Boz Scaggs

Description

"Boz Scaggs" – not to be confused with the early Polydor recording titled "Boz" from 1965 – is the first album where the producers got everything right. Perhaps the most important participant of all is the legendary guitarist Duane Allman, who paved the way for the very talented Scaggs to enter the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama. Top-notch soul musicians were lined up for him, having already played as the house band for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. The elite duo immediately picked up their instruments and delivered a rich background sound in the blues track "I'm Easy," featuring powerful, fast passages in the bass and fiery horns. Inspired by the timbre of the blues, Scaggs sings a series of lyrical songs, sometimes accompanied by a small group of instruments – but always well-measured and finely balanced. At times, the organ whispers to the singer ("I'll Be Long Gone"), while at other times, finely tuned vocals resonate in the background ("Another Day"). And then there are down-to-earth waves of warm sound coming from the slide guitar and joyful fiddle sounds in the strophic country song "Now You're Gone." The highlights of the album are the yodeling hobo song "Waiting For A Train" and the blues piece "Loan Me A Dime," a showcase of strength if there ever was one. Before Rolling Stone magazine could rank this successful LP among the 500 greatest albums of all time, it had to be revamped, and a new hot mix was therefore created in 1978. Scaggs had demanded the remix to improve the quality of the recording. After that, there was nothing for a very, very long time.