41 - "Peacock Lady" – 3:22
- "Touch the Hem of His Garment" (Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
) – 4:04 - "Where Were You When I Needed You" (Irwin Levine, Kooper) – 3:12
- "Unrequited" – 2:52
Personnel
- Al Kooper: pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, ARPARP Instruments, Inc.ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Best known for its line of synthesizers that emerged in the early 1970s, ARP closed its doors in 1981 due to financial difficulties...
synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
With
- John Paul Fetta: electric bass (tracks 1-2, 4-5, 9)
- Junior HanleyJunior HanleyJunior Hanley is a Canadian stock car driver and race car builder. He is widely regarded by his racing peers to be the best Canadian short track racer of his time. He has built cars for drivers such as Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Kyle Petty, Dick Trickle and Darrell...
: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(tracks 1-2, 4-5, 9) - Charlie BrownCharlie BrownCharles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
: guitar (tracks 2, 4) - Paul GoddardPaul GoddardPaul Goddard is a former professional footballer and football manager.During his playing career, he gained caps for England U21s and earned a single full cap for the England team against Iceland in June 1982...
: bass (tracks 3, 6) - Barry Bailey: guitar (tracks 3, 6)
- J. R. Cobb: guitar (tracks 3, 6)
- Robert Nix: drums (tracks 3, 6)
- Richard GreenRichard GreenRichard Green may refer to:*Richard Green , American actor*Richard J. Green , American chemist*Richard Green , English cricketer*Richard K...
: fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
(track 4) - Dean Daughtrey: piano (track 6)
- Stuart ScharfStuart ScharfStuart Scharf was an American composer, guitarist, and philosopher.Scharf grew up in Crown Heights and attended Winthrop Junior High School. He was good friends with guitarist Jay Berliner who was a serious influence on his musical career. In the early 1960s, Scharf was lead guitarist for...
: guitar (track 7) - Maruga: percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(track 7) - Female background vocals: Linda NovemberLinda NovemberLinda Ellen November is an American singer who sang tens of thousands of commercial jingles. She was the voice of the singing cat in the Meow Mix commercials, sang the jingle "Galaxy Glue" in the 1981 film The Incredible Shrinking Woman, the "Coke and a Smile" jingle in the classic Mean Joe Greene...
, Maeretha Stewart, Tasha ThomasTasha ThomasTasha Thomas was an American singer-songwriter and actress, known for her role as Aunt Em in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. Thomas also had a hit single, "Shoot Me ," from her 1979 album, Midnight Rendezvous.-Music career:Thomas was born in Jeutyn, Alaska...
, Eileen Gilbert, Patti AustinPatti Austin-Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....
and Albertine Harris - Male background vocals: Mike Gately and Robert JohnRobert JohnRobert John is an American singer-songwriter.- Biography :He is best remembered for the 1979 hit, "Sad Eyes". This song, which features John's falsetto vocals, reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier, in 1963 he recorded as the lead singer with Bobby & the Consoles...
- Jim Wisner: string arrangements (tracks 7, 9, 10)