Charles Atkins
The Practice Sessions
Tom's Studio, Tallahassee, FL
May 1, 1993

ca1993-05-01.flac16

Taped by: SCopeland
Transfered by: SCopeland

Recorded via Yamaha 16 track SBD > 2 track cassette mono 
Digitized using Griffin iMic and Final Vinyl at 32 bit (transferred to wav/flac at 16 bit) using my G4 iBook.  

June of 07 already, and it's hot at my favorite place -  Torreya State Park.  SCopeland 




01 Goin' to Chicago #
02 Goin' to Chicago
03 Cold Feet Warm Heart #
04 Cold Feet Warm Heart
05 All My Days #
06 All My Days
07 Old-Fashioned Rockin' #
08 While It's - pieces
09 While It's - closer
10 While It's Cookin' #
11 While It's Cookin'
12 While It's Cookin'
13 Lighten the Load #
14 The Last Time I Was Lonely
15 The Last Time I Was Lonely
16 The Sun #
17 Just the Way I Feel Sometimes
18 Dig This #
19 Move Out to the Country $
20 Instrumental (Lord Feel the Funk) #

$ vocals

@ 1.5 hours; 969 meg aiff or wav

# new, first time recorded

Players:
Charles Atkins - keyboards and vocals
The Blues Boys
Larry Laseur - harmonica
Harty Wiedemann - guitar
Tom Henning - guitar
with Brian Baker on drums


Highlights:
Tracks 1 or 2, 6, 13, 15, 16, 20

This session starts out with some blues number Harty came up with - Going to Chicago, nice groove to get the evening going. Then Charles does Country - Cold Feet Warm Heart. End of track 3 he walks thru the chords. They have fun with it. Then turning another 180 degrees musically, Charles does All My Days - never knew what genre this would fit in, like kinda adult contemporary Christian pop blues. Track 5 has late start on tape so I added a fadein. Otherwise this is not much changed from the original recording. By the way, these tapes were popular with copies made for the Boys to listen and practice, or just enjoy the better moments. Beyond those few plays, the tapes are pristine, like new, and being played on the original deck. TDK SD90s - we could buy them in 15 packs with a padded zipper case at Lowes. Track 6 is even better; Charles pours his heart out on thru this tremendous voice.
Old-Fashioned Rockin' - Somehow this got tied to Bonnie Raitt since Charles is apparently a quite fan and I think he does tunes sometimes with certain artists in mind. Actually he met Bonnie years later thru a former student who set up a "Sir Charles" Blues in Schools program in LA and drew upon a lot of "local" talent. Bonnie was one, and I believe Charles got to sing with her.  While It's Cookin' - a new tune from Harty. Needs an ending, as in "Whadda we gonna do - jam?" After this is break time for the Boys and Charles can try some of his personal stuff, just him pumping it out with the Rhodes. This is a spiritual called Lighten the Load. Also noted as Lighten Up on the Lord, but you can hear my confusion over the titles. It's nice when Brian sits in with the drums. Followed by The Last Time I Was Lonely with organ and piano. Larry comes in too so track 15 has some adjustments.
The Sun - one in a series of children's songs Charles wanted to do. Sweet, nice "blues hook" on the second half. Just the Way I Feel Sometimes - another in development but the Boys, back from break, all jump in and play along. Then they make something up - Dig This - with lots of scat and vamp and whatever; over 9 minutes of it. Track 19, Harty singing some cover he came up with, and then the night closes with a jam, as in "Lord Feel the Funk".









