Bobby Shad & The Bad Men: A 65-Piece Rock Workshop

Legendary jazz producer Bob Shad gathered a massive ensemble of jazz musicians for this 1973 album of instrumental rock covers, including a take on The Band's Up On Cripple Creek.

The only album to ever credit producer Bob Shad as a leader -- even though the man had been behind so many famous records on labels that include Mainstream, Time, and Mercury! This set has Shad taking the hip vibe of the Mainstream label to the forefront -- mixing funky jazz and trippier rock touches together beautifully -- blending Mainstream's worlds of psych and soul in a tremendous way -- as he turns out these fresh new takes on big tunes from the time -- all redone here as fuzzy instrumentals! The great Ron Frangipane handled arrangements -- and titles include "Whole Lotta Love", "Pinball Wizard", "I Want You Back", "Instant Karma", and "No Time". --from dustygrove.com   Bob Shad was one of the key jazz producers of the 20th Century alongside Creed Taylor, Orrin Keepnews, Bob Thiele and Nesuhi Ertegun. He left an unforgettable mark on music across many genres, producing more than 800 albums over a 40 years career and recording many Giants in the process. "He was not just commercial, he recorded mainly what he believed in.", said critic Leonard Feather. Born in New York on February 12th, 1920, Bob Shad got in the music business in 1946 working first for National Records and then for Savoy Records as they bought National. It was the beginning of a long and fruitful journey which saw him work with Charlie Parker on the legendary Savoy Sessions, set up EmArcy Records in the 50s and produce a 7" single in 1958 by The Jades featuring a 15 year old guitarist named Lou Reed. Oh and he recorded Janis Joplin's first LP in 1966 with Big Brother & The Holding Co. The list of luminaries Shad recorded or discovered is endless: Lightnin' Hopkins and Art Blakey, Max Roach and John Cage, Cannonball Adderley and The Platters, Sarah Vaughan and Quincy Jones. An entrepreneur at heart, he founded a new label, Mainstream Records in 1964 producing jazz, psychedelia and soundtracks. In 1971, he started the cult Mainstream MRL 300 series featuring the radical sound of the early 70s recorded by a new wave of young robe-dressed jazzmen, influenced by both the modal sound of the New Thing and the funk of Sly Stone. Shad didn't restrict his productions to one particular genre and also recorded young soul divas such as Ellerine Harding, Maxine Weldon and above all Alice Clark, whose eponymous album mixing soul with Ernie Wilkins' funky big band arrangements has become an absolute classic. --Superfly Records

Tracks

1. Whole Lotta Love
2. Pinball Wizard
3. No Time
4. Prelude (To A Bad Man)
5. Instant Karma
6. Up On Cripple Creek
7. I Want You Back

Bobby Shad And The Bad Men - A 65-Piece Rock Workshop - 1973 - Mainstream Records MRL-306