The Fat Angel Sings

Even if the names Delaney and Bonnie may not sound readily familiar to modern music lovers, the style of music they forged during their relatively brief time together certainly should. (Re)discovery of the late Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen project would serve such a purpose as would the ongoing efforts of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, who might do well to include a cover or two from the D&B repertoire, if only as righteous acknowledgment of their roots (and perhaps as an additional nod to Derek’s one-time employer Eric Clapton, arguably the most prominent of all the Southern-rooted couple’s ‘Friends’).

Over the course of five studio albums and one live set, this Southern duo forged a style in which they not just acknowledged, but built upon, roots of blues, folk and country, in combination with the soul and r&b influences close to their heart. Aided and abetted by a rotating cast of accompanists that at various points included Duane  and Gregg Allman, erstwhile member of Traffic Dave Mason and George Harrison (who offered them a recording contract with Apple and, even more importantly since that transaction did not come to fruition, learned slide guitar at Delaney Bramlett’s suggestion), EC  befriended the Delaney & Bonnie group when they opened on the sole American tour for his ill-fated collaboration with Steve Winwood, Blind Faith.

The core of Delaney and Bonnie’s most expansive lineup not only followed titular leader Leon Russell to form British soulman and interpreter Cocker’s most famous accompanists, but many of them backed Mason on the co-founder of Traffic’s stellar solo debut, Alone Together, while drummer Jim Gordon, Carl Radle and keyboardist/vocalist Bobby Whitlock became ‘The Dominos’ to Slowhand’s ‘Derek’ for the seminal guitar hero’s masterwork, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. Various combinations of those same names also worked  on the iconoclastic Beatle’s All Things Must Pass,and while there was no direct connection with the Rolling Stones, the presence of Byrd/Burrito Brother Gram Parsons in both camps may have rubbed off on the iconic band’s earthy, eclectic approach for Exile On Main Street—certainly the participation of horn-man Jim Price and Bobby Keys did (and on its predecessor, Sticky Fingers too!).

Hindsight may be less than favorable concerning the super-group phenomenon, but Delaney and Bonnie’s efforts represent the most complementary and productive examples of the communal creativity at the heart of this approach, one which crystallized in the brief roadwork captured. On Tour with Eric Clapton recently released in an expanded edition; it’s little wonder this group, headed primarily by Delaney, went on to supervisor EC’s eponymous solo debut (see Bracelet’s mix, markedly different and arguably superior to, than official producer Tom Dowd’s, included in the Deluxe Edition CD set of that album).

The fact all of the following titles  have been reissued in expanded form, while two others, Accept No Substitute and To Bonnie From Delaney, remain available on CD (albeit on different labels than originally issued them), is testament to the great extent to which Delaney & Bonnie’s best work functions as a primer on contemporary rock and roll.

On Tour with Eric Clapton-Expanded Edition The four CDs in this set originally comprised a Very high-priced, limited edition package, the design of which replicated an equipment road-case. The cover artwork here mirrors that and, presumably, a pristine sound mix courtesy Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch that pulses with no small measure of the excitement in those moments.Including extensive historical notes by Bud Scoppa taken from perspectives as varied as Bonnie Bramlett herself and engineer Glyn Johns, as well as technical notes, the newly-issued set turns into a true labor of love that’s worth the dramatically reduced price. The complete concert from the Royal Albert Hall in London accompanies composites and further complete later shows on the seven-day tour; and while not surprisingly, there’s more than a little overlap, the ostensible redundancy really serves to further illustrate how infectious are these performances. And while Eric Clapton’s participation is limited to the sideman role he preferred at that time, he does take a lead vocal on “I Don’t Know Why” and there’s no mistaking what his guitar work adds to this roiling eclectic mix of vocals, keyboards, horns (trumpeter Jim Price and saxophonist Bobby Keys who went on to play with the Rolling Stones) and a redoubtable rhythm section.Given the durability and spirit of the setlist, including The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “Only You Know and I Know,” (composed by ex-Traffic member Dave Mason, whose presence in the band is given short shrift) and most conspicuously “Coming Home” with its clarion call guitar figure, it really no surprise it didn’t change much night tonight.

As no pictures of Delaney and Bonnie were deemed good enough for the album cover, a photo was used instead of a Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn in a desert, reportedly taken by manager Barry Feinstein while working as a photographer covering a Bob Dylan tour in 1966. Dylan’s feet are those hanging from the car window.

On Tour was re-issued in 2010 as four-disc box set, packaged in a mock road case containing the complete performance from the Royal Albert Hall, plus a composite of the next night’s performances at Colston Hall in Bristol, and both the early and late shows from the tour’s final stop at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. George Harrison played slide guitar on the English leg of the tour that followed the Albert Hall performance, as well as in Scandinavia, therefore he doesn’t appear on the first disc but does on the other three.

On Tour with Eric Clapton is a 1970 album by Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton, recorded live at the Fairfield Halls, England. Released on Atco Records, The album features Delaney and Bonnie’s best-known touring band, including Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, and Dave Mason. Many of the players on this album would later go on to work with George Harrison on his post-Beatles debut album All Things Must Pass and with Clapton on his solo debut. The horn players Bobby Keys and Jim Price would play on the albums Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St by the Rolling Stones, and join them for their 1972 STP Tour. Whitlock, Radle, and Gordon would form with Clapton his band Derek and the Dominos for Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

The album has received highly positive reviews, with many critics suggesting the album is superior to Clapton’s prior project (Blind Faith) . In the Rolling Stone Album Guide, the album is described as “a triumph”, which is attributed to the fact the band was “one of the best” in “rock and roll”. Writing for Rolling Stone, Mark Kemp said the album contained “wicked performances of the kind of country and boogie that would define Southern rock”.Mojo described the album as “one of the two Rosetta Stones of roots rock’n’roll”.

The Band:
Bonnie Bramlett — vocals
Delaney Bramlett — guitars, vocals
Eric Clapton — lead guitars, vocals
Rita Coolidge — backing vocals
Jim Gordon — drums, percussion
George Harrison (under the pseudonym L’Angelo Misterioso) – guitars (discs two — four of box set only)
Tex Johnson – percussion
Bobby Keys — saxophone
Dave Mason — guitars
Carl Radle — bass guitar
Jim Price — trombone, trumpet
Bobby Whitlock — organ, keyboards, vocals