Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (Columbia Legacy)
From The Archives: The Rising Sons couldn't decide whether to be a rock or blues band and tried to settle for both.
Way back in the mid-1960s, there was talk of a hot West Coast band called the Rising Sons featuring a singer named Taj Mahal and a guitarist named Ry Cooder. They released a single of Rev. Gary Davis' "Candyman," but nothing else was heard until Mahal's first solo album a few years later which included Cooder on guitar and mandolin. I was happily surprised to walk into a store a couple of months ago and see Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (Columbia Legacy). The album represents the first recordings of Mahal and Cooder and will be of interest to fans of both.
The Rising Sons couldn't decide whether to be a rock or blues band and tried to settle for both. This dilemma is detailed in the excellent, often humorous liner notes and the music bears this out. The blues songs stand out and most of the rock tracks are kind of funny.
Some of the blues tracks are kind of funny too -- Cooder probably doesn't want to remember his vocal on Skip James' "Devil's Got My Woman."
Still, there's lots of good stuff including two different versions of "Statesboro Blues," that lost single of "Candy Man," Sleepy John Estes' "Divin' Duck Blues" a beautiful song called "Train."
Also worthwhile is the early version of "Take A Giant Step," still a staple of Mahal's shows, Pamela Polland's "Tulsa County," later done by the Byrds, and Dylan's "Walkin' Down the Line" with different lyrics than usual and Mahal playing a very Dylanesque harp solo.
The album came out with Mahal's cooperation and he even added new vocals to three instrumental tracks, "Dust My Broom," "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Baby What You Want Me To Do" replacing vocal tracks apparently lost. Making the album more fun is that only if you know that last bit of information can you tell.
Mahal and Cooder recently reunited for a tribute album to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, major influences on both.