Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees - Vinyl LP

Vinyl LP

Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs was not only one of the finest examples of crossover soul, pop and rock ever recorded, but it was also one of the biggest albums of the seventies and included some of the finest grooves ever played by Boz Scaggs, which netted him a Grammy for his mega number one hit Lowdown.

Other major hit singles included Lido Shuffle, Georgia, What Can I Say and It’s Over. Other artists like Rita Coolidge and Frankie Valli covered songs from this watershed album and had major hits themselves, which further illustrates the importance and influence of this highly loved and regarded masterwork.

Boz Scaggs is a unique and marvellous singer. His soulful voice can be, in turn, silky-smooth and sensual or funky and upbeat, depending on the material, but it is always compelling. This voice comes through superbly on the ten great tunes featured on "Silk Degrees". Scaggs, a solid composer in its own right, wrote three tracks on his own, co-wrote five more with David Paich. Paich contributed the delightful "Love Me Tomorrow" by himself while the remaining tune is a cover of Allen Toussaint's excellent "What Do You Want the Girl to Do".

The production is very slick and sophisticated thanks to the arrangements by future Toto's keyboardist David Paich, to the orchestral direction (strings and brass) by Sid Sharp, to the soulful back-up vocals and to the sheer artistry of all the musicians involved. Stylistically, the compositions are a nice blend of Philly soul influenced pop and rock. A classic of elegant, well crafted music.

Personnel: David Paich: keyboards / Jeff Porcaro: drums / David Hungate; bass / Fred Tackett: guitar / Louis Shelton: guitar.

Tracklisting

Side A: 1. What Can I Say

2. Georgia

3. Jump Street

4. What Do You Want The Girl To Do

5. Harbor Lights

Side 2:

1. Lowdown

2. It's Over

3. Love Me Tomorrow

4. Lido Shuffle

5. We're All Alone