Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark - The Delbert & Glen Sessions 1972-1973 (2004) Lossless

The two albums compiled on this single disc, Delbert & Glen from 1972 and Subject to Change from 1973, were both issued on Warner Bros. under the stewardship of Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker, at that time easily the most adventurous and nurturing of all the major labels. Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark understood something about the amalgam of country and rock -- as well as soul and blues -- that eluded the Eagles entirely: that the roots of those musics were gritty, unpolished, immediate, and raucous. Therefore, in listening to these two long-lost gems, one feels as if the Faces were playing with Waylon Jennings and Booker T. & the MG's simultaneously. Fans of McClinton will no doubt hear the sheer raucous roots of his solo career in these sides -- the first of which was produced in Hollywood by T-Bone Burnett, the second in Birmingham, AL, by Geoffrey Haslam. McClinton and Clark were perfect foils for one another and surrounded themselves with monster talent: from Rick Cunha and David Jackson to Stephen Bruton, Sammy Creason, and Jon Faddis. McClinton wrote all the songs on the first album, and half on the second, while Clark wrote the remainder. But these records were collaborations right down the pipe. Clark brought the tough blues and R&B credentials as a session man, and McClinton had the voice, the soul, and the hillbilly country. Some of the songs that came from this period were "Ain't What You Eat But the Way That You Chew It," "Here Comes the Blues Again," "To Be With You," "Lucky Boy," "If You Don't Leave Me Alone (I'm Gonna Find Somebody Who Will)," "I Feel the Burden," "Sugar Daddy," and many others. This set is completely inspired; it's greasy, funky, roiling Southern wildness at its best and it provides the missing chapter in McClinton's discography . No jive "early years" detritus, this is the real thing and is essential listening for fans of Southern rock and R&B.