Customer Reviews

Alone Together/Headkeeper

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In anticipation of the August 5, 2005 release of this disc, I sold off my MCA copy of 'Alone Together', and watched the price of the few 'Headkeeper' CD's on the market fall from thirty dollars plus into the five dollar range. The import release came first in early August, and I assumed a US (less expensive) version of the disc would follow shortly. When that didn't happen by early October, I broke down and purchased the British release. Despite the extra expense, I can already tell you that this is a musical trophy.

The remastering of 'Alone Together' has clearly produced the finest finished version of Dave Mason's seminal work. It's the only Dave Mason studio recording to provide a balanced mix of acoustic and electric passages, and each of the offerings is a classic composition. The disc stands as one of the most complete artistic pieces from rock and roll's most illustrious era. If it's acoustic ballads you seek, 'Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving', 'World In Changes', 'Sad and Deep As You', and 'Just a Song' are four of Dave's finest. If it's vibrant electric rock you seek, 'Only You Know and I Know', 'Waiting On You', 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave', and 'Look At You Look At Me' are also four of Dave's finest. The recording boasts a who's who of rock luminaries, including Leon Russell, Jim Capaldi, Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, and Rita Coolidge, just to name a few.

'Headkeeper' was Mason's follow-up to 'Alone Together', and it features five studio tracks and five live recordings. The studio numbers, save the title track, show Dave already digging headfirst into the soft-rock, acoustic genre that would dominate his productions in the 1970's, and admittedly become rather tedious. The best of the five numbers are the opener, 'To Be Free' a piano based duet with Graham Nash, which blends nicely with the acoustic numbers from 'Alone Together', and the fouth song, 'A Heartache, A Shadow, A Lifetime', again featuring Nash. Sandwiched between are two more acoustic numbers. 'In My Mind' features a George Harrison-like slide guitar, while 'Here We Go Again' features an acoustic guitar plucked to sound like a mandolin. Both are less distinguished than anything heard previously on the disc. The title track winds up the studio offerings, and Dave finally pulls out the electric guitar and wah-pedal once again, but the song is weaker than the electric tracks offered on 'Alone Together', especially the lyrical content.

The disc comes to life again on the five live performances, all recorded during shows at The Troubador in Los Angeles. The opening and closing tracks, 'Pearly Queen' and the funk-rock 'Feelin' Alright' sound fresh and energetic with some fine guitar leads from Mason. Surprisingly, two of the more subdued tracks offered from 'Alone Together', 'Just a Song' and 'World In Changes', are beefed-up with the presence of vibrant organ runs and more pronounced drumming courtesy of "Dr." Rick Jaeger, and some nice conga from Flaco (Felix Falcon). 'Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving' is actually more subdued than its studio counterpart, performed as a solo acoustic track by Mason.

The only disappointing aspect of this release is the packaging. The cardboard cover sleeve offers nothing not found elsewhere in the package, so it is rendered superfluous. The insert is dominated by John Tobler's biography of Dave Mason, but Tobler apparently had few resources to base his notes on beyond what one might find on the Internet. On several occasions Tobler "fills in the blanks" in Mason's career retrospective by speculating on what "presumably" or "apparently" was going on in his life. I also find it disappointing that no alternate takes or additional tracks were offered on the disc. To top it all off, the song listing appears four times in the inserts and on the disc itself, but nowhere are we offered the running times for the individual tracks. Thus, while the package looks nice, the substance is lacking. Despite these shortcomings, however, the fabulous work Dave Mason and crew did in writing and recording these numbers demands nothing less than a five-star rating. It is undoubtedly one of the finest musical productions I own.

Dave Mason remains one of classic rocks long under-appreciated guitarists and singers. In 1970, fresh from his break-up with Traffic, Mason released one of the great rock albums of the early seventies rock era. "Alone Together" is without question his greatest recorded achievement. Never has Mason sounded better, with help from some cutting edge musicians of the day, like Leon Russell, Jim Capaldi, Jim Keltner, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, Delaney and Bonnie, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, and Don Preston. The power of such rock anthems as "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave", with it's catchy Wah-Wah pedal and lyric is simply stunning. "Only You Know and I Know", was a top 40 hit for Mason, and has been a hit for "Delany and Bonnie", and "Rita Coolidge", on the cover circuit. "Look At You, Look At Me", is the best tune on a classic album that contains absolutely NO FILLER. "World In Changes" remains a concert favorite to this day. The world certainly has changed since then. The second album on this CD "Headkeeper", was an album Mason did not want released, due to contract problems with the record company. Hot on the heels of "Alone Together", the company had five studio recordings to work with, and to supplement the album, five live recordings were added. Some of the studio standouts here, is "To Be Free", which is a Mason closet classic, which sounds like it was recorded during the "Alone Together", sessions, complete with slow intro, eventually thundering into an all out guitar/gospel chorus which features Graham Nash, Rita Coolidge, and Spencer Davis. Songs like "Headkeeper", "In My Mind" and "A Heartache, A Shadow, A Lifetime", are all well crafted with catchy melodies and lyrics, and most of all well played. The live recordings are also done well, and may have been recorded in a small club environment. The highlights include: "Pearly Queen", and his signature tune, which became a huge hit for Joe Cocker, "Feelin Alright". The Cd has been remastered, and the sound is flawless and better than the cheap MCA version, which is a budget priced cd that doesn,t even afford you a liner note! That is a horrible way to treat a classic CD of this magnitude. This version gives you an eight page booklet, which include seven pages of very informative liner notes by John Tobler, along with many photo's from that time period. Finally, after all these years, Dave Mason's classic "Alone Together", has been released on CD with the artistic respect it truly deserves. If you are a fan of Dave mason, or just fan from that great era in rock history, this is a must have for your music library. Don't miss this one.

As: "Alone Together" the first solo release by Dave Mason has been reissued countless times, why you ask, should I spend my dollars on this reissue? Because simply this, the remastered, Alone Together sounds great, and as it now has: "Headkeeper", Dave's second record right here behind it, making this a great two-fer CD.

"Alone Together" has most of the classic Dave Mason Songs that frame his live concerts, even today. With: "Only You Know And I Know", "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave", "World In Changes" "Sad & Deep As You" and "Look At You, Look At Me" you can start up a fairly good playlist for any classic-rock radio station with those tunes alone! Dave, on this one is of excellent voice and if you weren't aware of his guitar skills, start here and be awed by one of England's finest players. This is good-time music with smart lyrics and some solo playing that can't be beat. This record is number 10 on my top-ten albums of the 1970's, and as it is overlooked in that decade that was best known for groups such as: Led Zeppelin, The Who and the Rolling Stones, it really does stand along side the best records from those bands.

It took a couple of years for Dave to release a second LP, but in early 1972: "Headkeeper", at last, did arrive in the record shops. This half studio/half live album wasn't promoted by Dave's record company (Blue Thumb Records) of the day, and was not as big on the charts as Alone Together. I played it for my friends, and all I heard back was: "I didn't know Dave Mason, HAD a new record out." The studio side usually get's slighted as containing weak material, but I liked these tunes in 1972, and I still like them today. The title track is the easy winner for best new song but, "In My Mind" & "To Be Free" hold up as well as all the good stuff that you can find on Dave's 1st record.

Side B of Headkeeper is: the live side with Traffic songs included: {"Feelin' Alright" & "Pearly Queen"} and songs from AT: {"Just A Song","World In Changes", "Can't Stop Worrying - Can't Stop Lovin"} recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Well, the press JUMPED on Dave for releasing these live tracks like they were used as filler here. One music magazine went and posted this as the headline: "Is Dave all dried up ~ No new songs? Well, my guess is that these bozos forgot about side one of the LP and they were out to get Dave anyway. For me the live side was my favorite half of "Headkeeper" and this was the music of Dave's that I played to my friends, because the live versions of these tunes really outshine their studio cousins. To make my point, play the version of: "World In Changes" found on the: "Alone Together" album, then play the live version found on Headkeeper. If you like the studio version over the live Troubadour version, please leave me a comment as to why you came to that conclusion.

Anyway, I like both of these albums and I feel it is a real bargain to have them both together on one CD. "Alone Together", isn't alone anymore, now it has "Headkeeper" with it to keep it company. Now, if they would at long last release; "Dave Mason Is Alive", Dave's next release that contains more of The Troubadour live sets (This was Dave's 1973 Album) That would indeed be fantastic.
Again, this is a Bargain!
FIVE STARS !!!

I absolutely LOVE this double CD! There are some duplicate songs however the ones off of the Headkeeper are live versions, which is fine by me. I have been listening to this CD non-stop since I got it and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in Dave Mason. The live Feelin' Alright is wonderful and funky. This Cd will be in heavy rotation on my 12 disc CD players so BUY IT NOW, you will not be disappointed.

A fine job of putting together Dave Mason's sensational debut Alone Together and the pretty good Headkeeper. The only down side; the liner notes, for which John Tobler (whoever he is) should suffer in eternity in a very warm place. I have never read such poorly researched, ill-informed, badly composed notes for an important artist. Mason deserves better but this disc is a bargain, despite the notes.

Right after "Alone Together", blue Thumb issued a single called 'Satin Red & Black Velvet Woman", which is nice as anything on the LP, and it wasn't included on the very patchy "Headkeeper". It's become a lost track, even tho it actually charted a week or two!

What a dang shame that BGO didn't bother to fit it on this CD...which is the only reason why I haven't bought it, yet.

I'm disappointed that it isn't included.

Since "Headkeeper" is a such a patchy LP, I would've issued "Alone Together" with something close to the original nifty packaging and splatter CD, and included three lost Mason tracks:

"Just for You" and "Little Woman", issued as a solo single for UK Island and both sides features Family as the accompanying musicians. "Just For You" was subsequently included on "Last Exit", but it wasn't a Traffic track.

"Satin Red & Black Velvet Woman"

Then, they could've coupled "Headkeeper" with the also patchy "Dave Mason & Cass Elliot" blue Thumb LP!

Worth the money just for the Alone Together portion. The re-mastering quality is just excellent and I hear all sorts of instrumentation I missed on the vinyl. Who is the terrific piano player?

Alas, the booklet contains little or no information, sort of a waste, and the Headkeeper live set is forgettable.

Okay, so it doesn't have the swirling colors like the LP. Just listen to the music. Dave's best, far and away.

I've been a Dave Mason fan a long time. My original copy of Alone Together was the wildly colored LP. I have to give Alone Together a 5 star rating...just one of the true classics for those whose taste runs towards Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Traffic, and so on. Every song a gem, and these are the original songs.

At its best in the original form, Headkeeper would get 4 stars from me. This version with recordings from the Troubadour lounge is simply nowhere near as tight as the studio album, and really is a 3 star rating in my book. So if you are a die hard fan like me, get this CD and ALSO get the original Headkeeper. Since this Alone Together costs no more than the version without the bonus tracks on Amazon, why not get it? But don't consider yourself the owner of Headkeeper until you buy the real thing.