The married couple and musical duo Delaney & Bonnie ignited critics, fans and famous musical colleagues alike to veritable bursts of exultation. Mick Jagger talked matter-of-factly of "convincing white gospel," Eric Clapton regarded the duo as the "best pop band in the world" and the Chicago Daily News declared that Delaney & Bonnie were better than Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles put together.
Indeed the combined voices in the arrangements are so closely knit here that there's not a millimeter of space between the singer and backing. In "Hard Luck And Troubles," a dry cantankerous groove, the vocals cling to a sinewy bass line, criss-crossed by short chords on the organ. Gospel is celebrated spiritually, yet not too much so, in a rocking, rhythmic and dense interplay between the soloist and chorus. Great ballads, hovering above a vibrating carpet of sound on the organ ("The Love Of My Man") and crisp, firm winds ("Alone Together") are also included in this exquisite 1970 collection of moving pop-soul.
This Speakers Corner 180g vinyl LP reissue was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head.
- Hard Luck and Troubles
- God Knows I Love You
- Lay Down My Burden
- Medley: Come On In My Kitchen / Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean / Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
- The Love Of My Man
- They Call It Rock & Roll Music
- Soul Shake
- Miss Ann
- Alone Together
- Living On the Open Road
- Let Me Be Your Man
- Free the People