BOBBY KEYS
''BOBBY KEYS''
1972
34:52
1 Steal From A King 04:56
2 Smokefoot 04:01
3 Bootleg 03:13
4 Altar Rock 03:49
5 Key West 04:57
6 Command Perfomance 04:07
7 Crispy Duck 04:17
8 Sand & Foam 05:27
Bobby Keys - Saxophone, Horn Arrangements (Except On Track 4)
Jim Price - Trumpet, Horn Arrangement On Track 4, Keyboards
John Uribe - Guitar
Leslie West - Guitar
Charlee Freeman - Guitar
Dave Mason - Guitar
George Harrison - Guitar
Carl Radle - Bass Guitar
Klaus Voorman - Bass Guitar
Felix Pappalardi - Bass Guitar
Jack Bruce - Bass Guitar
Nicky Hopkins - Keyboards
Mike Utley - Keyboards
Corky Laing - Drums
Jim Gordon - Drums
Ringo Starr - Drums
REVIEW
by Sean Westergaard (AllMusic)
Bobby Keys' self-titled debut is a bit of an odd beast. He's got one of the most amazing résumés in rock music as a sideman, so it's no surprise that there's quite a lineup on this album. Appearing are George Harrison, Jack Bruce, Ringo Starr, and possibly Eric Clapton, amongst many other famous players (proper credits would have been nice). Horn charts were by Keys' cohort Jim Price (who also played trumpet and keyboards) and the album was produced by Keys, Jim Gordon, and Andy Johns. It sounds great on paper, but the sound is more like backing tracks in search of a song, and only slightly more than a jam session with nice horn charts. It's not bad, it's just a bit disappointing. The liner notes indicate that the album took almost a year and suggest that Keys was not entirely into it. He only played live on one track ("Altar Rock") and it opens and closes as a bit of a proto-smooth jazz snoozer. Keys was also quick to note that the album was not the beginning of a solo career and kind of knocks his own playing. Of course, some people are better sidemen than bandleaders, but this was also a time of notorious partying (recording began after Keys, Price, and Nicky Hopkins wrapped up the Exile on Main St. tour). That said, the album isn't bad, just a bit on the slight side. The horn charts are great and there are some nice solos, particularly on guitar on what was once side two of the album. If you like the sound of the "Apple Jam" LP from All Things Must Pass (which also featured many of the players here), you'll probably like Bobby Keys.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey (AllMusic)
Best known for his long association with the Rolling Stones, tenor saxophonist Bobby Keys spent several decades as an in-demand session man and touring musician, able to play blues, R&B, and rock & roll with equal flair. Born and raised in Texas, Keys was playing in rock & roll bands as early as the '50s, and worked with Buddy Holly and Bobby Vee, among many others. Keys worked regularly at the famed Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama before meeting the Stones in 1969; his work on Let It Bleed (not to mention the simple fact of association) quickly made him a hot property. Over the next few years, Keys played on albums by George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Humble Pie, the Faces, Carly Simon, Nilsson, Joe Cocker, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and B.B. King. He also continued his relationship with the Stones, appearing on classics like Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St., and striking up an instant chemistry with Keith Richards. In 1972, Keys recorded a self-titled solo album for Warner Bros., which featured an all-star guest lineup including members of the Beatles, Cream, Mountain, and Traffic, plus his longtime trumpet-playing partner Jim Price. By the mid-'70s, his activities with the Stones were beginning to tail off, though he maintained a working relationship with the band over the years, both in the studio and on the road. He continued to find work through his old connections, and in 1979 joined Ron Wood's touring band the New Barbarians. In subsequent years Keys continued to tour with the Stones and guest on the occasional album (including Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions), and also performed with the Lubbock, Texas-based band the Ace Liquidators. Bobby Keys died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee in December 2 2014; he was 70 years old.
''BOBBY KEYS''
1972
34:52
1 Steal From A King 04:56
2 Smokefoot 04:01
3 Bootleg 03:13
4 Altar Rock 03:49
5 Key West 04:57
6 Command Perfomance 04:07
7 Crispy Duck 04:17
8 Sand & Foam 05:27
Bobby Keys - Saxophone, Horn Arrangements (Except On Track 4)
Jim Price - Trumpet, Horn Arrangement On Track 4, Keyboards
John Uribe - Guitar
Leslie West - Guitar
Charlee Freeman - Guitar
Dave Mason - Guitar
George Harrison - Guitar
Carl Radle - Bass Guitar
Klaus Voorman - Bass Guitar
Felix Pappalardi - Bass Guitar
Jack Bruce - Bass Guitar
Nicky Hopkins - Keyboards
Mike Utley - Keyboards
Corky Laing - Drums
Jim Gordon - Drums
Ringo Starr - Drums
REVIEW
by Sean Westergaard (AllMusic)
Bobby Keys' self-titled debut is a bit of an odd beast. He's got one of the most amazing résumés in rock music as a sideman, so it's no surprise that there's quite a lineup on this album. Appearing are George Harrison, Jack Bruce, Ringo Starr, and possibly Eric Clapton, amongst many other famous players (proper credits would have been nice). Horn charts were by Keys' cohort Jim Price (who also played trumpet and keyboards) and the album was produced by Keys, Jim Gordon, and Andy Johns. It sounds great on paper, but the sound is more like backing tracks in search of a song, and only slightly more than a jam session with nice horn charts. It's not bad, it's just a bit disappointing. The liner notes indicate that the album took almost a year and suggest that Keys was not entirely into it. He only played live on one track ("Altar Rock") and it opens and closes as a bit of a proto-smooth jazz snoozer. Keys was also quick to note that the album was not the beginning of a solo career and kind of knocks his own playing. Of course, some people are better sidemen than bandleaders, but this was also a time of notorious partying (recording began after Keys, Price, and Nicky Hopkins wrapped up the Exile on Main St. tour). That said, the album isn't bad, just a bit on the slight side. The horn charts are great and there are some nice solos, particularly on guitar on what was once side two of the album. If you like the sound of the "Apple Jam" LP from All Things Must Pass (which also featured many of the players here), you'll probably like Bobby Keys.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey (AllMusic)
Best known for his long association with the Rolling Stones, tenor saxophonist Bobby Keys spent several decades as an in-demand session man and touring musician, able to play blues, R&B, and rock & roll with equal flair. Born and raised in Texas, Keys was playing in rock & roll bands as early as the '50s, and worked with Buddy Holly and Bobby Vee, among many others. Keys worked regularly at the famed Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama before meeting the Stones in 1969; his work on Let It Bleed (not to mention the simple fact of association) quickly made him a hot property. Over the next few years, Keys played on albums by George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Humble Pie, the Faces, Carly Simon, Nilsson, Joe Cocker, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and B.B. King. He also continued his relationship with the Stones, appearing on classics like Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St., and striking up an instant chemistry with Keith Richards. In 1972, Keys recorded a self-titled solo album for Warner Bros., which featured an all-star guest lineup including members of the Beatles, Cream, Mountain, and Traffic, plus his longtime trumpet-playing partner Jim Price. By the mid-'70s, his activities with the Stones were beginning to tail off, though he maintained a working relationship with the band over the years, both in the studio and on the road. He continued to find work through his old connections, and in 1979 joined Ron Wood's touring band the New Barbarians. In subsequent years Keys continued to tour with the Stones and guest on the occasional album (including Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions), and also performed with the Lubbock, Texas-based band the Ace Liquidators. Bobby Keys died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee in December 2 2014; he was 70 years old.
