Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards [Paperback]

Al Kooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

°A rock 'n roll classic, back in print, updated and revised.°¶One of the funniest rock memoirs ever, Al Kooper's legendary °Backstage Passes° is available again! Al's quirkly life, from would'be teenage rocker, to crashing Bob Dylan's recording session and playing the organ on °Highway 61°, to forming Blood, Sweat, and Tears and masterminding the Super Sessions, it's all here...plus, in this updated version, Al rides with us all the way back to the end of the 20th century. There has never been a more wickedly humorous and honest book by a man who has made such rock history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; Updated Ed edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879309229
• ISBN-13: 978-0879309220
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More tales from the Forrest Gump of rock and roll, March 5, 2008

By 

J. Miller "Gotmywings2001" (East Hartford, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards (Paperback)

Al Kooper has been rightly called the "Forrest Gump" of rock and roll. Throughout the 60's and 70's he seemed to turn up as a producer or band member with the right group of musicians until he either checked out of a band (the first electric Bob Dylan tour in 1965) or was thrown out (Blood, Sweat and Tears). Over the course of 40 years he's amassed an amazing amount of experiences that he's collected in Backstage Passes and Back Stabbing Bastards. This is the third edition of his music biography first published in 1979, then updated in the mid-90's, and now reissued covering 1998 to the present. "BP&BB" reads very much like a long-form interview you'd see in Rolling Stone (when it was good) or MOJO (always good). While he's never quite gone beyond cult figure status on his own, behind the scenes he's worked with some legends, most notably Bob Dylan and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Dylan pops up at various times throughout the book and Al's stories about him are alternately revealing but mostly hilarious. It was Dylan who gave Kooper his "calling card" to rock stardom when he overruled producer Tom Wilson and turned up the organist on "Like a Rolling Stone". The organist was Kooper, who'd BS'd his way onto the session and only jumped on the organ (an instrument he couldn't turn on let alone play) when Mike Bloomfield showed up and shattered Kooper's guitar hero dreams just by tuning up. That session would be both a blessing and a curse for Kooper, who got a ton of session work from producers looking for "that Dylan sound" but left Al wanting something more substantive musically. Enter Dylan, who dragged him onstage at the legendary Newport Folk Festival when he went electric. Al sets the record straight on that show and has a much different version of the event than the history books because he was RIGHT THERE. He was also "right there" when Bob went to Nashville to record "Blonde on Blonde". Al's relationship with Dylan has certainly evolved over the years and from his stories you get the impression that Bob's been doing everything he can to run away from his legacy instead of embracing it.

From there, he joined the Blues Project until they imploded. Organized and performed at Monterey Pop, then formed Blood Sweat and Tears until he was ousted by their drummer following their debut album. That might be the end of the story right? Wrong! Taking the phrase "if you can't beat `em, join `em" to heart, he became a staff producer at CBS Records under "Captain Clive" Davis. His first project would be the legendary "Super Session" album with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. Kooper's work with "Bloomers' is a case of missed opportunities, when things were good with him they were very good. They would produce 3 albums together but Mike could be exasperating to deal with. He only appeared on ½ of "SS" and "The Live Adventures", leaving suddenly midway through both due to chronic insomnia and/or a heroin addiction that eventually took his life.

After leaving CBS, he relocated to Atlanta with the idea of forming his own record label (ala` Phil Walden at Capricorn Records). While scouting local talent he spotted a guitar army from Jacksonville and "Sounds of the South's" first artist was Lynyrd Skynyrd. LS seem to have a love/hate relationship with Kooper. While grateful for producing their first 3 albums (as well as hits like "Free Bird", "Gimme 3 Steps" and "Sweet Home Alabama") his production methods seemed to soften the powerhouse sound they had live. It's no wonder he was immortalized as "Mr. Yankee Slicker" in the song "Workin' for MCA".

The one story I wished he'd expanded on was playing with Jimi Hendrix on "Electric Ladyland". They'd met at Monterey Pop and Al received one of Jimi's Strats as a thank-you for his work. That guitar would prove to be more trouble than it was worth later on.

The last 10 years have been something of a rough road for Al. He became an associate professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, became a grandfather, and endured a long recovery from a debilitating eye disorder. But he's still out playing live (with his academic colleagues no less!) and his dry wit is still there, can't wait for volume 4!

Highly recommended!

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, Al, not bad at all!!, April 2, 2008

By 

Samuel B. King "Sam King" (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards (Paperback)

I first discovered Al Kooper in 1966 at a local record store in rural northern Maine. I think it was the Jaquar (or was it a Jazzmaster) Steve Katz was holding on the album cover which drew me to it. Whatever...but, it was the crazy schizo guitar of Danny Kalb and keyboards of Al Kooper which really impacted on me. Later, I recognized this guy "Al Kooper's" name on Dylan albums, his face on the debut album of the first Jazz rock band (with horns, no less)and then his work with guitar virtuoso Mike Bloomfield. Decades later I actually met Mr. Kooper briefly (not that he would remember me)at the Redding Roadhouse in Connecticut and was releived that he was a gracious nice guy, more tolerant than most with fans. Enough about my experiences.

Al Kooper is a musician's musician. His experience spans the history of good popular music from the late '50s to the present. It is intriging to figuratively be a "fly on the wall" as Al relates his experiences with the Blues Project, Dylan, BS&T, Bloomfield, Skynrd, Jimmy Vivino, the Beatles, Stones...shall I go on? His wit, objectivity about himself and down to earth perspective on events which (although many of us see in mythic proportions - Dylan's Highway '61, for instance)he actually lived, make this book a uniqely honest portrayal of the period. If you are a guitar player who grew up during the mid-late '60s in America, you probably were either a Bloomfield or Kalb fan. Well, Al played with both of them. If you are a Hammond B3 player who grew up during the same period, well, you must be aware of Al's work. For you other people who may not know about Mr. Kooper's contributions,you you are in for a surprise, a big one!! Mr. Kooper, as a working musician, provides inside details of events only someone with his experience could. This book is highly recommended for anyone who has even a passing interest in rock, blues, culture or just likes a good read. "Dr." Kooper is one of the good guys and really delivers with this one!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Coffee & White Chocolate: A Winning Combination, January 24, 2009

By 

Jimmy James "Jimmy James" (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards (Paperback)

As a 50 year-old musician who was born and raised in Greenwich Village (Al's old stomping ground at one point in his life), I've read alot of biographies and autobiographies by musicians over the years, and I can honestly say that Al Kooper's book is without a doubt the best I have ever read. Period.

Al's writing style is remarkably conversational in tone, like you're kicking back with an old friend who is regaling you with stories and anecdotes from an extrordinary career in the music biz.

To his credit, Al doesn't just give you the the stuff that makes him look good, he gives you the bad and the ugly too. You get the whole enchilada: the sex, the drugs, AND the Rock n' Roll.

In sum, you get a fascinating glimpse into the life of a sucessful musician, composer, arranger, and producer who had the uncanny good fortune of being in the right place at the right time, and made the most of each opportunity. I cannot recommend this book too highly -- buy it, read it, digg it.