COLD BLOOD ''THRILLER!'' 1973 41:24 1/Baby I Love You Jerry Ragovoy/6:10 2/You Are the Sunshine of My Life Stevie Wonder/7:38 3/Feel So Bad James Johnson / Leslie Temple/7:17 4/Sleeping Richard Manuel / Robbie Robertson/5:16 5/Live Your Dream Max Haskett/3:21 6/I'll Be Long Gone Boz Scaggs/5:39 7/Kissing My Love Bill Withers/6:03 Adam's Dad /Arranger, Brass Arrangement Michael Andreas /Sax (Tenor), Saxophone Bill Atwood /Flugelhorn, Flute, Trumpet Gaylord Birch /Brass Arrangement, Drums Paul Cannon /Guitar Rod Ellicott /Bass, Brass Arrangement, Guitar (Bass) Bob Ferreira /Flute, Sax (Tenor), Wind Larry Fields /Guitar Tom Harrell /Brass Arrangement Max Haskett /Brass Arrangement, Trumpet, Vocals, Vocals (Background) Mel Martin /Flute, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), Saxophone Raul Matute /Keyboards Bennie Maupin /Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Tenor), Wind Skip Mesquite /Flute, Sax (Tenor), Vocals, Vocals (Background), Wind John Mewborn /Arranger, Trombone (Valve), Trumpet Pat O'Hara /Trombone Lydia Pense /Vocals The Pointer Sisters /Vocals, Vocals (Background) Rigby Powell /Trumpet Michael Sasaki /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) Holly Tigard /Vocals, Vocals (Background) Peter Welker /Flugelhorn, Trumpet REVIEW by Lindsay Planer Thriller! - Cold Blood's fourth LP - is a continuation on the brass-intensive funky R&B that drove their previous efforts. In contrast to those discs, however, there is very little in the way of original material here, the singular exception being Max Haskett's rollicking "Live Your Dream," which features the Pointer Sisters on backing vocals. This was not the first collaborative effort between the two either, as the vocal trio had also made a few notable contributions to the Sisyphus album. One of the primary distinctions between Cold Blood and their Bay Area contemporaries the Tower of Power is lead vocalist Lydia Pense. She has developed from simply belting out the blues -- ? la Janis Joplin -- to becoming an increasingly sensitive lyrical interpreter without diminishing her prowess or guttural growl. One prime example is her ease and agility on the cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" -- which likewise includes some of the finest and most tasteful contributions from the horn section. The same can also be said of their cover of the Band's "Sleeping" -- retaining much of the same charm as the original. Cold Blood contrasts the mellow with a few loud funkified fusion numbers, such as the lead track, "Baby I Love You," and "Kissing My Love" -- which hearkens directly back to the double-jointed rhythms found in the band's eponymously titled debut album. Another highlight is Raul Matute's Hammond-organ on the classic blues "Feel So Bad" -- which is similar to Ray Charles' original reading. BIOGRAPHY by Paul Collins A San Francisco-based R&B band originally formed by guitarist Larry Field as the "New Invaders" in the wake of the Summer of Love, Cold Blood had the key elements of strong female vocalist, a fine guitarist, and a powerful horn section. After successful gigs at Golden Gate Park and at the Fillmore, they were signed by impresario Bill Graham to his new San Francisco Records label, on which they released their self-titled debut in 1969. Four more albums followed over the next five years - in fact, later efforts boasted the production and musical contributions of Steve Cropper - but all were hamstrung by Graham's underhanded distribution deals with Columbia and Atlantic. Though the debut's single "You've Got Me Humming" crawled up to number 52 on the American charts, Cold Blood seemed doomed to labor in the shadow of bands like Tower of Power, Chicago, and especially Janis Joplin. The latter comparison became endemic among critics; for although blues belter joined Field's band as its youngest member -- she had formerly been, of all things, a childhood national rollerskating champion -- her magnetic stage presence established her as the band's central force. Eventually, the band billed itself as Lydia Pense With Cold Blood, and even released an album simply titled Lydia. Joplin sensed a kindred soul; after screaming at Cold Blood for scooping her on a blistering cover of "Piece of My Heart," she warmed to Pense enough to give her a swig of Southern Comfort. After hitting increasingly lower tier venues in San Francisco by the late '70s, Cold Blood disbanded for most of the next decade; Pense focused her energies on child rearing. By the late '80s, the band slowly awoke from its long sleep, and they began regular features on California's festival and fair circuit. A 1998 return to their Fillmore stomping ground brought out the band's faithful. </div> </div> </div> DOWNLOAD 06:17 13/9/2012 http://www.alwaysback.blogspot.com/ncr
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