line up 1 (1971)

- Steve Crooper -- vocals, lead guitar

- Albert King (RIP 1992) -- vocals, lead guitar

- Roebuck 'Pops' Staples (RIP 2000) -- vocals, lead guitar

- Booker T. & the MGs (Steve Cropper)

- Steve Cropper (solo efforts)

- Albert King (solo efforts)

- The Mar-Kays (Steve Cropper)

- The Staple Singers

- Pops Staples (solo efforts)

Genre: soul

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  Jammed Together

Company: Stax

Catalog:  STS-2020

Year: 1971

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+

Comments: minor back cover wear

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5269

Price: $30.00

Having long ago seen it on a Stax discography, this was one of those LPs I knew existed, but took forever to actually track down a copy.  While on a business trip about five years ago I actually found a copy in a Memphis record store, but the album was trashed and wasn’t worth the $30 asking price.  A couple of weeks later I found a copy at a local garage sale.  Karma ?  Who knows.   Once I actually found a copy, let me tell you I’m completely biased with respect to this LP.  Forget all the hype surrounding better known collections, this is easily one of my all-time favorite ‘guitar albums’. 

On paper a collaboration between guitarists Steve Crooper, Albert King and Pop Staples looked like a pretty amazing project – almost too good to be true.  Luckily, in one of those rare exceptions to the rule, 1971’s “Jammed Together” actually lived up to its promise.  The results were even more surprising given the album was apparently pieced together out of a series of off-the-cuff jam sessions (Cropper’s always disparaged the set).  Regardless of the LP’s roots, paired with the cream of Stax’s writing and production talent, Cropper, King and Staples proved surprisingly accomplished collaborators, more than willing to give each other room in the spotlight, while effortlessly blending their chops on a mixture of popular covers and original numbers.  While the seven instrumentals were all killer, the real highlights were the three vocal performances – each principal allocated one spotlight moment.  King’s laconic delivery on a blues-up version of ‘What’d I Say’ was a nice way to open the album, while spotlighting each player’s distinctive chops. Round one clearly went to King’s icy telecaster solo – though Cropper and Staples made up for lost time during the instrumental fade out.  Staples gospel-blues ‘Tupelo’ was equally good, serving as the perfect setting for his rawer guitar moves.  King and Cropper both turned in breathtaking solos, but based on the vocal performance round 2 went to Staples.  Jumping ahead a little, the surprising standout vocal performance came from Cropper.  For a guy not known for his voice, Cropper’s performance on ‘Water’ was astonishing, making you wonder why he didn’t sing more often (his solo albums are all-instrumental affairs).  For any true guitar afficiado listening to the album on a good set of headphones should be a major treat – identifying each player’s unique attack makes for a fun game after a couple of beers.  As you’d expect, Cropper had the edge on the more commercial soul tracks; King excelled on the bluesier numbers, leaving Staples the winner on the Gospel-inspired tracks.  In case anyone actually cared, here’s how I’d judge the individual performances:

Winner / song

Cropper (‘Opus De Soul’, ’Big Bird’, ‘Homer’s Theme’, ‘Water’)

King (‘What’d I Say’, ‘Baby, What You Want Me To Do’, ‘Trashy Dog’, ‘Don’t Turn Your Heater Down’, ‘Knock On Wood’)

Staples (‘Tupelo’)

"Jammed Together" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) What’d I Say   (Ray Charles) – 5:30    rating: **** stars

The Ray Charles version remains the classic, but I've got to admit that the Albert King sung bluesy interpretation was pretty impressive.  That said, t song's secret weapon was Donald Duck Dunn's hyper-active bass line.

2.) Tupelo    (John Lee Hooker) – 6:00    rating: **** stars

With killer guitar solos from all three members (they really cut lose in the second half of the song), the biggest surprise in their cover of John Lee Hooker's 'Tupelo" came from Staples riveting lead vocal.  For a guy who made his name in Gospel, the man had some impressive blues chops !!!  One of the album highlights.  

3.) Opus De Soul (instrumental)   (M. Thomas – A. Isabell) – 5:30   rating: *** stars

Nice, atmospheric instrumental that spotlighted their different playing styles and would have slotted well in a blaxploitation flick soundtrack.  

4.) Baby, What You Want Me To Do (instrumental)   (Jimmy Reed) – 3:30    rating: ** stars

Their breezy cover of Jimmy Reed's 'Baby, What You Want Me To Do ' was pleasant, but hardly the album's standout performance.

(side 2)
1.) Big Bird (instrumental)   (Booker T. Jones – Eddie Floyd) – 3:05     rating: **** stars

Floyd and Jones wrote the song while waited in a London airport for a flight back to the States for Otis Redding's funeral.  While this version didn't differ drastically from the original, if you ever wanted to hear a near-perfect blend of surf music, rock, and soul, then their instrumental take on 'Big Bird' was a good place to start.

2.) Homer’s Theme (instrumental)   (Homer Banks – R. Jackson) – 2:10     rating: **** stars

With a breezy melody and nice hook, 'Homer's Theme' was my choice for the album's catchiest performance.

3.) Trashy Dog (instrumental)   (Terry Manning) – 2:45    rating: *** stars

Cropper and King each have such a unique style ...  while the song was just so-so, it was a fun tune to pick out each one's guitar lines.   

4.) Don’t Turn Your Heater Down (instrumental)   (Steve Cropper – A. Isabell)  – 3:45     rating: **** stars

I believe Sam and Dave originally recorded ' Don’t Turn Your Heater Down'.  The instrumental version showcased the three principle's unique guitar sounds with suitably impressive results.  

5.) Water   (Steve Cropper – Eddie Floyd) - 2:45     rating: ***** stars

And if you thought Cropper was just a guitar player ...  well he may not have been an Albert King, or a Pops Staples, but he sounded damn good on the funky 'Water'.  And his guitar work on this one was simply stunning.    Should have been released as a single.   I stumbled across a brief YouTube clip of Cropper talking about the album and this song on The Ronnie Wood Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm17h6U7MEE 

6.) Knock On Wood  (instrumental)   (Steve Cropper – Eddie Floyd) - 5:00    rating: *** stars

Maybe because Eddie Floyd's version is so dear to my heart, this instrumental version didn't do all that much for me.   Add to that, King's razor sharp guitar sounds overly raw.   Don't know if it's true, but Cropper's always claimed the intro was simply 'In the Midnight Hour' played backwards.