My phone and inbox have been blowing up in the past few hours from readers of "The Lefsetz Letter," some of whom knew I was the filmmaker behind "What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?," some of whom did not…thinking I should be aware of the film about which you wrote so eloquently and passionately.
I very much appreciate your thoughtful perspective about BS&T, the political parallels and, as you say, "counterpoints" to today.
Thanks, too, for your kind words about the documentary. It was a real passion project from start to finish and I've got so many cool behind-the-scenes production stories on which I'm sure I'll be dining for some time to come.
I'm very proud of this film and very much hope others will be equally affected by it.
All the best –
John Scheinfeld
Director/Writer/Producer
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS?
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Hello: I'm really looking forward to this..AL KOOPERS' input and influence extended past the first album..The original group with Al Singing was performing You Made Me So Very Happy, Smiling Phases,and More and More in their Live Show..All made it to the Second album with DCT singing Lead.
Louis Levin
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Something/someone important left out of the BS&T story - James William Guercio. He brought Chicago Transit Authority to Clive Davis at Columbia in '68. Clive agreed to sign them, IF, Guercio agreed to produce the second Blood, Sweat & Tears album, which was to be released first. He did it, won the Grammy for album of the year (back when that still mattered), and then went on to produce 11 albums for Chicago, including 5 in a row that went Billboard number 1, (back when THAT still mattered.
Got this story from Jim Foglesong, back when he briefly headed Columbia.
Cheers.
Michael Canfield
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Bob. BST put out two great, but very different, albums: Child is the father to man and the first one with DCT. I would play both on the console stereo (before component took over) at home and mom and dad ignored the first but loved the DCT outing. Dad was a child of the Big Band era and the influences of the second album rung clear to him. You talk of the counterculture in the 60s and how our music connected a generation, and our battle with the over 30 crowd and the Vietnam war and how we were going to change the world. Yup, that was an amazing time and we talked about the unjust war and Mayor Daly and Kent and we wrote songs of protest - and they were everywhere. Street corner buskers yelling down the war. It was, truly, visceral. And, yes, we took off our bell bottoms and beads and went to work for the man and still smoked - at home. But it never leaves you. Not even today. It (indeed) was the best of times and the worst of times. And my vinyl still rolls.
Robert Tussey
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Thanks for the reminders...
I was in NYC in 68 and 69 and B,S & T's owned it. America had changed the game once again.and i too am happy to have have had the Al Kooper experience in my live...
Best , o
Andrew Loog Oldham
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Wow!! Thanks for the heads up, Bob.
My first concert was The Chambers Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears at Fordham University. I was 13. It was fantastic! After the show, we went to a White Castle on Fordham Road and had a few 20-cent burgers.
I'll never forget that night.
Vicky Germaise
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Child Is Father to the Man is one of my top five records ever.
My kids are in their mid 30's. Their father was in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, I made them listen to my music all the time growing up, and I've made them watch 60's-70's documentaries. But I just can't get them to feel it. How sure we were that we were changing the world. And how our music was everything
Kids…..
Amy Polan Clarke
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Thanks for writing about this. BS&T is an important band for many reasons; several of which you talked about. They were arguably the first jazz-rock band (Chicago took a little longer to gain traction).
And —-yes, as usual I'm talking about drummers—there is Bobby Colomby.
His clearly jazz inspired playing was really the first time you heard Philly Joe Jones' influence in a rock band.
Bobby is a brilliant drummer… highly influential on many…. Of course he's happily still with us; I just wish I could hear more of his playing on more records.
Regards,
Mark Feldman
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I'm an old Al Kooper fan and remember him from The Blues Project and earlier coming from Queens, NY and his first wife was my best friend. He used to hang around my house and play our baby grand piano.
Loved their first album... It's the best thing BS&T ever did, I agree. Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" Is one of the best songs ever written period.
Al's a musical genius!
Iona S. Elliott
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I Can't Quit Her is my favorite on BS&T, so many times Bob you send me back into my vinyl collection; I have 4 Al Kooper albums, but Child Is Father To The Man must have been lent out and not returned (understandably) and I only have the CD. Those 5 albums influenced my writing More Than You'll Ever Know. I can't wait to see this movie, please give us a 'heads up' when it's available.
Jeff Watz
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I've been listening to Al Kooper solo records on repeat (I Stand Alone, You Never Really Know Who Your Friends Are, Act Like Nothing's Wrong) for the past 3 days and then you sent me thismissive! Serendipity.
As a former high school band geek, BS&T were worshipped! I love all the LPs, even Nuclear Blues! ??
I certainly appreciate that David Clayton-Thomas is never afraid to "Say Somethin'"
Cheers,
EveAnna Dauray Manley
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I love Al Kooper. Have all of his solo LP's, all the Blues Project albums, and all of the BS&T albums. The first BS&T album is amazing and the second album is a classic. I cannot wait to see this movie.
Count me in the crowd.
Dennis Paulik
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Now I'm excited! Thanks for the info. This is one that I will find. One of my all time favorite autobiographies is Al Kooper's. He was the Forrest Gump of the music scene. From growing up with Paul Simon to Dylan, to BS&T, to Skynyrd and so much in between. Will be on the lookout for this film.
Patti Martin
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I was a big fan of the Blues Project…attended their "final" concert at Town Hall and their reunion show years later at the Bond? Not sure of the venue name…1981?
I filled in the Blues Project's songs I didn't own on Napster.
The first CD I bought was a gold edition of BS&T's, Father Is Child To The Man.
The great songs and performances of both bands still hold up.
Over the years I also wondered what the hell happened to them.
If you get wind of where and when this documentary will be available please let us know.
Thanks Bob.
Alan Crane
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Hi Bob — the first single off of BS&T3, was Hi-De-Ho. That album followed up the DCT first post-Al Kooper album, the album with, what, three enormous hit singles; the album that won Album of the Year, beating out Abbey Road (imagine that!). So .. no pressure when the band went in to record the follow-up!
JIm Charne
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The godfathers of smooth jazz? "You've Made Me So Very Happy" is to Spyro Gyra what "All Day And All Of The Night" is to The Ramones.
Also responsible for launching the careers of Al Kooper and Bobby Colomby, without whom we wouldn't have Lynyrd Skynyrd or Jaco Pastorius.
Vince Welsh
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What goes up, must come down….I played alto saxophone (not very well!) in the jazz band in middle school when Spinning Wheel was on WABC in NYC multiple times per day.
Thanks for the memories and pointing me to this documentary- very much looking forward !
David Levin
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Very few records from this era still sound good 50+ years later. I equate BS&Tears( Lou's trumpet solo is still a master class) Katz Kooper and DC were beyond years. Of course the drama with DCT comes up into play
But Spinning Wheel and Zep and Doors records still sound good. Rest of the crap sounds like poorly recorded records that sonically still sound like crap . BS@T s first record from the horn intros is still a piece of art. I still have it on vinyl. Don't need a movie that I will never watch change that. You fail to mention the additional MOFOs that played on this record
Chris Apostle
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Thank you, Bob Lefsetz. I read you religiously and agree less than 1/2 the time. I am 76 years old, an early "Boomer" and love our music. Can't wait to see this movie. Keep us posted.
Jeff Douglas
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Did they get into when the great Jerry LaCroix was in the band?
Ex Boogie Kings, White Trash, then later joined Rare Earth for a while.
And 2 VERY GOOD solo albums.
Check out him singing I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know from 1974 and giving Kooper props.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO_gKV6oTiQ
Fun fact: It's pronounced LaCraw. There's an interview where I heard him say it.
Kevin Kiley
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Thanks for your review of the up of BS&T doc, Bob. Looking forward to it.
I saw BS&T at Topanga Days a few years back… needless to say I was a bit worried about how they sounded after all these years… to my surprise the were excellent! I went back in time when I listened to them via my older brother and sister, who had the their album in 1968. When I Die was very profound for this young girl.
I'm now liking their songs on Spotify to listen to on my way to work tomorrow.
Thanks for the reminder.
Best,
Darlene Gorzela
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Worst band ever. Double bubblegum nonsense that led to the second worst popular band …ewww the RAMONES. One chord kindergarten stupidity that the world had to swallow because of numb ass critical reviews!
It's all the fault of clown Andy Warhol!
Lol
Kenn Kweder
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Loved your comment on the Ramones, for me they are the most underrated band in music. They were great songwriters who's sound blazed a trail for hundreds of artists to follow. As you mentioned their sound was was so different it took years for people to get it.
"Chewin' out a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach"
Michael Rosenblatt
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There is no other BS&T album! Just the first one! The Al Kooper one.
I don't care if the second one had hits, and Lara Nyro songs. It wasn't BS&T. And it certainly had no trace of the Blues Project.
"Child is Father to the Man" is still my hub (that's husband) and my go-to album.
It holds up. Really, really well. (And so does Super Session, just as an aside).
I didnt even know about the political problems of BS&T or the green card thing. The second album was painful for those of us who loved the "only" BS&T album and we moved on. We stayed with Al and wherever he went, we went. Al Kooper has always had his pulse on what should come next, before anyone else figured it out... and he did with BobDylan, the Blues Project, Shugie Otis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, with The Tubes and Standing Alone!
So, in memory of Danny Kalb... Thank you Bob for recognizing and celebrating Al Kooper. As an FYI, there is a crew of Erasmus Hall High School ( Brooklyn, NY) graduates, classes of 1966 and 1967, who feel as you do. As Al Kooper super fans, we attended all or most of his annual birthday shows in NYC at the Bottom Line, and at BB Kings, and I think there might have been one or two at other clubs.
AL KOOPER IS NYC ROCK AND ROLL!!
Amy Krakow
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That first BS&T album is a classic, a fabulous album. I had both that and the second album and at one point back in the day, I knew the later one as well as the first. But I never listed to the second album and I come back to Child is Father to the Man frequently.
I recently went back and listed to Kooper's early solo albums after he left BS&T. Those albums are a bit uneven, but there's some terrific music on them.
Finally, as well known as Super Session is, Kooper's follow-up, Kooper Session with the young guitar phenom Shuggie Otis, is an even better album.
Don Friedman
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The film sounds great. Al Kooper is a genius and the first BS&T album has been on my top-10 list ever since it came out and someone turned me on to it at summer camp. .
- Greg Dennis
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I wore out three copies of 'Child Is The Father To The Man'. One of my all time favorite albums… the band had soul (thank you Al Kooper).
Couldn't get behind the David Clayton Thomas albums at all. Deep as a glass of water.
Bruce Garfield
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I loved B,S &T. Respected David Clayton-Thomas's voice, but I couldn't stand hearing "Spinning Wheel" or "You've Made Me So Very Happy" at every bar mitzvah or wedding respectively that I went to as a kid in the early 70's. Right up there with "Joy to the World".
That first album "Child is Father to The Man"... before you even opened it, the cover alone said this is gonna be f@ckin' great. And it delivered. Kudos to the musicianship on the debut (Randy Brecker, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby to name but a few), but Al Kooper was, and is still the man. Amongst his production credits, The Tubes debut was a fave. It wasn't mastered as well as it could've been in my opinion, like a lion without teeth, all roar, no bite...but the arrangements, holy sh*t!
Brian Diamond
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Re: Brian Diamond e-mail
Sad, but true.
Al Kooper
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