Bonnie Raitt Give It Up Released: September, 1972 Recorded : June 1972 Label : Warner Bros. Format: Flac
Give It Up is the high point in Bonnie Raitt's early career. On it she brings together her R&B, folk, and straight blues influences with a mellow soft rock approach that would become synonymous with the California FM sound, yet none of these elements dominate--Raitt mixes the sounds perfectly. The result is an accessible, sensual music that never relies on cliché for effect, a sound that laid the foundation for her future commercial success.
Raitt contributes a handful of fine originals here, including the snappy, bluesy "Give It Up or Let Me Go," and the beautiful "Nothing Seems to Matter." Yet her excellent renditions of cover tunes like Jackson Browne's "Under a Falling Sky" and Chris Smithers's "Love Me Like a Man" prove she is as powerful an interpreter as she is as a songwriter. Most impressive is the precise, easy feel of her backing band (which includes saxophonist John Payne and harmonica player Paul Butterfield) and Raitt's blazing slide and smooth, nuanced vocals that never sound contrived or forced. The flawless ease of her performances is what, ultimately, makes Give It Up authentic, endlessly listenable, and one of the era's classic blues-rock albums.
Tracklist : "Give It Up or Let Me Go" – 4:30 "Nothing Seems to Matter"– 4:05 "I Know" – 3:47 "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" – 3:00 "Love Me Like a Man" – 3:12 "Too Long at the Fair" – 2:58 "Under the Falling Sky" – 3:45 "You Got to Know How" – 3:36 "You Told Me Baby" – 4:12 "Love Has No Pride" – 3:47
Recorded at Bearsville Recording Studio, Bearsville, New York in June 1972..
Personnel Bonnie Raitt - acoustic guitar, guitar, piano, electric guitar, steel guitar, vocals, background vocals, 12 string guitar, bottleneck guitar Paul Butterfield - harmonica Kal David - guitar, electric guitar Terry Eaton - tenor saxophone Peter Ecklund - cornet Freebo - bass guitar, tuba, vocals, background vocals, 12 string guitar, fretless bass Amos Garrett - guitar, trombone Marty Grebb - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone John Kingsley Hall - electric guitar, steel guitar, background vocals John Hall - guitar, electric guitar, background vocals Dave Holland - bass Mark Jordan - piano, keyboards, electric piano, vibraphone Eric Kaz - piano, background vocals, vibraphone Wells Kelly - conductor, conga, drums, background vocals, bells, cowbell Jackie Lomax - vocals, background vocals Tim Moore - vocals, background vocals Chris Parker - drums John Payne - clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, wind Merl Saunders - piano Gene Stashuk - cello Lou Terriciano - piano T.J. Tindall - guitar, electric guitar Jack Viertel - guitar, rhythm guitar, steel guitar Dennis Whitted - drums
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