The Blood Sweat and Tears that created Child Is Father to the Man (released 2/21/68) is not the same band the public so wholeheartedly embraced via “And When I Die,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “Spinning Wheel.” As it turns out, the group’s name is actually something of an abbreviation of the moniker applied to the original eight-piece lineup of a band aiming to combine rock and jazz into a cohesive whole.
‘Al Kooper’s Blood Sweat & Tears’ is wry self-reference to the man’s resourceful and meticulous ambition to pursue an elegant expansion of the style to which he contributed as a member of The Blues Project. The Brooklyn-born songwriter/musician/producer sought to add horns to the latter ensemble, but its members demurred, leaving unfulfilled, at least temporarily, Kooper’s desire to act on how deeply moved he was seeing Maynard Ferguson’s big band as a teenager.
In the end, the very sophistication of BS & T’s debut was also its theoretical downfall. And that eventuality is all the more surprising given its release over half a century ago during that period of the late Sixties when such experimentation was at its arguable peak. The maturity of the work supersedes similar efforts of the time, including the Electric Flag and Chicago Transit Authority.
The baroque orchestration of “Overture” teases the subsequent compositions on the BS&T album. In doing so, this opening track, plus the “Underture” that bookends the other ten cuts, supplies just enough of a unified concept; it’s one that’s ultimately never overstated and, in fact, the sound effects at this very juncture undercut any sense of over-serious intentions.
Almost immediately thereafter, too horns and Blues Project alumnus Steve Katz’ electric guitar are prominent on “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know.” This arrangement of modified twelve-bar blues, far removed from the more elemental approaches of the era, mixes in more strings to a genuinely uplifting effect. One of six compositions (co-)authored by the keyboardist/vocalist at the helm of the band, it also provides contrast to outside material that accommodates equally varied and imaginative arrangements.
Besides the closing cut “So Much Love,” co-written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, the Tim Buckley co-write of “Morning Glory” benefits by the complexity of the horn backdrop, as does the cover of Harry Nillsson’s “Without Her” and this rendition of Randy Newman’s “Just One Smile.” The choice of the latter two comparably anonymous (at the time) sources of songs may be one of the most overlooked virtues of Child Is The Father to the Man.
But that’s only because similarly pop-savvy originals like Kooper’s “My Days Are Numbered” and “I Can’t Quite Her ” render more confounding the lack of commercial success for Child Is Father to the Man. The reason this LP floundered, however, may lie in the lack of promotion: only the latter, piano-dominated tune was released as a single, despite the fact Katz’ “Meghan’s Gypsy Eyes” had similar potential.
The lack of acclamation for Child Is Father To The Man–its title the source of a witty but surreal cover image–is all the more perplexing given that, as a means to fulfill his lofty ambitions, Kooper enlisted John Simon, fresh off his work on Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends, to produce the album. Simon would go on to work closely with The Band on their first two LPs, but not before applying the same fastidious approach to the music Al Kooper sought at the outset of this whole project.
It may very well be that painstaking approach that led to the internal friction resulting in the titular leader’s ouster. Needless to say, BS&T didn’t suffer in the short or long-term but neither did Al: as recounted in his entertaining memoir, Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock ‘N’ Roll Survivor, his rep as a studio musician stood him in good stead–he is the famous organ part on Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”–and, subsequent to his departure from Blood Sweat & Tears, he became a staff producer at Columbia Records, the label home of his former group.
Predating his managership and production of the first three Lynyrd Skynyrd albums, Kooper’s first project was the now-iconic 1968 Super Session album with Paul Butterfield Blues Band emigre Michael Bloomfield and Stephen Stills, fresh off the breakup of Buffalo Springfield (but not yet firmly united with David Crosby and Graham Nash).
Aiming at a burgeoning audience inclined to the collaboration of famous players, especially ones who enjoyed improvising–the eight-minute BS&T cut “Something Goin’ On” hinted in that very direction–the LP became a certified hit the year of its release and has only gained cachet over the course of time.
It is that very recognition that Child Is Father to the Man should have received five and a half decades ago but grievously did not.
One Response
Great article.
Was Doug Collette involved with the making of this album?