I thought Scraps was a good album, but Workshop is the one that really did it for me. The playing on Blues Stay Away From Me is just *IT*. To me, it's about the earliest example of that rockin' energetic live Q sound on a studio album that says Big Al Has Arrived.
I agree. It's so powerful. I also love his solo on Joey's "I Got A Little Secret". Al is the master at saying a lot in a short solo.
I was lucky to find the pretty-rare Workshop album for 2 bucks at a record show when I was first getting into the Q (circa '85)....what's the word on the "RC Cola & A Moon Pie" album?......a "sorta" version of Workshop with some different mixes & alt. tunes?......do y'all dig it?....honestly,I like it better than the original!
Al is the master at saying a lot in a short solo==> be careful John or we'll bring back the Al Anderson versus Johnny debate!
All of the recent Japanese cardboard-sleeved remasters are the ones to get. I've never heard any of those early-ish albums sound better. TAPDANCIN' BATS is a revelation. KICK ME HARD does just that! And yes, WORKSHOP rules.
I'm sure he would if he could ... but he can't. He doesn't own the masters, Sony Music does. Hunt down a copy of the OOP STAY WITH WE collection if you must have (most of, if not all of) NRBQ (1969 LP) on CD.
thanks for the tip rstamberg. I might even have it,gotta go look.sorry to hear the tapes are missing.
any more thoughts on the albums listed before we move on to All Hopped Up this weekend? Nice to see some people chiming in.
Wow, this is long overdue! Mighty nice. I grew up in NJ outside NYC and heard some NRBQ here and there on FM radio. I came of age in the late '60s- early '70s (born 1955) and they were doing lots of shows in my area, and I had read good things about them—but somehow never saw them. Until 1982—a triple bill of Marshall Crenshaw, NRBQ, and Dave Edmunds at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ. And after about two songs by the Q, I was sitting stunned in my seat, slack-jawed, absolutely floored/amazed by the band. I became an instant fan and proceeded to pick up every album and see them as often as I could -- don't know how many shows I've seen, but around 40-50? In so many ways, NRBQ IMO are among the greatest American rock bands. As a music lover of eclectic taste and one who goes in for musicians with an improvisational bent, I always really dug their approach, musicality, and chops. I'll pitch in on the album-by-album discussion this weekend. While they've never released a bad album, my fave faves tend to be Workshop, Tiddlywinks, and Yankee Stadium.
sluggobeast, welcome to the thread. i'll look forward to checking out your thoughts on the records so far. agreed that the free-spirited improvisational nature of NRBQ was totally impressive.
Before we move onto the next LP - I have to admit I don't yet own "Workshop". I bought the revised "RC Cola and a Moon Pie" LP years ago (which I love) - so I know a chunk of the material, but not the original LP (some cuts were left off the reissue LP). I really have to remedy this in the near future. Especially since I ended up spinning the "Moon Pie" LP tonight and enjoying the heck out of it. Been a long time since I heard "I got a little secret" - what a damn fine song that is! This thread has me digging out the albums again - nice to be reminded that as stellar as NRBQ was/is as a live act, they put out some really fabulous records. ---------- Chris
Are we talking about 1977's "All Hopped Up" yet? The original version (with blue letters on the cover) was issued on NRBQ's newly formed Red Rooster Records and a 45 of "Ridin' In My Car" was issued with a non-lp "B" side, "Do The Bump." A few years later, after the Q affiliated themselves with Rounder Records and put out "Kick Me Hard", a new version of "All Hopped Up" was issued (with pink lettering on the cover). Tracks were resequenced, a few seconds of pre-take talk at the start of "I Got A Rocket In In My Pocket" was edited out, and "That's Alright", which was originally sped up slighty, was restored to its un-sped-up version.
Wasn't "Call Him Off Rodgers" removed from the second version of "All Hopped UP"? I know there's some reason I didn't buy it.
You might be right about that. I don't have a copy of the Rounder lp/CD handy. By the way it's "Rogers," as in Roy Rogers. The song is about a guy who accidentally wanders onto Roy's property and is attacked by his dog. Hence the reference to Roy's wife ("And Dale's a lotta woman...") and the quote from "Happy Trails To You" played by the Whole Wheat Horns underneath the closing chorus.
