Super Session

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Professional reviews
Super Session

Studio album by Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills
Released	July 22, 1968
Genre	Blues
Length	50:22
Label	Columbia
Producer(s)	Al Kooper
All Music Guide link The Music Box June '03
Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills chronology
	Super Session (1968)
Alternate cover

Album cover of 2003 re-release of Super Session

The album Super Session grew out of a single nine hour jam in 1968 by guitarist Mike Bloomfield and multi-instrumentalist Al Kooper and Stephen Stills of CSNY fame. Kooper and Bloomfield had both previously worked in support of Bob Dylan, in concert and appearing on his ground-breaking classic, Highway 61 Revisited.

Kooper, fresh from having assembled and recorded the inaugural incarnation of Blood, Sweat & Tears, booked two days of studio time with Bloomfield in May 1968 in Los Angeles. They recruited keyboardist Barry Goldberg and bassist Harvey Brooks, both members of the band that Bloomfield was in the process of leaving, Electric Flag, and well-known session drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh. On the first day the quintet recorded the first side of the album, tracks one through five of the CD version; the next day, Bloomfield, who was a heroin addict, abruptly disappeared after suffering an attack of what was euphemistically referred to as "chronic insomnia." Kooper hastily called on Stephen Stills to deputize for Bloomfield on what would become the second side of the album, tracks six through nine, including a lengthy cover version of Donovan's "Season of the Witch."^[1]

Some overdubbed horns were later added while the album was being mixed, which were eventually subtracted from the bonus tracks on the CD version. The album, which cost just $13,000 to make, was a top-20 hit which garnered a Gold Record award. Kooper forgave Bloomfield, and the two of them made several concert appearances after the album was released. One of these concerts was made into a live album.^[2]

1 Multi-Channel version
2 Track listing
3 2003 Bonus Tracks
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Multi-Channel version

In late 2004 Al Kooper released this statement:

“

To the best of my knowledge, based on an unnamed source, the new head of SONY/BMG shut down the 5.1 SACD department and let everyone go. A year and a half ago I remixed Super Session and Child Is Father To The Man for them in 5.1 SACD. They both came out incredible and so I mastered them with Bob Ludwig.Now it seems they will languish on the shelves under the current administration of SONY/BMG.,........Typical, in soooo many ways." ^[3]

”

The reason for this is that a legal challenge has been made that Super Audio disks contain up to three complete recordings of a work; one in the Hybrid CD compatible layer and two in the SACD layer, a stereo version and a possible multiple channel version.

Of course, if this is true, record companies could be legally liable for up to three sets of royalties. Since this would make the record much more expensive, it appears that most companies are avoiding this issue, if there is any contention at all, by simply cancelling the release of the SACD version.

[edit] Track listing

Music sample:

"Albert's Shuffle" from Super Session (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Albert's Shuffle". From the album Super Session.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.