Music from Free Creek

Music from Free Creek is an album from a series of 1969 "super session" recordings by Free Creek, a group composed of a number of internationally renowned musical artists of the time, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Keith Emerson, Buzz Feiten, Mitch Mitchell and Linda Ronstadt. Joe Viglione from www.allmusic.com has stated that "Music from Free Creek is a super session album, where the musicians are playing for the fun of it, and that comes across. The material doesn't get bogged down in 'names'; it just flows."^[1]

History

The recordings, made in 1969, were released in 1973 in England as CADS 101 by Charisma Records and in the U.S. by Buddah Records,^[2] as a two-record set. The material was re-released by Charisma in 1976, as Summit Meeting. It was released on CD by Lake Eerie Records in 2002,^[3] and re-released by the same company in 2006.^[4][5]

Track Listing and Personnel

Source:^[6]

The Eric Clapton ("King Cool") Session

Source:^[7]

1. No One Knows (lyrics by Tom Cosgrove and Stu Woods, music by Moogy Klingman)

• Guitar - Eric Clapton (as "King Cool")
• Lead Vocal - Eric Mercury
• Organ - Dr. John
• Piano - Moogy Klingman
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Richard Crooks
• The Free Creek Horns & The Free Creek Singers

2. Road Song (Klingman)

• Lead Guitar - Eric Clapton
• Piano - Dr. John
• Lead Vocals - Tom Cosgrove and Buzzy Linhart
• Organ - Moogy Klingman
• Rhythm Guitar - Delaney Bramlett
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Richard Crooks

3. Getting Back To Molly (Klingman)

• Guitars - Eric Clapton (1st solo), Dr. John (2nd solo)
• Lead Vocal - Earle Doude
• Harmonica - Moogy Klingman
• The Free Creek Singers

The Jeff Beck ("A.N. Other") Session

Source:^[7]

4. Cissy Strut (A. Neville, L. Nocentelli, G. Porter, Jr. and J. Modeliste)

• Guitars - Jeff Beck (1st solo, as "A.N. Other"), Todd Rundgren (2nd solo)
• Organ - Moogy Klingman
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Roy Markowitz^[8]
• The Free Creek Horns

5. Big City Woman (Klingman)

• Guitar - Jeff Beck
• Piano - Moogy Klingman
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Roy Markowitz
• Lead Vocal - Tommy Cosgrove

6. Cherrypicker (Jeff Beck, Moogy Klingman, Stu Woods and Roy Markowitz)

• Guitars - Jeff Beck, Todd Rundgren
• Organ - Moogy Klingman
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Roy Markowitz

7. Working in a Coalmine (Written by Allen Toussaint)

• Guitar - Jeff Beck
• Organ - Moogy Klingman, Bob Smith
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Roy Markowitz

The Keith Emerson Session

8. Freedom Jazz Dance (Eddie Harris)

• Hammond Organ^[7] - Keith Emerson
• Guitar - Buzzy Feiten
• Drums - Mitch Mitchell
• Piano - Moogy Klingman
• Bass - Chuck Rainey

9. On the Rebound (Floyd Cramer)

• Piano - Keith Emerson
• Guitar - Buzzy Feiten
• Bass - Chuck Rainey
• Drums - Mitch Mitchell
• Occasional Voice - Geri Miller

10. Mother Nature's Son (Lennon and McCartney)

• Piano - Keith Emerson
• Acoustic Guitar - Carol Hunter
• Oboe - Lou Delgato^[9]
• String Bass - Richard Davis

The Harvey Mandel Session

11. Sympathy for the Devil (Jagger/Richards)

• Lead Guitar - Harvey Mandel^[10]
• Rhythm Guitar - Jack Wilkens
• Organ - Moogy Klingman
• Piano - Jimmy Greenspoon
• Bass - Larry Taylor^[10]
• Violin - Larry Packer
• Drums - Fito de la Parra^[10]
• Congas - Billy Chesboro
• Bongos - Didymus^[11]

12. Earl's Shuffle (Harvey Mandel and Earle Doud)

• Lead Guitar - Harvey Mandel
• Pedal Steel Guitar - Red Rhodes^[12]
• Organ - Jimmy Greenspoon
• Bass - Larry Taylor
• Drums - Fito de la Parra

13. The Girl from Ipanema (Antonio Carlos Jobim and Norman Gimbel)

• Lead Guitar - Harvey Mandel
• Pedal Steel Guitar - Red Rhodes
• Bass - Larry Taylor
• Drums - Fito de la Parra
• Shakers - Didymus
• Wood Blocks - Earle Doud

Odds & Sods

14. Hey Jude (Lennon and McCartney)

• Lead Guitar - Buzzy Feiten
• Organ - Moogy Klingman
• Drums - Mitch Mitchell
• Bass - Richard Davis
• Rhythm Guitar - Elliot Randall
• The Free Creek Horns

15. Lay Lady Lay (Dylan)

• Flutes - Joe Farrell (solo), Chris Wood
• Piano - Moogy Klingman
• Guitar - Doug Rodriguez
• Bass - Stu Woods
• Drums - Roy Markowitz

16. Kilpatrick's Defeat (Moogy Klingman and Mike Gayle)

• Lead Vocal - Timmy Harrison
• Guitars - Carol Hunter and Buzzy Feiten
• Bass - Stu Woods

The Linda Ronstadt Session

17. Living Like a Fool (Maxwell and Crutchfield)^[13]

• Lead Vocal - Linda Ronstadt
• Guitar - Bernie Leadon
• Pedal Steel Guitar - Red Rhodes
• Piano - Jimmy Greenspoon
• Bass - John London^[12]
• Drums - John Ware^[12]

18. He Darked the Sun (Bernie Leadon and Gene Clark)^[13][14]

• Lead Vocal - Linda Ronstadt
• Guitar - Bernie Leadon
• Pedal Steel Guitar - Red Rhodes
• Piano - Jimmy Greenspoon
• Bass - John London
• Drums - John Ware
• Violin - Chris Darrow

The Free Creek Horns are:

• Lou Delgato
• Bobby Keller
• Meco Monardo
• Tom Malone
• Lew Soloff
• Alan Rubin
• Bill Chase

The Free Creek Singers are:

• Valerie Simpson
• Maeretha Stewart
• Hilda Harris

Other Credits and Particulars

Music from Free Creek was recorded and mixed in New York City at The Record Plant, June, July & August, 1969

Produced by Earle Doud and Tom Flye
Executive Producer and Musical Director: Moogy Klingman
Engineers: Tony Bongiovi and Jack Hunt
Additional mixes: Keith Emerson and Neil Slaven
Album cover painting by Ronchetti and Day
Album cover design: Hipgnosis

Track listing

The UK release of the double LP arranges the tracks in the following order:

LP 1, side A (ADS1A, stated running time 17:52)

• Cissy Strut
• Freedom Jazz Dance
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Mother Nature's Son
• Road Song

LP1, side B (ADS1B, stated running time 15:50)

• Lay Lady Lay
• Hey Jude
• He Darked the Sun
• Earl's Shuffle

LP2, side A (ADS2A, stated running time 17:21)

• Getting Back to Molly
• Cherrypicker
• Kilpatrick's Defeat
• Girl from Ipanema
• No One Knows

LP2, side B (ADS2B, stated running time 15:42)

• Living Like a Fool
• Working in a Coalmine
• Big City Woman
• On the Rebound

The 2006 Lake Eerie single CD Free Creek LER 43014 has the same 18 tracks in the same order from LP1 side A through to LP2 side B, with some minor variations in track titles and musician credits.

References

1. Joe Viglione, Review of Music from Free Creek: The Long Lost Super Session Album, 2003; All Music Guide, as reprinted by www.answers.com.
2. U.S. distributor of Charisma Records as of 1971; see Charisma Records.
3. See Music from Free Creek CD Release Particulars; www.allmusic.com.
4. It is unclear whether Lake Eerie Records is releasing the album with the requisite permissions or clearances. Peter Kaukonen alleges that his own material is being distributed by Lake Eerie Records without his consent and in circumstances where he is receiving no royalties. See The Devil Finds Work For Idle Thoughts (PK Editorials); March 31, 2006; www.peterkaukonen.com.
5. In addition, Moogy Klingman, the executive producer, appears to have manufactured CD copies from the record, which he has made available for sale; www.moogymusic.com. The ownership and location of the master tapes are uncertain.
6. See Details of Track Listing and Personnel by Moogy Klingman who, at the age of nineteen, was the album's executive producer, musical director and a principal co-writer of many of the album songs; www.moogymusic.com.
7. Interview with Moogy Klingman by I.C. Timerow, 2001; www.moogymusic.com; for contractual reasons, neither Eric Clapton nor Jeff Beck appeared under their own names.
8. Associated with Janis Joplin 1968-1969 as the drummer in her Kozmic Blues Band. Left prior to band recording album. See Miguel Terol, Roy Markowitz Info; The Musicians' Olympus.
9. played and recorded in the Buddy Rich Band
10. Members of Canned Heat, recording around the same time as the band's appearance at Woodstock.
11. Richard "Didymus" Washington, a percussionist touring at the time with Dr. John; see Dr. John. Washington later contributed to the Los Angeles sessions of the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street album, most notably the marimbas on "Sweet Black Angel".
12. Members of the First National Band, with Mike Nesmith.
13. Later released as a single; see Linda Ronstadt discography
14. Later appearing on Ronstadt's Silk Purse album (1970); also known as "He Dark The Sun".