1972 David Clayton-Thomas – David Clayton-Thomas

David Clayton-Thomas, Jimmie Haskell, Jimmy Flim Johnson, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Osborn, Larry Knechtel, Michael Omartian, Mike Deasy

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.

1 Comment

Mark W. Street
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!🎶😲