Blogcritics: Comments on Legendary keyboardist Al Kooper and the Season of the Ditch

Comment by Bob Rhubart

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:45:40 EST

I came of age listening to what was then called underground or progressive radio in the late 60s. Both of the albums mentioned in this review got a significant amount of airplay on Cleveland underground stations at the time, and I quickly became a fan. I played my original vinyl copy of Super Session until I wore it out. I still play the CD. "Season of the Witch" is indeed a standout cut, but I can't think of a weak tune on the entire disk. Bloomfield is one of the great unsung guitar heroes (commercially, at least, but that's no surprise) of the 60s, and Stills' country-laced fills and solos remain some of his best playing to date. BST went on to greater and greatly deserved commercial success after Kooper was replaced by David Clayton Thomas, but Child is the Father to Man stands as a prime example of East Coast progressive rock. BST brought a welcome contrast to the somewhat looser sound of seminal West Coast jam bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. It is no slight to those fine bands to observe that their identification with late-60s music is an unforgivable artistic injustice to BST and other East Coast bands like the Blues Project (which evolved into BST), the New York Rock Ensemble, and numerous others. The albums Mr. Wheeler mentions here are ample evidence that rock musicians on the East Coast made their contributions to 60s music.

Comment by Bob Rhubart

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:44:28 EST

I came of age listening to what was then called underground or progressive radio in the late 60s. Both of the albums mentioned in this review got a significant amount of airplay on Cleveland underground stations at the time, and I quickly became a fan. I played my original vinyl copy of Super Session until I wore it out. I still play the CD. "Season of the Witch" is indeed a standout cut, but I can't think of a weak tune on the entire disk. Bloomfield is one of the great unsung guitar heroes (commercially, at least, but that's no surprise) of the 60s, and Stills' country-laced fills and solos remain some of his best playing to date. BST went on to greater and greatly deserved commercial success after Kooper was replaced by David Clayton Thomas, but Child is the Father to Man stands as a prime example of East Coast progressive rock. BST brought a welcome contrast to the somewhat looser sound of seminal West Coast jam bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. It is no slight to those fine bands to observe that their identification with late-60s music is an unforgivable artistic injustice to BST and other East Coast bands like the Blues Project (which evolved into BST), the New York Rock Ensemble, and numerous others. The albums Mr. Wheeler mentions here are amble evidence that rock musicians on the East Coast made their contributions to 60s music.