Taj Mahal Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff Numbered Limited Edition 180g 45rpm 2LP (Vinyl)

TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal

Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the Original Analog Master Tapes & Pressed at RTI!
Numbered Deluxe Laminated Gatefold Jackets! Only 2500 Numbered Limited Edition Copies Worldwide!

TAS Rated 3.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the May/June 2012 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

American blues musician Taj Mahal, was born Henry Fredericks in New York in 1942. His music is a mix of blues, Caribbean styles, bluegrass and the music of Hawaii, where he lived for a number of years. Originally released in 1972, Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff contains seven live tracks and four studio recordings.

"ORG Recordings Group re-mastered 45 rpm vinyl is superior to most digital reproductions. Pressed at RTI and mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analogue master tapes, every nuanced detail, including the rarely used kalimba is pristinely clear. The tones of the steel guitar are rich in texture. Audiophiles and Taj Mahal enthusiasts will want to add Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff to their collections." - Robbie Gerson, www.audaud.com

Guitar/piano playing rural blues revivalist Taj Mahal was quite a rarity in the late 1960s - a young black man who accurately revived classic country blues for a new generation of listeners. Mahal took an archival interest in folk blues while joining in during the early '60s. On this album, the first seven tracks were recorded live at the Fillmore West and the rest at Columbia's San Francisco studios with backup from the Pointer Sisters. The title Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff certainly sums up the album quite well - that's exactly what Taj Mahal has been doing for several years by this point!

"Backed by the “unknown” (at the time, anyway) Pointer Sisters, Taj reinvents Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago” and makes it his own. The gospel-laden backup vocals are exultant. The Pointers resonate like soulful Andrews Sisters with their three-part harmonies on “Texas Woman Blues.” - Robbie Gerson, www.audaud.com

Arguably his Best Album of All-Time! Warm, Earthy Down Home Soul!

"...I’m convinced that someone at ORG knows how to pick ’em. As a 45rpm record with four sides instead of two, Recycling contains inspired performances matched with impressive sonics on every side. The live cuts do a fine job of capturing the timbre of the instruments and the energy of a concert, especially when Taj rips into a National steel-bodied guitar solo on “Bound to Love Me Some” and tears into the banjo on “Ricochet.” Like all the studio cuts, the classic “Cakewalk into Town” is improved, with a crisp and remarkably realistic sound. Both songs with the Pointer Sisters are a delight, and the upright bass on “Texas Woman Blues” startlingly clear and sharp. At times I wish “Gitano Negro” had higher recording levels, but again the timbre of the steel-bodied guitar comes through nicely. " - Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound, May/June 2012, 3.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics

Features:
• Numbered Deluxe Laminated Double Gatefold Jackets
• Only 2500 Numbered Limited Edition Copies Worldwide!
• Audiophile 180g, 45rpm Vinyl
• Double LP
• Pressed at RTI
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the Original Analog Master Tapes!

Musicians:
Taj Mahal, steel-bodied guitar, kalimba, banjo, conch, hand claps, upright bass
Howard Johnson, hand claps, tuba
The Pointer Sisters, background vocals

Selections:
LP1 - Side A:
1. Conch Intro
2. Kalimba
3. Bound To Love Me Some
4. Ricochet
LP1 - Side B:
1. A Free Song (Rise Up Children Shake the Devil Out Of Your Soul)
2. Corinna
3. Conch: Close
4. Cakewalk Into Town
LP2 - Side C:
1. Sweet Home Chicago
2. Texas Woman Blues
LP2 - Side D:
1. Gitano Negro