Search - Al Kooper :: I Stand Alone & You Never Know Who Your Friends

Raven presents, on a double cd, two landmark albums by legendary multi-instrumentalist, producer and solo artist al kooper. Few american musicians have pursued a more diverse or more fascinating career than kooper. As well as playing organ on bob dylan's timeless 'like a rolling stone', having formed blood sweat & tears and produced lynyrd skynyrd, kooper has issued a dozen solo albums. 'i stand alone' (his debut lp, 1968) incorporates soul and pop, jazz and classical elements, making for a seamless and enjoyable whole. As well as covers of 'hey, western union man', 'coloured rain' and 'blue moon of kentucky', kooper excels with classy originals 'i can love a woman' and 'right now for you'. 'you never know who your friends' are (1969) ups the ante with the brassy 'magic in my socks', the swooping, soulful 'loretta (union turnpike eulogy)', the joyous pop-rock of the title track and extraordinary covers of motown tunes 'too busy thinking about my baby' and 'i don't know why i love you'. This top-value package comes complete with seven bonus tracks, including 'brand new day' from kooper's original soundtrack for the film "the landlord" (1970). Kooper maintains a busy touring and recording schedule to this day (black coffee, 2005) and, as all music guide states, he "remains a formidable performing talent, and one of the most inspired and intelligent people in rock music".