John Hammond: So Many Roads

One of young Hammond's better early albums.
-- Bill Dahl, All-Music Guide

John Hammond jr., son of the legendary Columbia Records A&R man who had signed Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan, met the Hawks in Toronto in 1964 and was astonished by the perfection with which these young men played rhythm and blues. After several jam sessions with the Hawks, Hammond arranged for the Hawks to back him on this third album he would cut for Vanguard, but the record company insisted that he should use bassist Jimmy Lewis and piano player Mike Bloomfield. The old-time-blues inspired album So Many Roads ended up with Robbie, Levon and Garth contributing guitar, drums and keyboards. Robertson's guitar work is among his most exciting blues performances, what Greil Marcus described as "all rough edges, jagged bits of metal ripping through the spare rhythm section".

A re-release of this album, with outtakes and bonus tracks, came in 2001 under the title So Many Roads - The Complete Sessions .

Tracks

1. Down In The Bottom
2. Long Distance Call
3. Who Do You Love
4. I Want You to Love Me
5. Judgment Day
6. So Many Roads, So Many Trains
7. Ramblin' Blues
8. O Yea!
9. You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
10. Gambler's Blues
11. Baby, Please Don't Go
12. Big Boss Man

Sidemen

• Michael Bloomfield, piano
• Charlie Musselwhite, harmonica
• Robbie Robertson, guitar
• Jimmy Lewis, bass
• John Paul Hammond, guitar / vocal
• Levon Helm, drums
• Garth Eric Hudson, organ

So Many Roads - John Hammond - 1965 - 38:35- Vanguard VSD-79178
Compact Disc: Vanguard 79178 (1993)

AMG Rating: 8 (out of 9)