BOZ SCAGGS
It All Comes Down To The Singer And The Song
Boz Scaggs Reviews
SILK DEGREES REMASTERED
Review by Thom Jurek
allmusic
More than 30 years after the fact, Boz Scaggs' classic Silk Degrees still lives in musi-cultural language as his "disco album." For some who had been following the singer and songwriter's career since the late 1960s when he left the Steve Miller Band and became an R&B shouter in the grand tradition of his home state of Texas, this was a sell out. Many others had either never heard of Scaggs or knew his work marginally at best because he'd released four previous albums under his own name. and Silk Degrees became his pop signifier.The real truth of Silk Degrees and why, in 2007 it sounds perhaps more revelatory than it did in its heyday is that its songs, arrangements and production feel timeless. The roots of the album lie in Scaggs three previous Columbia offerings: the introspective crooning on 1971's Moments, the tough, danceable rhythm and blues and soul in My Time in 1972 and especially the sublime Slow Dancer in 1974, where he worked with Motown's Johnny Bristol. This last record placed Scaggs on par with Van Morrison and Daryl Hall as a great white soul singer who understood the nuances in the music as well as its dynamics.Scaggs left san Francisco for Los Angeles on Silk Degrees, paired with producer Joe Wissert (who brought Earth Wind and Fire to the popular consciousness with his production of the band's Open Our Eyes in 1974) and a mighty rhythm section that included David Paich who played not only keyboards but co-wrote "Lido Shuffle," and "Lowdown," and arranged the album, Jeff Porcaro on drums and bassist David Hungate. This trio was in demand studio players since leaving Los Angeles's Grant High School three years before— later they became known as Toto. (Paich worked off and on with Scaggs all the way through 2001's criminally under-noticed Dig.) The process of Silk Degrees becoming a bit is one of music legend in that while it was selling respectively, its first single, "It's Over," stalled at #38 until a Cleveland DJ began playing "Lowdown," during his shift-when DJs could freely select recordings and help to break them -and the record just took off, ending up at number three and poushing the album into the chart stratosphere.The new edition of Silk Degrees has been truly stunningly remastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering in Maine. In addition to the original, there are three unreleased cuts recorded at the Greek Theatre in L.A. during August of 1976 that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the music here could come off as well in concert as it did in the studio. Musically, this set doesn't really sound dated at all-especially considering the renewed fascination with disco as a critically overlooked genre in 2007. It may be a product of an era for those that heard it the first time around because of the smash hits "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown," that were ubiquitous on radio then, and are continually played on oldies stations now. The many sounds on the record are rather startling today Beginning with "What Can I say," the pumping bassline, horn chart and single note piano vamp as backing vocals and strings usher in Scaggs sultry late night slinky tenor. Hungate's fills pump the low end staggered with Porcaro's hit hat work takes it to the dancefloor straightaway. But this is still a soul tune in the '70s uptown mold. And one can just as easily picture Marvin Gaye singing this as Scaggs. With a great alto break by Plas Johnson it hearkens back to the grit of the Texas rhythm and blues tradition. "Georgia," (not the tune associated with Ray Charles comes popping out of the gate with a solid tom, tom rumble, swelling strings and a synth line that the Human League would have kille3d for a few years later. But it's Scaggs's smoother than fine hiskey delivery that trots it out to the floor. His sense of time with the rhythm section is uncanny. He is always on the one and lets his voice slip and slide all over Paich's arrangement with its swells and stops and a killer horn break. The streetwise "Jump Street," is the only real concession to Scagg's blues and soul shouter past, but it's a tough track, with a smoking guitar line by Les Dudek (Fred Tackett and Louis Shelton were the sionn guitarists; Dudek was a guest). And while Scaggs does a fine job with the Allen Toussaint standard-now not then-"What Do You Want The Girl To Do?" it's on his atmospheric ballad "Harbor Lights" that closed side one, where the album already defines itself as something for the ages. Paich's spectral electric piano line informed by Chick Corea's work with Return To Forever on Light As a Feather, and his hovering synth line around Scagg's tender tenor. When the refrain and Chuck Findley's flugelhorn solo float around the skeletal rhythm section, it underscores itself as of one of the great baby makers of all time.To think that the big singles are on the flip side of the album, beginning with "Lowdown"'s high hat and bass shuffle-that put the track on turntables under the mirrorball of danceclubs everywhere in the United States and Europe—-is puzzling and not so. What listeners heard but could not identity at the time were jazz references that were taking over that music's mainstream as well (Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mister Magic" and "Feels So Good" as well as George Benson's "Breezin'" and "cover of "This Masquerade" were hits in 1976 as well). Some of the session players on these sides included Johnson, Tom Scott, and Bud Shank as well as Findley. The synthesizer, bass and hit hat and cymbals were all of course on the funky side of things, but Paich was a skilled arranger who understood these tunes reached beyond the boundaries of rock, soul, jazz and perhaps it was in disco-on this album anyway-that they all came together. Check the big Barry White-styled strings on "It's Over" with its duet and backing chorus vocals on the verses, but the beats slip through standard time, especially in the mini bridges at the end of the verses. The long, instrumental and free form vocal at the end of "Lowdown," comes right from Stax Volt vamps but the uptempo funk and Walter Becker styled dual lead guitar, with the moog and Arp coloring in a whistle sound so closely associated with disco that makes the tune a wonder. Paich's uptown club reggae tiune "Love Me Tomorrow," fueled by Poprcaro's rim shots and Hungate's rocksteady bassline leave room for a gorgeous horn arrangement and Scaggs' soul duet vocal with a female chorus that mix the tune beyond boundaries-check the bluesy p electric piano fills Paich makes in between verses. "Lido Shuffle," is its own musical universe, with its single note bass vamp to introduce Scagg's storytelling vocal. When the band kicks in after the initial four lines, with fat horns and synths, But it's a blues and boogie tunes til the refrain. It swells bigger than life and switches to an R&B belter that is trumped by Paich's arrangement and the bigger than life sound. Those horns are so big Scaggs has to reach hard to get on top of them. Once again, Scagg's knows his strengths and closes the album with another ballad. "We're All Alone," that is as romantic as any rock performer ever got and showed the other side of his strength. His mellifluous voice, allowing the lines to float out of his mouth; it's a love song for dimming the lights and turning down the bed. In short. It is the quintessential lullabye for lovemakers in the silence of the night. It tops off a near perfect recording, one made for the concerns of the 1970s as joy, hedonism, and sensuality became hallmarks of the entire period in popular culture. That it sounds as beautifully crafted now is a testament not only to the production and care taken with the set, but its songs, which are, in large part, timeless. It tops off a near perfect recording, one made for the concerns of the 1970s as joy, hedonism, and sensuality became hallmarks of the entire period in popular culture. That it sounds as beautifully crafted now is a testament not only to the production and care taken with the set, but its songs, which are, in large part, timeless.The bonus material here-"What Can I Say," "Jump Street," and "It's Over," is exactly that and makes a case for Legacy actually issuing this live at the Greek set in its entirety. The first and third cuts jump as the dancefloor aesthetic is ramped up on the stage. It's funky, still smooth but somehow raw and wild at the same time. Scagg's vocals are so utterly transcendent he rises to every challenge the music makes. The tight performance is all but unhinged by his improvisational ability. Yet once again, "Jump Street," digs deep into Scagg's American roots lineage as slide guitar, pumping boogie woogie piano (that enters with a ragtime vamp) lets the audience know that he is not a Johnny come lately, or that he has forgotten the blues. This new edition of Silk Degrees is not only worth the purchase for those who know the record-it's been sampled more times by hip hoppers and dance music producers more times than can be comfortably noted-but for anyone interested n the music of the '70s, Scaggs, or in hearing a perfect meld of pop music's various lineages in a single disc can produce. Silk Degrees is every bit the memorable classic we think it is, but it is also one of the most enduring productions in the history of popular music. Finally, Scaggs, one of the great 20th century vocal stylists, who can sing anything and still has it is spades as evidenced by 2001's Dig, and his jazz record But Beautiful in 2004, should be coaxed out of his comfort zone obscurity as "something that already happened" and into a studio once again.
Review by Thom Jurek
allmusic
More than 30 years after the fact, Boz Scaggs' classic Silk Degrees still lives in musi-cultural language as his "disco album." For some who had been following the singer and songwriter's career since the late 1960s when he left the Steve Miller Band and became an R&B shouter in the grand tradition of his home state of Texas, this was a sell out. Many others had either never heard of Scaggs or knew his work marginally at best because he'd released four previous albums under his own name. and Silk Degrees became his pop signifier.The real truth of Silk Degrees and why, in 2007 it sounds perhaps more revelatory than it did in its heyday is that its songs, arrangements and production feel timeless. The roots of the album lie in Scaggs three previous Columbia offerings: the introspective crooning on 1971's Moments, the tough, danceable rhythm and blues and soul in My Time in 1972 and especially the sublime Slow Dancer in 1974, where he worked with Motown's Johnny Bristol. This last record placed Scaggs on par with Van Morrison and Daryl Hall as a great white soul singer who understood the nuances in the music as well as its dynamics.Scaggs left san Francisco for Los Angeles on Silk Degrees, paired with producer Joe Wissert (who brought Earth Wind and Fire to the popular consciousness with his production of the band's Open Our Eyes in 1974) and a mighty rhythm section that included David Paich who played not only keyboards but co-wrote "Lido Shuffle," and "Lowdown," and arranged the album, Jeff Porcaro on drums and bassist David Hungate. This trio was in demand studio players since leaving Los Angeles's Grant High School three years before— later they became known as Toto. (Paich worked off and on with Scaggs all the way through 2001's criminally under-noticed Dig.) The process of Silk Degrees becoming a bit is one of music legend in that while it was selling respectively, its first single, "It's Over," stalled at #38 until a Cleveland DJ began playing "Lowdown," during his shift-when DJs could freely select recordings and help to break them -and the record just took off, ending up at number three and poushing the album into the chart stratosphere.The new edition of Silk Degrees has been truly stunningly remastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering in Maine. In addition to the original, there are three unreleased cuts recorded at the Greek Theatre in L.A. during August of 1976 that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the music here could come off as well in concert as it did in the studio. Musically, this set doesn't really sound dated at all-especially considering the renewed fascination with disco as a critically overlooked genre in 2007. It may be a product of an era for those that heard it the first time around because of the smash hits "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown," that were ubiquitous on radio then, and are continually played on oldies stations now. The many sounds on the record are rather startling today Beginning with "What Can I say," the pumping bassline, horn chart and single note piano vamp as backing vocals and strings usher in Scaggs sultry late night slinky tenor. Hungate's fills pump the low end staggered with Porcaro's hit hat work takes it to the dancefloor straightaway. But this is still a soul tune in the '70s uptown mold. And one can just as easily picture Marvin Gaye singing this as Scaggs. With a great alto break by Plas Johnson it hearkens back to the grit of the Texas rhythm and blues tradition. "Georgia," (not the tune associated with Ray Charles comes popping out of the gate with a solid tom, tom rumble, swelling strings and a synth line that the Human League would have kille3d for a few years later. But it's Scaggs's smoother than fine hiskey delivery that trots it out to the floor. His sense of time with the rhythm section is uncanny. He is always on the one and lets his voice slip and slide all over Paich's arrangement with its swells and stops and a killer horn break. The streetwise "Jump Street," is the only real concession to Scagg's blues and soul shouter past, but it's a tough track, with a smoking guitar line by Les Dudek (Fred Tackett and Louis Shelton were the sionn guitarists; Dudek was a guest). And while Scaggs does a fine job with the Allen Toussaint standard-now not then-"What Do You Want The Girl To Do?" it's on his atmospheric ballad "Harbor Lights" that closed side one, where the album already defines itself as something for the ages. Paich's spectral electric piano line informed by Chick Corea's work with Return To Forever on Light As a Feather, and his hovering synth line around Scagg's tender tenor. When the refrain and Chuck Findley's flugelhorn solo float around the skeletal rhythm section, it underscores itself as of one of the great baby makers of all time.To think that the big singles are on the flip side of the album, beginning with "Lowdown"'s high hat and bass shuffle-that put the track on turntables under the mirrorball of danceclubs everywhere in the United States and Europe—-is puzzling and not so. What listeners heard but could not identity at the time were jazz references that were taking over that music's mainstream as well (Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mister Magic" and "Feels So Good" as well as George Benson's "Breezin'" and "cover of "This Masquerade" were hits in 1976 as well). Some of the session players on these sides included Johnson, Tom Scott, and Bud Shank as well as Findley. The synthesizer, bass and hit hat and cymbals were all of course on the funky side of things, but Paich was a skilled arranger who understood these tunes reached beyond the boundaries of rock, soul, jazz and perhaps it was in disco-on this album anyway-that they all came together. Check the big Barry White-styled strings on "It's Over" with its duet and backing chorus vocals on the verses, but the beats slip through standard time, especially in the mini bridges at the end of the verses. The long, instrumental and free form vocal at the end of "Lowdown," comes right from Stax Volt vamps but the uptempo funk and Walter Becker styled dual lead guitar, with the moog and Arp coloring in a whistle sound so closely associated with disco that makes the tune a wonder. Paich's uptown club reggae tiune "Love Me Tomorrow," fueled by Poprcaro's rim shots and Hungate's rocksteady bassline leave room for a gorgeous horn arrangement and Scaggs' soul duet vocal with a female chorus that mix the tune beyond boundaries-check the bluesy p electric piano fills Paich makes in between verses. "Lido Shuffle," is its own musical universe, with its single note bass vamp to introduce Scagg's storytelling vocal. When the band kicks in after the initial four lines, with fat horns and synths, But it's a blues and boogie tunes til the refrain. It swells bigger than life and switches to an R&B belter that is trumped by Paich's arrangement and the bigger than life sound. Those horns are so big Scaggs has to reach hard to get on top of them. Once again, Scagg's knows his strengths and closes the album with another ballad. "We're All Alone," that is as romantic as any rock performer ever got and showed the other side of his strength. His mellifluous voice, allowing the lines to float out of his mouth; it's a love song for dimming the lights and turning down the bed. In short. It is the quintessential lullabye for lovemakers in the silence of the night. It tops off a near perfect recording, one made for the concerns of the 1970s as joy, hedonism, and sensuality became hallmarks of the entire period in popular culture. That it sounds as beautifully crafted now is a testament not only to the production and care taken with the set, but its songs, which are, in large part, timeless. It tops off a near perfect recording, one made for the concerns of the 1970s as joy, hedonism, and sensuality became hallmarks of the entire period in popular culture. That it sounds as beautifully crafted now is a testament not only to the production and care taken with the set, but its songs, which are, in large part, timeless.The bonus material here-"What Can I Say," "Jump Street," and "It's Over," is exactly that and makes a case for Legacy actually issuing this live at the Greek set in its entirety. The first and third cuts jump as the dancefloor aesthetic is ramped up on the stage. It's funky, still smooth but somehow raw and wild at the same time. Scagg's vocals are so utterly transcendent he rises to every challenge the music makes. The tight performance is all but unhinged by his improvisational ability. Yet once again, "Jump Street," digs deep into Scagg's American roots lineage as slide guitar, pumping boogie woogie piano (that enters with a ragtime vamp) lets the audience know that he is not a Johnny come lately, or that he has forgotten the blues. This new edition of Silk Degrees is not only worth the purchase for those who know the record-it's been sampled more times by hip hoppers and dance music producers more times than can be comfortably noted-but for anyone interested n the music of the '70s, Scaggs, or in hearing a perfect meld of pop music's various lineages in a single disc can produce. Silk Degrees is every bit the memorable classic we think it is, but it is also one of the most enduring productions in the history of popular music. Finally, Scaggs, one of the great 20th century vocal stylists, who can sing anything and still has it is spades as evidenced by 2001's Dig, and his jazz record But Beautiful in 2004, should be coaxed out of his comfort zone obscurity as "something that already happened" and into a studio once again.
BUT BEAUTIFUL
Boz Scaggs
Gray Cat
2003
The cover of Boz Scaggs' latest release, But Beautiful, has a moody black and white photograph of Boz gazing across the black void at a silver toned microphone, his profile illuminated against the darkened backdrop in a soft grey light, his index finger curled pensively at his lips, Boz appears to be staring intently into the dark void as if reflecting on how he got to this point. The music behind this cover finds Scaggs singing jazz standards, backed by a polished and sometimes iridescent quartet (Paul Nagel; piano, Eric Crystal; saxophone, Jason Lewis; drums and John Shifflett; bass). Laid over the restrained melodies, Boz's voice caresses the listener in its soothing verse, delivered in such a professional yet passionate manner that it seems this is what he's always done. To a limited extent, it is.
A lot of people think that jazz is something new for Boz. But Beautiful is in fact a result of a meeting of these same musicians at a Bread & Roses benefit three years ago. But it goes back much further than that. When Boz would sing acappella on the street corners of Stockholm, Sweden in 1965, he would include jazz standards. Go back and listen to Finding Her (1969) and you'll hear his appreciation for the genre. Downright Woman (1971), with its subdued essence and jazzy melody, could be put on But Beautiful. Here To Stay's (1971) vibraphone tones, flutes and congas is filled with jazz influences. Sail On White Moon (1974) could have been sung by Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra, or Take it For Granted sung by Billie Holiday. What he's doing now is not that distant from Harbor Lights or We're All Alone (1976). Night of Van Gogh (1988) has the same light, bright piano, solid bass lines and expressive vocals that speak to us on But Beautiful. Fact is, this recording has been 40 years in the making.
From the opening cymbal taps on "What's New", with its beatnik-cool bass lines and clear, lightly placed piano chords, we are taken to a land so groovy that you can almost hear the fingers snap with the laid back beat in the dimly lit club. We have embarked on a lustrous journey into a sound made timeless by Boz's voice and backing musicians. Having been fortunate enough to see him perform this song at February's Bread and Roses benefit at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, I realized then that this endeavor was going to work to perfection, and the recording bears that truth out.
Once released from Boz's mesmerizing treatment of the lyrics of "Never Let Me Go", we are introduced to tenor saxophonist Eric Crystal. His rich sound contains shades of John Coltrane and nestles comfortably in the mood initiated by the arrangement. Wow. And just as you think it can't get mellower, we are greeted by the subtle tones of "How Long Has This Been Going On", with wire brushes washing the snare heads like water breaking over smooth creek rock, the sax moaning like the warm summer breeze, and the gentle piano chords playing like sunlight on the leaves of the trees. Then Boz fills the intro with his distinctive delivery of the verse. You can't help but think, "My God, what a beautiful song" as you melt further into the calming effect of the music.
By the time we get to the title track's rhythmic rim pops and underlying piano phrasing, I mean, we are into being relaxed. Crystal's sax has taken on more of a be-bop style reminiscent of Wayne Shorter. I can understand why he is considered as a fine talent in the scene. Before I've recovered from the effects of "But Beautiful", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" comes up, a beloved classic as fresh as the spring's source, and I heartily drink in its clear refreshment.
Song after song, we continue to be massaged and seduced by this music. It's not so much that But Beautiful is a radical departure for Boz as much as it's like letting us into his house to show us around. It's dark out, the lights are down, the fireplace flickers across the worn wood floor, and the velvet touch of Boz's voice makes us warm and welcome in his world. With But Beautiful as our soundtrack, we can enjoy falling in love all over again, basking in the beauty of the night, exploring the mysterious foundations of desire, propelled by the languishing melodies, the soft seduction of this sound, finding romance in the empty spaces previously unobserved. Uninterrupted by more up-tempo tunes, this seemingly endless journey in the slow-paced world becomes a welcome respite from reality's demands.
But Beautiful is an exemplary triumph for Boz. This is no blind worship, this is admiration for a true talent, a master with few peers. So, if there is to be a Volume 2, we can hope that Boz continues his formal foray into jazz by composing and performing his own songbook, sprinkled with some more standards. To the appreciative ear, he's proven he can pick them and has excelled in performing them perfectly.
- Skip Moore
skip@billmoore.com
Curtis Mayfield
By Boz Scaggs
If, in the late fifties and early sixties, you were drawn to that place on the AM radio dial where the rhythms, the grooves and the beautiful sounds of African-American soul were playing, you would have found Curtis Mayfield. Many of us first heard him as backing vocalist in the Impressions behind Jerry Butler, singing "For Your Precious Love," but he really came into focus in Butler's next big hit, "He Will Break Your Heart," which was written by Mayfield and features his strumming electric guitar to a saucy tango beat that you can hear echoing in Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem."
After that he was front and center, singing the lead about a "Gypsy Woman" in an exotic brew of castanets and dark ascending minor chords. At one point after the lyric "She danced around and round to a guitar melody," he fired off an accent on his guitar that resonated for years for many of us who tried to emulate him -- she cast her spell and he followed, with the rest of us close behind. You can clearly hear his influence in the monumental "Little Wing," by Jimi Hendrix.
But it was his voice that reached the higher ground. It burned with the abandon of the blues singer and an almost feminine longing, at once powerful and deeply personal. Women responded overwhelmingly to him, to his profoundly respectful and sensitive approach. When he sang "I'm So Proud" and "The Wonder of You," the vulnerability and passion got in real close. They knew he knew.
In the beginning, he made a gospel-like call to rise up, get on board and get ready. "I know you can make it," he exhorted to the slap of tambourines, hand-clapping and soul-stirring harmonizing. He later took on the voice of activism, calling out the diseases of urban America and again challenging people to see what was going on, a plea Marvin Gaye would take up, too -- see what's going on and rise above it. The full range of Curtis Mayfield's powers can be heard in the soundtrack to Superfly. It hits you in waves: driving rhythms with brass and string orchestrations countered by down-in-the-alley funk.
He was a dynamic performer right up until he was disabled in an accident onstage in New York in 1990. I only met him once, after a show in San Francisco. He was funny, gracious to all, had a beautiful smile and a genuine way about him -- a gentle and humble man at heart.
(From RS 972, April 21, 2005)