Indianola Mississippi Seeds

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Indianola Mississippi Seeds
Indianola Mississippi Seeds cover
Studio album by B. B. King
Released 1970
Recorded The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Genre country, folk, singer-songwriter
Length 39:20
Label MCA
Producer Bill Szymczyk
Professional reviews
B. B. King chronology
Completely Well
(1969)		 Indianola Mississippi Seeds
(1970)		 Live in Cook County Jail
(1971)

Indianola Mississippi Seeds is a 1970 album in which B. B. King mixed elements of blues and pop/rock. Producer Bill Szymczyk decided to follow-up on the success of the hit, "The Thrill is Gone" by matching King with a musical all-star cast. The result was one of King's most critically acclaimed albums and one of the most highly regarded blues crossover albums of all time.

The album appeared on several of Billboard's album charts in 1970, reaching number 26 on the Pop album chart, number seven on the Jazz album chart and eight on Billboard's listing for "Black Albums." The album also generated several hit singles, "Chains and Things", King's own "Ask Me No Questions" and Leon Russell's "Hummingbird".

King himself, also, views the album as one of his greatest achievements. When asked about his best work, King has said, "I know the critics always mention Live and Well or Live at the Regal, but I think that Indianola Mississippi Seeds was the best album that I've done artistically."[8]

Contents

[edit] Homage paid to a hometown

The album title is a tribute to King's upbringing near Indianola, Mississippi. Although King was born on a plantation between two smaller towns, Itta Bena and Berclair, which are actually closer to Greenwood, King has always considered Indianola his hometown.[9]

The album package — which was itself recognized with a Grammy — includes what appears to be a copy of B. B. King's birth certificate with official registration in Indianola. The liner notes also contain a note that reads, "Congratulations Albert and Nora on your son Riley, September 16, 1925."[10]

Over time, King's hometown has paid respects back to him. In 2008, the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center will open in Indianola, with the mission to "preserve and share the legacy and values of B. B. King, to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta, and to promote pride, hope, and understanding through exhibitions and educated programs."[11]

[edit] Critical acclaim

Indianola Mississippi Seeds is one of three of B. B. Kings recordings listed in The Rough Guide to Blues 100 Essential CDs (along with Live at the Regal and Singin' the Blues).[12] The album was named # 23 on a list of the best "Album Chartmakers by Year" for 1970.[13]

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother" (B. B. King) — 1:26
    • B. B. King — piano & vocal
  2. "You're Still My Woman" (B. B. King/Dave Clark) — 6:04
  3. "Ask Me No Questions" (B. B. King) — 3:08
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Leon Russell – piano
    • Joe Walsh – rhythm guitar
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  4. "Until I'm Dead and Cold" (B. B. King) — 4:45
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  5. "King's Special" (B. B. King) — 5:13
    • B. B. King — lead guitar
    • Leon Russell – piano
    • Joe Walsh – rhythm guitar
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  6. "Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore" (B. B. King) — 5:18
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — piano & electric piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  7. "Chains and Things" (B. B. King & Dave Clark) — 4:53
    • B.B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — electric piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  8. "Go Underground" (B. B. King & Dave Clark) — 4:00
    The Hit Factory, New York City
  9. "Hummingbird" (Leon Russell) — 4:36

[edit] Credits

[edit] Production

  • Produced by Bill Szymczyk
  • Strings and Horns arranged by Jimmie Haskell
  • Recorded at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
    • Engineers — Bill Szymczyk & Gary Kellgren
    • Assistiant Engineers — Llyllianne Douma, Mike Stone, & John Henning
  • Mastering — Bob Macleod — Artisan Sound Recorders

[edit] Other

  • Cover design — Lockart
  • Photography — Ivan Nagy
  • Management — Sidney A. Seidenberg
  • Leon Russell appears with love from Shelter Records
  • Carole King & Merry Clayton appear through the courtesy of Ode 70 Records
  • Congratulations to Albert and Nora on your son Riley, September 16, 1925

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album charts

year chart peak
1970 Billboard Black Albums 8
1970 Billboard Jazz Albums 7
1970 Billboard Pop Albums 26

[edit] Singles

year Singles chart peak
1970 "Chains And Things" Billboard Black Singles 6
1970 "Chains And Things" Billboard Pop Singles 45
1970 "Hummingbird" Billboard Black Singles 25
1970 "Hummingbird" Billboard Pop Singles 48
1971 "Ask Me No Questions" Billboard Black Singles 18
1971 "Ask Me No Questions" Billboard Pop Singles 40

[edit] Awards

Photographer, Ivan Nagy and cover designer, Robert Lockart won the 1971 Grammy for "Best Album Package - Incl. Album Cover, Graphic Arts, Photography" for Indianola Mississippi Seeds.

[edit] Releases

year format label catalog #
1970 LP ABC 713
1989 CD MCA MCAD-31343
1989 CS MCA MCAC-31343
1995 CD Beat Goes On 237
2002 CD Beat Goes On 237

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes and sources

  1. ^ Ron Wynn, "Review: Indianola Mississippi Seeds", All Music Guide (link)
  2. ^ Robert Christgau, "Review: Indianola Mississippi Seeds", Consumer Guide/Village Voice (link)
  3. ^ Martin C. Strong The Great Rock Discography, 7th edition, UK (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
  4. ^ Music Hound, USA, 1998-99 (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
  5. ^ Rolling Stone Album Guide, USA, 1992 (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
  6. ^ Gary Von Tersch, [Review], Rolling Stone, 73, December 24, 1970 (link)
  7. ^ Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, UK, 2002 (according to acclaimedmusic.net)
  8. ^ Jas Obrecht, Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists, Backbeat Books, 2000, p.328 (ISBN 0879306130)
  9. ^ Sebastian Danchin, Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B. B. King, University Press of Mississippi, 1998, p. 1 (ISBN 1578060176)
  10. ^ Liner notes referenced are from the 1989 remastered CD, Indianola Mississippi Seeds, (MCA Records, MCAD-31343)
  11. ^ B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, web site, accessed April 2, 2007
  12. ^ Greg Ward, The Rough Guide to Blues 100 Essential CDs, Rough Guides, November 23, 2000, p.97-98 (ISBN 1858285607 )
  13. ^ Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein, "Top of the Pops: The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year", Book of Rock Lists", Dell Books, 1981 (reissue November 1982 ISBN 044057580X) (link to list for 1970)