TOMMY TALTON
''SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES: TOMMY TALTON IN EUROPE''
JUNE 24 2008
59:05
1. Restless/4:48
2. Middle of the Night/4:34
3. Time Will Never Change/5:05
4. Tired of Living/4:03
5. The Got Song/3:48
6. How Come People Act Like That?/4:49
7. God Save Everyone/6:36
8. Someone Else's Shoes/6:00
9. Baby, I'm On Your Side/4:12
10. Wake Up Ready/3:13
11. Things/3:56
12. Sit Here in the Sun/4:43
13. Broken Pieces/3:19
ALBUM NOTES
By Bill Thames, Hittin’ the Note Magazine
TIn the past two years, Tommy Talton has stunned the Southern music scene with a new band, a new determination and a steamer trunk full of exceptional new music. Some of the new music was brought back from Europe, where Talton had lived for some time.
The work that Talton did in the 1970s with collaborator Scott Boyer and Cowboy, Gregg Allman, Sandlin and Stewart and other artists signed to Capricorn Records, and Talton's recent work with Capricorn Rhythm Section, are appreciated widely by music aficionados, but the songs Tommy wrote over the last 15 years have gone virtually unheard – until now. Tommy Talton in Europe showcases cherry-picked recordings by the two bands that Talton has led most recently.
The 13 tracks assembled for this CD offer an insightful strut through material as complicated and sundry as Talton himself, culminating near the dusty intersection of soul, blues and Southern-tinged roots rock. From the very start, Tommy Talton in Europe ushers the listener back to a time when most believed there was a great recording for every mood and there was a mood for each recording.
The first eight tracks of Tommy Talton in Europe were recorded in 1995 in the small village of Schifflange, in the south of Luxembourg. These tunes were recorded while Talton was working with members of Albert Lee's backing band, a band Tommy dubbed the Rebelizers. A successful group of stellar musicians, the Rebelizers worked extensively in Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and France. They included Talton (all guitars/lead vocals), Peter Baron (drums/percussion/harmony vocals), Chris Janssen (fretless bass guitar) and Mike Bell (all keyboards/string arrangements).
The final five "bonus tracks" were recorded in drummer David Keith's Gintown Studios in Graysville, AL with the Tommy Talton Band in 2006 and 2007. The musicians on the "bonus tracks" are Tommy Talton (all guitars/lead vocals), David Keith (drums/percussion/harmony vocals), Brandon Peeples (bass and harmony vocals), and Tony Giordano (keyboards and harmony vocals).
Tommy Talton in Europe bolts out of the chute with "Restless," an in-your-face, relationship romp. Talton wears his attitude and feelings way out on his sleeve, and somehow balances soul, rhythm and raunchiness, while "In the Middle of the Night" brings Talton's tenacious R&B texture bubbling to the surface. "Time Will Never Change," another R&B masterpiece, begins with an inspirational piano and fretless bass intro, pushing the melody forward and beckoning the rest of the song to follow. The entire band eventually falls in with Talton, laying lyrics and stunning guitar notes over a featherbed of rhythmic comfort. Finally, like a soft summer breeze, tasteful strings gather Talton's final notes and steal them away. "Tired of Living" is an exquisite, breezy dobro and piano-driven melody that is destined to play over and over in the listener's subconscious. Talton draws heartfelt sympathy from his guitar, and leads Bell's piano deeper into a one-way melody that refuses to finish until it balances on the head of a pin.
It is hard to imagine a group of European musicians putting together a funky, barrelhouse cavort like "The Got Song" or a rollicking, slide-driven blues like "How Come People Act Like That," but the players from Luxembourg are the real deal, and they have the chops to follow Talton wherever his musical muse leads him. "God Save Everyone" is a song thick with emotion and passion that has the feel and drive of a live, orchestra-driven rock anthem. "Someone Else's Shoes" is crafted passionately and crooned with a smoky, mid-tempo, road-weary steadiness that turns richer and more resonant every time it's played.
From this point on, the musicians change, but the complexity of the music does not. Like many of the other tracks here, "Baby I'm On Your Side" and "Wake Up Ready" are vaguely reminiscent of seminal Cowboy recordings, but the similarity ends as the songs become ultimately more complex musically and lyrically. "Things" and "Sit Here In the Sun" offer Talton's lyrical aptitude and tasteful guitar licks on a fresh new platform, driven by his seemingly unending R&B sensibility. "Broken Pieces" stands as the perfect punctuation, adding a touch of refinement and sophistication to an already incredible recording.
Throughout Tommy Talton in Europe, Talton delivers a cool, genuine old school aura that is both natural and refreshing. It is nice to hear Tommy's music once again, for it is like revisiting an old friend. Talton does his own thing in his own way and at his own pace, which has been this old Cowboy's stock-and-trade all along.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bruce Eder
Tommy Talton was born too late to be a fan of rock & roll's first wave -- opening his eyes to the world in the early '50s, he should have missed Elvis Presley's pre-Army days, but he didn't mostly thanks to his sister, five years his senior, who went around the family's Orlando, FL-area home singing the Memphis Flash's early records, along with those of Nat King Cole and others. His interest in the guitar began at age eight when he saw an instrument owned by one of his uncles and plucked one of the strings, and saw it vibrate and heard the sound it made, and by the time he was 13 he was pursuing the learning of the instrument in earnest.
That coincided just about perfectly with the arrival of the British Invasion, and he became a fan of a local band called the Nonchalants, who eventually became the Offbeets and whose ranks included David Duff on bass, guitar, and vocals; drummer Tomm Wynn; and guitarist Dennis Messimer. It was Messimer's departure for military service in 1966 that left an opening, and an offer to the 16-year-old Talton -- who was still a fan of the group -- to join the Offbeets, who had already made some professional recordings.
Later in 1966, the Offbeets merged with a group from Leesburg called the Trademarks, and formed We the People. This put Talton into harness alongside that group's lead guitarist, Wayne Proctor, two years older than Talton. They inspired each other with their virtuosity, not only in their playing (where they would switch off between lead and rhythm guitar and bass with Duff) but also their songwriting, and their differences enhanced each other's work, Talton into more straight-ahead rock & roll with a high level of sophistication while Proctor had a penchant for the angular and unexpected. Working both in collaboration and parallel to each other, they generated a strong array of original material, of which the highlights included Talton's "Mirror of Your Mind" and "Lovin' Son of a Gun."
We the People made a decent attempt to break out of central Florida to national recognition but never quite made the leap, instead leaving behind an impressive array of singles for the Challenge and RCA labels. In 1967 Proctor left owing to worries about the military draft, but Talton kept up the quality of his work, turning in "The Day She Dies," an exceptionally beautiful rock ballad that ended up as the B-side of their second RCA single, "Love Is a Beautiful Thing," while his next B-side, "When I Arrive," was a piece of snarling garage punk.
He basically aged out of the group, and ended up leaving at 18, after nearly three years with the Offbeets or We the People. Talton headed to Nashville (where We the People had worked for a time), and then to California, where he turned most of his attention to songwriting. Eventually, he linked up professionally with Scott Boyer, Chuck Leavell, and Bill Stewart to form Cowboy, a country-rock outfit that became a mainstay of Phil Walden's Capricorn Records, and enjoyed an especially close association with Gregg Allman when the latter embarked on his solo career, backing him on his first national tour and the perennially popular live album that resulted.
Talton was also closely associated for a time with Livingston Taylor, and eventually Talton and Boyer became the only two members of Cowboy to stay for the duration, releasing records together until 1977 and the collapse of Capricorn. He also worked with Bill Stewart in Talton Stewart Sandlin, along with Capricorn mainstay Johnny Sandlin and singer Bonnie Bramlett, releasing one album in 1976. As a session player -- on guitar, mandolin, and Dobro -- he also recorded with such diverse figures as Kitty Wells, Dickey Betts, Martin Mull, Johnny Rivers, Sea Level, and Corky Laing during the 1970s. As of the early 21st century, Talton was living in Luxembourg, far from the Southern rock music scene of which he was a part during the 1960s and 1970s.
''SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES: TOMMY TALTON IN EUROPE''
JUNE 24 2008
59:05
1. Restless/4:48
2. Middle of the Night/4:34
3. Time Will Never Change/5:05
4. Tired of Living/4:03
5. The Got Song/3:48
6. How Come People Act Like That?/4:49
7. God Save Everyone/6:36
8. Someone Else's Shoes/6:00
9. Baby, I'm On Your Side/4:12
10. Wake Up Ready/3:13
11. Things/3:56
12. Sit Here in the Sun/4:43
13. Broken Pieces/3:19
ALBUM NOTES
By Bill Thames, Hittin’ the Note Magazine
TIn the past two years, Tommy Talton has stunned the Southern music scene with a new band, a new determination and a steamer trunk full of exceptional new music. Some of the new music was brought back from Europe, where Talton had lived for some time.
The work that Talton did in the 1970s with collaborator Scott Boyer and Cowboy, Gregg Allman, Sandlin and Stewart and other artists signed to Capricorn Records, and Talton's recent work with Capricorn Rhythm Section, are appreciated widely by music aficionados, but the songs Tommy wrote over the last 15 years have gone virtually unheard – until now. Tommy Talton in Europe showcases cherry-picked recordings by the two bands that Talton has led most recently.
The 13 tracks assembled for this CD offer an insightful strut through material as complicated and sundry as Talton himself, culminating near the dusty intersection of soul, blues and Southern-tinged roots rock. From the very start, Tommy Talton in Europe ushers the listener back to a time when most believed there was a great recording for every mood and there was a mood for each recording.
The first eight tracks of Tommy Talton in Europe were recorded in 1995 in the small village of Schifflange, in the south of Luxembourg. These tunes were recorded while Talton was working with members of Albert Lee's backing band, a band Tommy dubbed the Rebelizers. A successful group of stellar musicians, the Rebelizers worked extensively in Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and France. They included Talton (all guitars/lead vocals), Peter Baron (drums/percussion/harmony vocals), Chris Janssen (fretless bass guitar) and Mike Bell (all keyboards/string arrangements).
The final five "bonus tracks" were recorded in drummer David Keith's Gintown Studios in Graysville, AL with the Tommy Talton Band in 2006 and 2007. The musicians on the "bonus tracks" are Tommy Talton (all guitars/lead vocals), David Keith (drums/percussion/harmony vocals), Brandon Peeples (bass and harmony vocals), and Tony Giordano (keyboards and harmony vocals).
Tommy Talton in Europe bolts out of the chute with "Restless," an in-your-face, relationship romp. Talton wears his attitude and feelings way out on his sleeve, and somehow balances soul, rhythm and raunchiness, while "In the Middle of the Night" brings Talton's tenacious R&B texture bubbling to the surface. "Time Will Never Change," another R&B masterpiece, begins with an inspirational piano and fretless bass intro, pushing the melody forward and beckoning the rest of the song to follow. The entire band eventually falls in with Talton, laying lyrics and stunning guitar notes over a featherbed of rhythmic comfort. Finally, like a soft summer breeze, tasteful strings gather Talton's final notes and steal them away. "Tired of Living" is an exquisite, breezy dobro and piano-driven melody that is destined to play over and over in the listener's subconscious. Talton draws heartfelt sympathy from his guitar, and leads Bell's piano deeper into a one-way melody that refuses to finish until it balances on the head of a pin.
It is hard to imagine a group of European musicians putting together a funky, barrelhouse cavort like "The Got Song" or a rollicking, slide-driven blues like "How Come People Act Like That," but the players from Luxembourg are the real deal, and they have the chops to follow Talton wherever his musical muse leads him. "God Save Everyone" is a song thick with emotion and passion that has the feel and drive of a live, orchestra-driven rock anthem. "Someone Else's Shoes" is crafted passionately and crooned with a smoky, mid-tempo, road-weary steadiness that turns richer and more resonant every time it's played.
From this point on, the musicians change, but the complexity of the music does not. Like many of the other tracks here, "Baby I'm On Your Side" and "Wake Up Ready" are vaguely reminiscent of seminal Cowboy recordings, but the similarity ends as the songs become ultimately more complex musically and lyrically. "Things" and "Sit Here In the Sun" offer Talton's lyrical aptitude and tasteful guitar licks on a fresh new platform, driven by his seemingly unending R&B sensibility. "Broken Pieces" stands as the perfect punctuation, adding a touch of refinement and sophistication to an already incredible recording.
Throughout Tommy Talton in Europe, Talton delivers a cool, genuine old school aura that is both natural and refreshing. It is nice to hear Tommy's music once again, for it is like revisiting an old friend. Talton does his own thing in his own way and at his own pace, which has been this old Cowboy's stock-and-trade all along.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bruce Eder
Tommy Talton was born too late to be a fan of rock & roll's first wave -- opening his eyes to the world in the early '50s, he should have missed Elvis Presley's pre-Army days, but he didn't mostly thanks to his sister, five years his senior, who went around the family's Orlando, FL-area home singing the Memphis Flash's early records, along with those of Nat King Cole and others. His interest in the guitar began at age eight when he saw an instrument owned by one of his uncles and plucked one of the strings, and saw it vibrate and heard the sound it made, and by the time he was 13 he was pursuing the learning of the instrument in earnest.
That coincided just about perfectly with the arrival of the British Invasion, and he became a fan of a local band called the Nonchalants, who eventually became the Offbeets and whose ranks included David Duff on bass, guitar, and vocals; drummer Tomm Wynn; and guitarist Dennis Messimer. It was Messimer's departure for military service in 1966 that left an opening, and an offer to the 16-year-old Talton -- who was still a fan of the group -- to join the Offbeets, who had already made some professional recordings.
Later in 1966, the Offbeets merged with a group from Leesburg called the Trademarks, and formed We the People. This put Talton into harness alongside that group's lead guitarist, Wayne Proctor, two years older than Talton. They inspired each other with their virtuosity, not only in their playing (where they would switch off between lead and rhythm guitar and bass with Duff) but also their songwriting, and their differences enhanced each other's work, Talton into more straight-ahead rock & roll with a high level of sophistication while Proctor had a penchant for the angular and unexpected. Working both in collaboration and parallel to each other, they generated a strong array of original material, of which the highlights included Talton's "Mirror of Your Mind" and "Lovin' Son of a Gun."
We the People made a decent attempt to break out of central Florida to national recognition but never quite made the leap, instead leaving behind an impressive array of singles for the Challenge and RCA labels. In 1967 Proctor left owing to worries about the military draft, but Talton kept up the quality of his work, turning in "The Day She Dies," an exceptionally beautiful rock ballad that ended up as the B-side of their second RCA single, "Love Is a Beautiful Thing," while his next B-side, "When I Arrive," was a piece of snarling garage punk.
He basically aged out of the group, and ended up leaving at 18, after nearly three years with the Offbeets or We the People. Talton headed to Nashville (where We the People had worked for a time), and then to California, where he turned most of his attention to songwriting. Eventually, he linked up professionally with Scott Boyer, Chuck Leavell, and Bill Stewart to form Cowboy, a country-rock outfit that became a mainstay of Phil Walden's Capricorn Records, and enjoyed an especially close association with Gregg Allman when the latter embarked on his solo career, backing him on his first national tour and the perennially popular live album that resulted.
Talton was also closely associated for a time with Livingston Taylor, and eventually Talton and Boyer became the only two members of Cowboy to stay for the duration, releasing records together until 1977 and the collapse of Capricorn. He also worked with Bill Stewart in Talton Stewart Sandlin, along with Capricorn mainstay Johnny Sandlin and singer Bonnie Bramlett, releasing one album in 1976. As a session player -- on guitar, mandolin, and Dobro -- he also recorded with such diverse figures as Kitty Wells, Dickey Betts, Martin Mull, Johnny Rivers, Sea Level, and Corky Laing during the 1970s. As of the early 21st century, Talton was living in Luxembourg, far from the Southern rock music scene of which he was a part during the 1960s and 1970s.
