Genre: rock
Rating: ** (2 stars)
Title: Genesis
Company: GNP Crescendo
Catalog: GNPS 2054
Year: 1971
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: small cut out hole top right corner
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6193
Price: $12.00
Sadly I bought this album at a charity shop the day before Delaney Bramlett died. Anyhow, with Delaney and Bonnie starting to attract significant publicity and record sales via their work for ATCO, it wasn't a big surprise to see record companies like GNP Crescendo quickly move to capitalize on that success by releasing a slew of quickie compilations built on demos and earlier material. Such packages are usually pretty crappy, with little interest to anyone outside of hardcore fans. The funny thing is that 1971's "Genesis" was one of those rare exceptions - certainly not on a par with the duos best studio sets, but worth hearing, especially if you can find a copy on the cheap. Technically the set should not have been billed as a Delaney and Bonnie package since only three the dozen tracks were true duets - 'What the World Needs Now', 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' and 'Can't Take Much Longer'). The remainder of the material reflected Delaney solo efforts. Cobbled together from a hodgepodge of previously released singles and shelved studio material, the set including three tracks produced by Leon Russell, six produced by Jackie DeShannon (!) and four that weren't credited. The mixture of popular pop and soul covers and a handful of originals wasn't prime Delaney and Bonnie, but it was never less than listenable and at four of the songs were as good as anything on their studio releases.
- While it won't make you forget the Jackie DeShannon original, this Delaney and Bonnie cover wasn't half bad. Musically it didn't stray far from the original (yeah, it was similarly over-orchestrated), though Bonnie's vocal wasn't nearly as good as DeShannon's - when she tried to 'power' her way through the ending of the song things turned shrill. rating: *** stars
- The same comments applied to their cover of The Righteous Brothers 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'. Once again the arrangement stayed pretty true to the original; perhaps speeding it up a trace. It was mildly interesting to hear it as a male-female performance, but again there wasn't anything particularly interesting with their remake and when Bonnie tried to turn up her vocal power the results turned irritatingly shrill. rating: *** stars
- Sounding like an early Delaney solo track, other than a nice electric guitar solo (not sure what the effect was, but it recalled something off of the Derek and the Dominos album), his cover of the chestnut 'Heartbreak Hotel' really didn't have much going for it. rating: ** stars
- 'Tomorrow Never Comes' found Delaney turning in one of his best Roy Orbison impression. Judging by the sound (and the absence of Bonnie), this must have been another early Delaney demo. Hardly essential. rating: ** stars
- Produced by DeShannon, 'I Can't Take Much Longer' was co-written by Bramlett and guitarist Steve Cropper. A wonderful, mid-1960s blue-eyed soul mid-tempo shouter, the result was one of the album's standout performances. I've been told this featured Delaney and Bonnie on lead vocals, but to my ears the female vocal sure sounded a lot like DeShannon. Regardless, it's the best of the three songs credited to the couple. rating: **** stars
- Another Delaney solo efforts, 'I've Got a Woman' sounded like Roy Orbison trying to do a Ray Charles impression. Surprisingly funky ... rating: ** stars
- 'Lonely Me' opened side two with a Jerry Lee Lewis-styled rocker. Certainly not the album's most original offering, but it exhibited considerable energy and a pair of killer guitar solos. Would love to know who turned them in ... rating: *** stars
- Opening with some Byrds-styled jangle rock guitar, 'Without Your Love' was a pretty folk-rock number. The song was co-written by Bramlett and Tim Hardin and I've always wondered if Hardin shared the lead vocal. A beautiful, laidback number that was quite commercial. rating: **** stars
- 'Better Man Than Me' continued in the jangle guitar, folk-rock mode, but added a touch of country-rock to the mix. This one's always reminded me of a Michael Nesmith composition for The Monkees. Great song and one of the album standout performances. rating: **** stars
- Another DeShannon production, 'Liverpool Lou' found Delaney showcasing some chameleon like skills, this time aptly nailing the early-1960s Merseybeat sound - imagine a Gerry and the Pacemakers track a-la 'Ferry 'Cross the Mersey and you'd know what to expect on this one. rating: *** stars
- 'You Never Looked Sweeter' was a straight ahead Roy Orbison imitation. Admittedly it was a good copy, but why would you buy a Delaney and Bonnie album to hear Orbison ? rating: ** stars
- Penned and produced by DeShannon, 'You Have No Choice' was a decent mid-1960s pop song. Truth be told, it lacked an instantly mesmerizing hook, but was still a fun performance. rating: *** stars
As mentioned above, several of these tracks had previously been released as singles:
Delaney Bramlett 45s:
- 1964's 'Heartbreak Hotel' b/w 'You Never Looked Sweeter' (GNP Crescendo catalog number GNP 326)
- 1964's 'You Have No Choice' b/w 'Liverpool Lou' (GNP Crescendo catalog number GNP 339)
- 1964's 'Better Than By Me' b/w 'Without Your Love' (GNP Crescendo catalog number GNP 363)
Delaney and Bonnie 45s
- 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' b/w 'Don't Let It' (Independence catalog number IND 78)
An inconsistent, but surprisingly enjoyable retrospective ...
"Genesis" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) What the World Needs Now (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) - 2:45
2.) You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) - 3:00
3.) Heartbreak Hotel (Axton - Durden - Elvis Presley) - 2:40
4.) Tomorrow Never Comes (H. Hall - Lelig Howard) - 2:10
5.) I Can't Take Much Longer (Delaney Bramlett - Steve Cropper) - 2:35
6.) I've Got a Woman (Ray Charles) - 2:50
(side 2)
1.) Lonely Me (E. Ballantine - S. Flick - A. Trace) - 2:20
2.) Without Your Love (Delaney Bramlett - Tim Hardin) - 1:40
3.) Better Man Than Me (Delaney Bramlett - Cooper) - 2:15
4.) Liverpool Lou (Dominic Behan) - 2:40
5.) You Never Looked Sweeter (Clyde Pitts) - 2:30
6.) You Have No Choice (Jackie DeShannon) - 2:00
