A Long Time Comin'
| A Long Time Comin' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1968 | |||
| Recorded | July 1967 – January 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:05 (55:18 w/1988 CD bonus tracks) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | John Court, Joe Church | |||
| The Electric Flag chronology | ||||
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A Long Time Comin' is the first album by American rock band the Electric Flag, released in 1968. The album has a mix of musical styles, including soul along with blues and rock, with a horn section.
It opens with an updated take on the Howlin' Wolf blues classic "Killing Floor" and includes an adaptation of Sticks McGhee's "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" titled "Wine". The album also contains "Groovin’ Is Easy" and "Over-Lovin’ You", which had been released as a single in 1967.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | Positive[2] |
It is widely seen by music critics as an ambitious debut album. The album was somewhat of a failure in the charts, much to the disappointment of Bloomfield, who had worked hard on it.[citation needed] His disappointment was worsened by the success of the Al Kooper directed Super Session, which, featuring Bloomfield, charted much higher than A Long Time Comin' despite having been recorded over a period of only two days.[citation needed]
It was voted number 4 in the 50 All-Time Long Forgotten Gems from Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[4]
Track listing
The original LP record has 10 tracks, and a 1988 Columbia Records reissue on CD has four bonus tracks.
Side one
- "Killing Floor" (Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf) – 4:11
- "Groovin' Is Easy" (Ron Polte) – 3:06
- "Over-Lovin' You" (Mike Bloomfield, Barry Goldberg) – 2:12
- "She Should Have Just" (Ron Polte) – 5:03
- "Wine" (Traditional arr. Bloomfield) – 3:15
Side two
- "Texas" (Bloomfield, Buddy Miles) – 4:49
- "Sittin' in Circles" (Goldberg) – 3:54
- "You Don't Realize" (Bloomfield) – 4:56
- "Another Country" (Polte) – 8:47
- "Easy Rider" (Bloomfield) – 0:53
CD bonus tracks
- "Sunny" (Bobby Hebb) – 4:02
- "Mystery" (Miles) – 2:56
- "Look into My Eyes" (Harvey Brooks, Miles) – 3:07
- "Going Down Slow" (James Oden a.k.a. St. Louis Jimmy) – 4:43
Personnel
- Mike Bloomfield – lead guitar, vocals
- Buddy Miles – drums, vocals
- Barry Goldberg – keyboards
- Harvey Brooks – bass
- Nick Gravenites – vocals, guitar
- Herb Rich – organ, vocals, baritone saxophone, guitar
- Michael Fonfara – keyboards
- Marcus Doubleday – trumpet
- Peter Strazza – tenor saxophone
- Stemsy Hunter – alto saxophone
- Additional personnel
- Richie Havens – percussion, sitar
- Sivuca – guitar, percussion
- Paul Beaver – keyboards, Moog synthesizer
- Leo Daruczek – strings
- Charles McCracken – strings
- Bobby Notkoff – strings
- Julius Held – strings
- Roy Segal – engineer
- Jim Marshall – cover photo
- Joe Church – percussion, producer
- John Court – percussion, vocals, producer
- Cass Elliot - vocal on "Groovin' Is Easy"
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Billboard Top LPs | 31 |
References
- ^ a b c Viglione, Joe. "A Long Time Comin' Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Gifford, Barry (11 May 1968). "Review: A Long Time Comin' ". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 912. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 27. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
