1972 David Clayton-Thomas – David Clayton-Thomas
The self titled album by David Clayton-Thomas was David’s debut album, released in 1972.
David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett; 13 September 1941) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Clayton-Thomas has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and in 2007 his jazz/rock composition “Spinning Wheel” was enshrined in the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In 2010 Clayton-Thomas received his star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Tracks
1 Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Dorsey Burnette) 3:33
2 We’re All Meat From The Same Bone (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler, Roberta Twain) 1:49
3 Stealin’ In The Name Of The Lord (Paul Kelly) 2:47
4 Dying To Live (Edgar Winter) 4:40
5 Sing A Song (Gary Wright) 2:44
6 She (Chris Ethridge, Gram Parsons) 4:49
7 Don’t Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young) 3:43
8 Once Burned (Todd Rundgren) 3:29
9 North Beach Racetrack (David Clayton-Thomas) 3:05
10 Caress Me Pretty Music (Alan O’Day) 3:22
Musicians
1 Magnificent Sanctuary Band
Bass | Joe Osborn |
Drums | Earl Palmer |
Guitar | Mike Deasy |
Guitar | David Cohen |
Keyboards | Larry Knechtel |
Piccolo | Johnny Rialto |
Trumpet | Ollie Mitchell |
Percussion | King Errisson |
Background Vocals | Clydie King |
Background Vocals | Venetta Fields |
Background Vocals | Melissa Mackay |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
2 We’re All Meat From The Same Bone
Bass | Jimmy Flim Johnson |
Drums | Richie Simpson |
Guitar | Steve Cropper |
Guitar | Paul Cannon |
Organ | Dick Halligan |
Percussion | Bobby Colomby |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
3 Stealin’ In The Name Of The Lord
Bass | Jimmy Flim Johnson |
Drums | Richie Simpson |
Guitar | Steve Cropper |
Guitar | Paul Cannon |
Keyboards | Jay Spell |
Background Vocals | Clydie King |
Background Vocals | Venetta Fields |
Background Vocals | Melissa Mackay |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
4 Dying To Live
Bass | Jimmy Lewis |
Drums | Jimmy Johnson (2) |
Guitar | Hugh McCracken |
Guitar | Sal Detroia |
Piano | Frank Owens |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
5 Sing A Song
Bass | Joe Osborn |
Drums | Earl Palmer |
Guitar | Mike Deasy |
Guitar | David Cohen |
Keyboards | Larry Knechtel |
Organ | Michael Omartian |
Percussion | King Errisson |
Background Vocals | Clydie King |
Background Vocals | Venetta Fields |
Background Vocals | Melissa Mackay |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
6 She
Bass | Jimmy Lewis |
Drums | Jimmy Johnson (2) |
Guitar | Hugh McCracken |
Guitar | Sal Detroia |
Piano | Frank Owens |
Background Vocals | Marilyn Jackson |
Background Vocals | Adrienne Albert |
Background Vocals | June Magruder |
Background Vocals | Marlene Verplank |
Vocals | Patrice Holloway |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
7 Don’t Let It Bring You Down
Bass | Russ Savakus |
Drums | Bobby Colomby |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
8 Once Burned
Bass | Joe Osborn |
Drums | Earl Palmer |
Guitar | Mike Deasy |
Guitar | David Cohen |
Piano | Larry Knechtel |
Percussion | King Errisson |
Background Vocals | Clydie King |
Background Vocals | Venetta Fields |
Background Vocals | Melissa Mackay |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
9 North Beach Racetrack
Bass | Jimmy Flim Johnson |
Drums | Richie Simpson |
Guitar | Steve Cropper |
Guitar | David Clayton Thomas |
Slide Guitar | Paul Cannon |
Keyboards | Jay Spell |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
10 Caress Me Pretty Music
Bass | Andy Muson |
Drums | Bobby Colomby |
Guitar | Jerry Friedman |
Piano | Paul Griffin |
Vocals | David Clayton-Thomas |
Other Musicians
Alto Saxophone – Joe Farrell (Track 10)
Baritone Saxophone – Ronnie Cuber (Track 10)
Flugelhorn – Ollie Mitchell (Track 8)
Flute – Don Hammond (Tracks 4, 6), Ray Beckenstein (Tracks 4, 6), Romeo Penque (Tracks 4, 6), Wally Kane (Tracks 4, 6)
French Horn – Brooks Tillotson (Tracks 4, 6, 7), Earl Chapin (Tracks 4, 6), Jim Buffington (Tracks 4, 6, 7), Dick Berg* (Tracks 4, 6)
Oboe – Al Genovese (Track 7)
Piccolo Flute – Johnny Rialto (Track 1)
Strings – Julie Held Strings (Tracks 4, 6), The Sid Sharp Strings (Tracks 1, 5, 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Giuffre (Track 10)
Trombone – Bill Watrous (Tracks 7), Garnett Brown (Track 7)
Trumpet [Piccolo Trumpet] – Ollie Mitchell (Track 1)
Tuba – Dave Bargeron (Track 7)
Liner Notes
Producer – Bobby Colomby, Joel Sill
Arranged By – Andy Muson (Tracks 10)
Arranged By, Conductor – Claus Ogerman (Tracks 4, 6), Jimmie Haskell (Tracks 1, 5, 8), Jimmy Giuffre (Tracks 7)
Engineer – Bill Schnee (Tracks 1, 5, 8), Fred Plaut (Tracks 4, 6, 10), James Green (Tracks 7), Mike Figlio (Tracks 2, 3, 9)
Mixed By – Bill Schnee
Cover, Design – Ed Lee
Photography By – Alan Ginsberg
Mixed At – Sound Labs, Hollywood
Mixed At – Whitney Recording Studios
Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
June 25, 2023 @ 19:19
Hello all – For the record, I’ve been a B, S & T fan from the band’s get go, and revisit their albums fairly regularly. What a great group of musicians! The only solo offering by a member of the band that I own (and continue listening to quite often) is the first solo release self-titled by David Clayton-Thomas which I strongly consider to have more than stood the test of time now for over fifty years since it’s 1972 release. While recently listening to this album in its CD format I decided to read the liner notes insert which I thought might include some info absent from the original LP release. And OMG – what a treat. I had completely forgotten that Bobby Colomby was the album’s producer and the list of session musicians is simply mind-blowing. (I think it’s more than fair to say that BS&T drummer Colomby is one of the greatest jazz/rock drummers of all time. Listen to “BS&T 4” and hear a master at work!). And Joe Farrell – one of the great soprano sax players ever – lends his support on DC-T’s take on “Caress Me Pretty Music”. It’s like WHO KNEW? And WHO could possibly ask for a better sideman?!?
Anyway, with all that said, I wanted to bring attention to a rather humorous, albeit glaringly and inexcusable error in the credits on this album: Track 7, “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”, is categorically NOT a song written by Neil Diamond as credited in the liner notes! As anyone with half a brain (or ear) would tell you, this song is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable songs NEIL YOUNG ever wrote, not to mention that over a years he’s performed it at nearby every concert he’s either headlined or otherwise been a part of. Surely any popular song media outlet and/or recording company worth its salt would at the very least have someone on staff & in house familiar with this fact. Granted…informational publication errors DO occur from time to time, but hey. Did not Columbia or CBS Records, or Sony Music which later bought Columbia, or by 2006 when this album was reissued by Repertoire Records (UK) Limited, but then only under a licensing agreement courtesy of the then & now yet even newer conglomerate Sony BMG Music Entertainment Ltd. (also UK based). Perhaps these huge companies should seriously reconsider requirement qualifications for their copy editing & proofreading departments moving forward – that is, of course, if they even HAVE such departments in their employ. To be sure the gaffe in question doesn’t rise to the level of an “end of the world as we know it” status. (That’s a matter better addressed in another completely different & well known song by R.E.M. and also
NOT written by either Neil Diamond OR Neil Young!). However, the fact remains that the misattribution of “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” on Mr. Clayton-Thomas’s splendid debut album is both oddly humorous at best yet somewhat egregiously & embarrassingly disturbing at worst. The good news is that Mr. Young’s excellent song isn’t likely to be confused with “You Don’t Break Me Flowers” anytime soon, if ever!🎶😲