All classic tracks.

My favorite is one that I have a personal attachment to via the song's writer/producer/friend Jerry Ragovoy...



...Stay With Me (an emotional tour-de-force)

From a post I did on this tune a few years ago, Al Kooper's take on the recording...

I have two favorite Rags stories and here's the first one: Frank Sinatra had booked a huge 46-piece orchestra session for a Reprise album he was working on. Three days before the session he cancelled, as icons are wont to do every now and then. The record company staff had a coronary - it was too late to cancel by union rules and a 46-piece session is mighty costly. They called all the New York producers who had current artists on Warner Bros/Reprise and offered them the three hour session gratis. It was not a throwaway because arrangements had to be written for 46 musicians an that, my friends, takes time. When they called Jerry, he took the session. By then it was Monday and the session was on Wednesday evening. He called his sidekick, arranger Garry Sherman, and the two of them dived into arrangement-land, eschewing sleep for a few days. The artist Jerry was attempting to record was Lorraine Ellison and she was prepped on the song as well. In those days there was no overdubbing and barely four tracks to record on. Jerry was lucky to have engineer Phil Ramone at his disposal that night. As they rehearsed the complicated arrangement, replete with rubato bars and high trumpet section notes, Ramone slowly put together a stereo monitor mix which he recorded right to a two-track recorder as well as to the four-track. "Take one," Jerry intoned from the booth, and with Lorraine singing live with the entire orchestra. They were off and running. At the end of the take, there were tears in a few eyes.

Sinatra's musicians had been indoctrinated into the Ragovoy Kingdom Of Soul in one take and Lorraine's vocal was a keeper. They took one more take to correct a lyric flub in the second line, but everyone there knew the first take was golden and the vocal track was corrected and spliced into the first take and 70 musicians and friends went home early that night. The stereo monitor mix is the track you hear on this CD and the one folks heard back then on vinyl. I'm sorry, I forgot to say the title - 'Stay With Me' - not a bad night's work.

Al Kooper, 2008

...from the liner notes of The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is On My Side 1953-2003




Music for adventurous listeners


tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

Great story.

A Fool in Love - What a simple song but man that doesn't mean there isn't throwin down left and right My mom saw Ike & Tina when they first began performing at sock hops here in Southern California. At the time they were total unknowns but my mom and her friends followed them because they were always drawin big crowds wherever they showed up. Now they had a movie made from their lives. I understand Tina not wanting to comment or re-live these days but I wonder how autobiographical this song actually is or if it was a foreshadowing on things to come. LOVE this track. Total classic.



I never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) :CHILLS: What is the draw of these no good mens? I can't fully explain it but I been in Rere's shoes In it's most virulent form this love should be with someone worthy but it aint always the case. And it's made worse knowing you are the best they ever did or ever will have and yet you aint good enough for these low down fools. Just got to let your ego take the hit and move the hell on



Strawberry 23 Shuggie Otis - Wow, this song always makes me so sad. I can't even say that I could recite any lyrics if someone asked me to but hearing this again makes me so sad. I just read the lyrics online and there isn't anything there that is overtly tragic, I don't think, but still I feel sad. There is unlimited hope but something about the music is grounded and tender. Interseting version, this must be the first version? I remember the more produced and fleshed out track and THAT version makes me sad as hell. I think maybe the sadness has to do with the times I remember hearing it. I'll have to think about this and why it makes me feel that way.



Time I am familiar with Sly Classics and I can't say that I had heard this before. This is FANTASTIC! Is this Larry Graham on vocals?



I Wish I Didn't Love you So Uhhhh…..a life cut short so ridiculously tragically and stupidly so I once watched a Marvin Gaye Special on PBS and by the time it was over I was head over heels in love. A beautiful man making beautiful and heartfelt music. Thank God he left his mark on the earth but just senseless he was taken away so soon.



Loverman Uggghhh, another tragic life story! Do we know anything about Billie's Love Life?



Stay With Me What a beautiful BEAUTIFUL voice Pleading…… Damn, by the time you get through to the end she took. you. THERE Damn, what an amazing song



Who's Loving You Now you got me crying In general, this song has always made me cry. I HATE the Michael Jackson story for how much wrongness is involved. I'm not even talking the allegations and all that, just how Michael was thrust into this machine and tore up. It gave him so much pain, from which he never recovered. Sadly. This was one of the songs that made me bawl the hardest after Michael Died because you saw him in bare and pure truth. There was hope, optimism and raw talent . Our culture was blessed with all of that while Michael suffered in silence. Is art worth that price? I wouldn't ask him to willingly endure but alas, that was his journey and I'm thankful we got to see and experience it. Rest in Peace Michael



My first question is why did you cheat us of 2 tracks? You put 8 but the limit is 10

This mix is WILDLY different than I expected. I expected something modern, not a throwback. What a delicious surprise! And I don't think it's an eggageration to suggest this mix isn't for the optomistic. I love hopeful music but this mix took you all the way through it and I love that more I'll go with an unknown song as favorite and that is Stay With Me. What a GREAT GREAT SONG!

This mix is absolutely incredible. The biggest surprise for me thus far

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Aww thanks.
And the only reason I put 8 because I kept seeing 8 as "limit".
Anyway, thanks for the review. Justly appreciated.
[Edited 4/6/10 13:11pm]

Oh and Supa, to answer the question about who's singing on "Time", it's Sly himself.

Timmy84 said:

Happy to see that you know it's best never to ignore me for too long

:boilingbunny:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Now why would I ignore you?

Seriously I'll be at a site so long that I'm surprised anyone comments on my threads.

I may make another mix soon but I'll have to wait to part 3 to participate.

I am the 666th view!

As for why would you ignore me? To torture me like everyone else

While I'm waiting for your other mix, the mailman needs to come to my inbox!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I'm making my new mix now. This one is guaranteed to make you shake your booty.

Timmy84 said:

IN

BOX

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Girl, shit takes time, you can't rush a brother.

But when it's done, I will ORGnote you. Don't you forget about it or I'm gonna spank you.

Anyway, before I hand my mix to you, WHERE'S YOURS!? Sign on 8tracks and make one.

Oh I know you ain't gonna leave in a huff, check your ORGnotes!