Charles Atkins
The Practice Sessions
Tom's Studio, Tallahassee, FL
April 19, 1992

Taped by: SCopeland
Transfered by: SCopeland

Recorded via SBD? > 2 track cassette stereo; 1-off copy
Digitized using Griffin iMic and Final Vinyl at 32 bit (transferred to wav/flac at 16 bit) using my G4 iBook.  

1 She Ain't Giving It Up
2 Come Back Baby
3 Digging
4 Digging
5 Troubles
6 When Will They Ever Learn
7 Animal Called the Blues
8 unknown ?
9 Messed Around
10 All Around -start
11 All Around the World
12 Little Bit of Love
13 I Don't Know
14 Reputation
15 She Ain't Giving It Up
16 When Will They Ever Learn
17 Blues Fan
18 Black Snake?

Highlights: 7, 17, 18
total time @ 1.2 hours    775 MB at 1411 kbps aiff or wav

Players:
Charles Atkins - keyboards and vocals
The Blues Boys
Larry Laseur - harmonica
Harty Wiedemann - guitar
Tom Henning - guitar
Bernie Powers - bass
Chuck White - drums

Another 1-off copy. I believe Harty was recording these. At this time we had not standardized on tape decks, and I hadn't assumed the duties, so taping is inconsistent. For instance, this tape is actually 2, possibly 3, sessions. There were also a few work-in-process mixes from the Blue Moon sessions on side A but the quality was so pitiful I had to drop them. Not that the others are all that good but since it is one of the earliest recording available, I'm going with it. And Charles' vocals are great as always.

Chuck White, the original Blues Boys drummer, is on these sessions; guess it's about the last time for him. You can hear Chuck talking here and there, like the intro to track 4. Most of these songs are band originals that ended up on the Blue Moon studio recording "Animal Called the Blues". Don't hear Bernie on bass, or singing Reputation, so he must have moved to Jacksonville by now, while coming back for weekend gigs and recording at Blue Moon. Track 7 Animal Called the Blues was the title track, this may be the only time it got recorded in practice.

Funny hearing the Boys working out the covers that became such standards for them later on. And I like the last 2 tracks, sans drums; too bad the tape ran out.


April 2009   So the trusty iBook lost it's hard drive  It was such a slow painful death, I'd forgotten how things were supposed to work. Thankfully I had most files backed up on external drives; one drive is mostly for these old recordings.   Enjoy!   SCopeland
