Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home

by Taj Mahal

Overview

In less than 24 months, Taj Mahal (guitars/vocals/banjo/harmonica) had issued the equivalent of four respective long-players. The electric Giant Step (1968) was released alongside the acoustic and decidedly rural De Ole Folks at Home (1968). The nine cuts on Giant Step feature support from the instrumental trio of Jesse Ed Davis (guitar/keyboards), Gary Gilmore (bass), and Chuck Blackwell (drums). They back Taj Mahal on a wide selection of covers ranging from Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Take a Giant Step" to the upbeat and soulful reading of the Huddie Ledbetter blues staple "Keep Your Hands Off Her." The arrangements are unique and offer the artist's distinctive approach. Nowhere is this more evident than the practically jovial midtempo "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" or the freewheeling abandon brought to the 18-wheeler anthem "Six Days on the Road"." Similarly, it recalls the version of "Ain't That a Lot of Love" from Taj Mahal's preceding LP Natch'l Blues (1968). Additionally, Blind Willie Johnson's "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" stands out with a strong and soaring gospel-flavored arrangement. The project concludes with "Bacon Fat," a number attributed here via Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson of the Band. That said, it may be better-known from the man they called Mr. Rhythm, Andre Williams, whose scattered down-home spoken interludes punctuate his February 1957 Top Ten R&B hit -- which incidentally was created under the working title "Diddle, Diddle Womp, Womp." Parties searching for an apt introduction when discovering Taj Mahal's voluminous catalog are encouraged to consider Giant Step as a highly recommended reference point. ~ Lindsay Planer

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2023
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262030589

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Taj Mahal   Primary Artist,Harmonica,Guitar (Steel),Guitar (Acoustic),Banjo,Guitar,Vocals
Jesse Ed Davis   Guest Artist,Organ,Piano,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jesse Davis   Organ,Piano,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Gary Gilmore   Bass (Electric)
Chuck Blackwell   Drums

Technical Credits

Taj Mahal   Composer,Arranger
Donovan   Composer
Lloyd Price   Composer
Dave Dudley   Composer
Sonny Boy Williamson I   Composer
Virginia Team   Cover Design
Ruby Pickens Tartt   Composer
Rod Dyer   Photography
Don Peterson   Cover Photo,Photography
Yoram Kahana   Photography
Jason Williams   Composer
Bob Love   Composer
Don Level   Composer
Gary Gilmore   Composer
Carl Montgomery   Composer
Carole King   Composer
Joel Hirschhorn   Composer
Garth Hudson   Composer
David Rubinson   Producer,Photography
Vera Hall   Composer
Robbie Robertson   Composer
Huddie Ledbetter   Composer
Sammy Davis, Jr.   Composer
Jerry Garcia   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Andre Williams   Composer
Sonny Boy Williamson II   Composer
Blind Willie Johnson   Composer
Chris Hinshaw   Engineer
Lead Belly   Composer
Earl Green   Composer
Jerry Hochman   Engineer
Jesse Ed Davis   Composer,Hand Lettering
Jerry Williams, Jr.   Composer
Rev. Gary Davis   Composer
Brian Ross-Myring   Engineer
Chuck Blackwell   Composer
Buffy Sainte-Marie   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Gil Turner   Composer
Harold Logan   Composer
Henry Thomas   Composer