You Never Know Who Your Friends Are Explained

You Never Know Who Your Friends Are
Type:	Album
Artist:	Al Kooper
Cover:	You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (Al Kooper album - cover art).jpg
Released:	September 1969
Recorded:	1969
Genre:	Rock, blues rock, R&B
Length:	42:04
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	Al Kooper
Prev Title:	I Stand Alone
Prev Year:	1969
Next Title:	Easy Does It
Next Year:	1970

You Never Know Who Your Friends Are is the second solo album by American multi-instrumentalist Al Kooper, issued in 1969 on Columbia Records.

Background

Kooper wasted no time recording this album, coming just seven months after his debut release. It is a continuation of sorts of his debut; the album contains another eclectic mix of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, and blues, though without the psychedelics that had somewhat permeated through I Stand Alone. Utilizing a large group of musicians under the direction of Charlie Calello, known collectively as "The Al Kooper Big Band", Kooper also strayed away from the heavy string orchestrations of his debut.

Relying on more original compositions, with nine of twelve tracks by Kooper, and the remaining three by Harry Nilsson and Motown Records staff songwriters, the album further helped to cement Kooper's reputation. The album reached #125 on the Billboard 200 on October 25, 1969, and was on the charts for six weeks.^{[1] [2]}

Track listing

All tracks composed by Al Kooper; except where indicated

1. "Magic in My Socks" – (3:55)
2. "Lucille" – (3:24)
3. "Too Busy Thinkin' 'bout My Baby" (Norman Whitfield, Janie Bradford – 3:20)
4. "First Time Around" – (2:48)
5. "Loretta (Union Turnpike Eulogy)" – (3:48)
6. "Blues, Part IV" – (5:04)
7. "You Never Know Who Your Friends Are" – (2:53)
8. "The Great American Marriage / Nothing" – (3:19)
9. "I Don't Know Why I Love You" (Lula Mae Hardaway, Don Hunter, Paul Riser, Stevie Wonder – 3:22)
10. "Mourning Glory Story" (Harry Nilsson – 2:16)
11. "Anna Lee (What Can I Do for You)" – (3:18)
12. "I'm Never Gonna Let You Down" – (4:37)
13. "Bloodtrocuted" – (3:36) CD remastered bonus track

Personnel

Musicians

• Al Kooper – piano, organ, guitar, ondioline, vocals, arrangements
• With The Al Kooper Big Band under the direction of Charlie Calello
• Ralph Casale, Stu Scharf, Eric Gale – guitars
• Ernie Hayes, Paul Griffin, Frank Owens – piano, organ
• Walter Sears – Moog synthesizer
• Chuck Rainey, Jerry Jemmott, John Miller – electric bass
• Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Al Rogers – drums
• Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm – trumpets
• Ray Desio, Jimmy Knepper, Bill Watrous, Tony Studd – trombones
• George Young, Sol Schlinger, Seldon Powell, Joe Farrell – saxophones
• Hilda Harris, Connie Zimet, Albertine Robinson, Lois Winter, Michael Gately, Lou Christie, Robert John, Charlie Calello – backing vocals

Technical

• Al Kooper – producer
• Glen Kolotkin, Roy Segal, Stan Tonkel – engineers
• Ron Coro – cover art direction and design

Notes and References

1. Web site: Release and Charts - Columbia Records releases. May 15, 2017.
2. Web site: Billboard 200 chart - October 25, 1969. May 15, 2017. Mistakenly attributed to Champagne.