I Stand Alone

I'd known the name Al Kooper because of the Hammond organ riff on 'Like a Rolling Stone'. There are as many different versions of how Kooper came to play on that track as there are takes of the song on'Highway 61 Interactive'. It doesn't matter how Kooper came to play on it, it only matters that the riff he played took that one take above all the others. I was also aware of the Blues Project although I had not actually heard them and I was not aware of the Kooper connection. At that time, hip record stores were a rarity in Bristol and, surprisingly, one of the hippest was above a staid piano and musical instrument store, Churchills of Park Street. For some odd reason, they stocked some interesting imports and other unusual records. One day, I happened upon this album, which had a striking cover and was by this guy who played organ for Dylan. I asked to hear it and, in the booth, I listened to side 2 and some of the most exciting and innovative music I'd ever heard. I bought the album! When I got home, I placed the record on the player and pored over the gatefold cover. The collage of Kooper pix was and still is intriguing. Kooper with Dylan, Kooper with Bloomfield, Kooper with Simon & Garfunkel, Kooper with Hendrix, Kooper with Hitler!!! and the original photograph for that clever, disturbing cover of 'Child is father to the man'. Unfortunately, when CBS UK released the album they made it an ordinary slip cover and dropped the collage.

Side 1

1 Overture 2 I Stand Alone 3 Camille 4 One 5 Coloured Rain 6 Soft Landing on the Moon

Side 2

1 I Can Love A Woman 2 Blue Moon of Kentucky 3 Toe Hold 4 Right Now For You 5 Hey Western Union Man 6 Song And Dance For The Unborn, Frightened Child Area Code 615 were the backing musicians on many of the tracks, whilst most of the others were orchestrated and/or arranged by Charlie Calello or Jimmy 'Wiz' Wisner. Side 1 Track 6 is an 'unaccompanied Hammond organ solo' - an untypically self indulgent cut (I usually skipped this track!) Whilst most of the album is excellent (apart from 'Soft Landing') Side 2 is definitely the better side. Starting with a wailing police siren, the first five tracks run into each other and cover the full range of musical styles from white soul through country rock. (Bill Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' ends '...this sounds just like the B-B-B-Byrds!!!'- although it doesn't really - the Byrds never sounder this gutsy!) The album ends with 'Song and Dance......' which is best described as experimental. After this track ends there is another Kooperism which we subsequently got used to - the Studio dialogue. This one concerns whether or not there was any bass on the final track! Quite amusing the first few times you heard it. All in all, a great album. Sure there were low points - the final tracks on each side but the high points greatly outweigh them. The first five tracks on Side 2 are all suberb and their programming is excellent. One last rememberence - as a young man I lived in a hostel in Earls Court for a while and shared a top floor room with three other guys. We used to think it great fun to play the siren from the start of side 2 at very high volume to the tourists below us. They would look all over for the source of the siren! Ah! happy days. I wonder where those guys are now? Home

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