David Bromberg: My Own House/You Should See the Rest of the Band

As of the late 1990s, guitarist and fiddler David Bromberg was in musical semi-retirement, supplementing his day job-he now makes his living buying and selling American-made violins-with the odd club gig. But in the 1970s he had a thriving career as both a bandleader and a sideman, having played on seminal recordings by Bob Dylan, the Eagles and Jerry Jeff Walker, among others. This disc includes two of his early albums: first, the acoustic and largely solo My Own House, on which he plays a program that ranges from traditional Scottish and American fiddle tunes through Delta blues and songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Phil Spector. Talk about Americana. The second album included on this disc couldn't be more of a contrast: You Should See the Rest of the Band is a live recording with a large and very definitely electric band. David Bromberg the rock'n'roll bandleader is much more inclined toward horn-driven R&B ("Key to the Highway, " "Sharon"), although he does pull out the fiddle for a high-octane romp through a medley of traditional tunes at the end of the show. If I haven't mentioned his singing, it's because his singing, while not bad, isn't really worth mentioning. What stand out are his wide-ranging tastes, his instrumental chops and his skill as a bandleader, all of which combine to make this both a valuable piece of pop music history and a thrilling listening experience.
-- Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Garth Hudson plays keyboards on two of the tracks included here from Bromberg's live 1980 rock'n'roll album You Should See the Rest of the Band.

Tracks

1. Roanoke (Ahr)
2. Possum up a Gum Stump (Traditional)
3. Mississippi Sawyer (Traditional)
4. Leather Britches
5. Red-Haired Boy
6. Teetotaler's Reel
7. Wind That Shakes the Barley
8. Drowsy Maggie
9. My Own House (Traditional)
10. My Own House(Me Ain Hoose) (Traditional)
11. Hangman's Reel (Traditional)
12. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down(Medley)
13. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (Traditional)
14. Early This Morning (Blake)
15. Sheebeg and Sheemore (Traditional)
16. Cocaine Blues (Jordan)
17. To Know Her Is to Love Her (Spector)
18. Georgia on My Mind (Carmichael/Gorrell)
19. Chump Man Blues (Traditional)
20. Kitchen Girl (Traditional)
21. Black and Tan (Fuller)
22. Lower Left Hand Corner of the Night (Bromberg)
23. Key to the Highway (Broonzy/Segar)
24. Helpless Blues (Bromberg)
25. Sharon (Bromberg)
26. As the Years Go Passing By (Malone)
27. Solid Gone (Bromberg)

Sidemen

• David Bromberg - Guitar (Acoustic), Fiddle, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals, Producer
• Lance Dickerson - Drums, Vocals
• Peter Ecklund - Trumpet, Arranger, Cornet, Flugelhorn
• Dick Fegy - Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin
• Kirk Felton - Remastering
• John Firmin - Clarinet, Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Penny Whistle
• Tom Flye - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Garth Hudson - Organ, Accordion
• George Kindler - Fiddle, Mandolin, Mixing, Assistant, Electric Violin
• Hugh McDonald - Bass, Vocals
• Phil Carroll - Art Direction
• Nyya Lark - Assistant

David Bromberg - My Own House/You Should See the Rest of the Band - 1999 - Fantasy 24752