The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973

by Taj Mahal

Overview

In celebration of his 70th birthday, The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 is the first of a series of volumes issued by Legacy that will eventually encompass his entire Columbia catalog. Hidden Treasures consists of a studio disc and a live one. The studio set contains a dozen tracks that were rejected from the final versions of Mahal's albums for various reasons, as well as alternate takes. All tracks are unreleased. The quality of the material can be slightly uneven, but that's to be expected (being rejects after all). That said, disc one is not without sufficient charm, and even revelatory moments. Its first four tracks feature Mahal and guitarist Jesse Ed Davis in the company of Jim Dickinson's Dixie Flyers. "Chainey Do" and the first of the two alternate takes of "Sweet Mama Janisse" are excellent showcases for Davis in the company of a stellar garage band. Other standouts on disc one include "You Ain't No Street Walker Mama, Honey But I Do Love the Way You Strut Your Stuff," with its studio intro where Mahal instructs the band on how to make it cook. And it does. The band includes a five-piece horn section that stars tuba masters Bob Stewart and Howard Johnson. Mahal's banjo playing works beautifully in the extended jam on "Shady Groove." "Butter" closes the disc and features Mahal fronting the band on harmonica, playing a sweet, instrumental version of "People Get Ready." Disc two, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970, is worth the purchase price alone. Mahal plays his National Steel guitar and harmonica, and is backed by a band with the late, great Davis on lead guitar. This set reveals Mahal as a musical shaman early on. He was even then able to skip across centuries, traditions, forms, and singing, telling tales and jokes without hesitation or faltering. He fully inhabits each musical persona he takes on as his own, yet they are all part of a single but multi-limbed lineage in his musicology. The disc is by turns rousing, rocking, and intimate. Whether it's in the a cappella take on the traditional "Runnin' by the Riverside," a cover of the Band's "Bacon Fat," the funky, gritty, original blues of "Big Fat" and "Sweet Mama Janisse," or the definitive version of "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day," this is all-killer, no-filler. Fans of Mahal's -- especially of his Columbia period -- will greet The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 with cheers. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2023
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262030596
Rank:	48575

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Taj Mahal   Primary Artist,Fife,Harp,Banjo,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,National Steel Guitar
Tommy McClure   Bass
Bob Stewart   Tuba,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Bill Rich   Bass
Gary Gilmore   Bass
John Hall   Guitar (Electric)
Greg Thomas   Drums
Jim Karstein   Drums
Jesse Ed Davis   Piano,Guitar (Electric)
Jim Dickinson   Piano
Michael Utley   Organ
Sammy Creason   Drums
Chuck Blackwell   Drums
Charlie Freeman   Guitar (Electric)
John Simon   Piano,Piano (Electric)
The Dixie Flyers   Featured Artist
Earl McIntyre   Tuba,Trombone
Eric Ajaye   Bass
Hoshal Wright   Guitar (Electric)
Anna de Leon   Vocal Harmony
Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu   Congas
Joseph Daley   Tuba,Trombone (Valve)

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Sleepy John Estes   Composer
Sonny Boy Williamson II   Composer
Blind Willie McTell   Composer
Bob Irwin   Release Production
Bob Dylan   Composer
Fred Catero   Engineer
Garth Hudson   Composer
Tom Burleigh   Project Director
David Rubinson   Producer,Compilation Producer
Robbie Robertson   Composer
Jerry Rappaport   Release Production,Compilation Producer
Jesse Ed Davis   Composer
Mark Wilder   Mastering
Tim Geelan   Engineer
Todd Whitelock   Mixing
Darren Salmieri   A&R
Taj Mahal   Arranger,Composer,Adaptation,Release Production,Compilation Producer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Allen Toussaint   Producer
Kevin Morris   Management
Eric Ajaye   Composer
Hoshal Wright   Composer
Chris Walter   Photography
Edward O'Dowd   Design,Art Direction
Bob Cato   Photography
Paul Goldman   Booking
Bob Love   Composer
Don Level   Composer
Joshua Knight   Booking
Miles Mellough   Liner Notes
Valerie Celene   Management