To Bonnie From Delaney by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (Album, Blue-Eyed Soul): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
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To Bonnie From Delaney
By Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
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ArtistDelaney & Bonnie & Friends
TypeAlbum
ReleasedSeptember 1970
RYM Rating 3.42 / 5.00.5 from 148 ratings
Ranked#841 for 1970
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Language English

Track listing

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Previous in discography: Accept No Substitute: The Original Delaney & Bonnie
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Issues

6 Issues

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6 Issues

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3 Reviews

hecklerspray Oct 28 2019 3.50 stars
A lot of D&B's stuff is pretty standard white soul blues, but their enthusiasm is obvious. I like Bonnie's crackle almost as much as Janis's. Just when you think it's getting a little stale, they mix it up, and put a little soul in your rock and roll and keep the real folk blues goin'. And some of their friends could play very well.
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 RDTEN1 Mar 03 2018 3.00 stars
Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett had generated considerable media buzz with their 1970 Atlantic/ATCO debut "On Tour With Eric Clapton". When it came time for the duo to record their studio follow-on, the label trotted out their "A" team production talent in the form of Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd (Delaney Bramlett also credited as co-producer). Released later in the year, "To Bonnie from Delaney" found the pair backed by a stunning group of friends (by my count 25 musicians were listed in the liner notes). Musically the album found the Bramletts continuing to mine the country-blues/soul/gospel moves found on earlier releases. At the same time, featuring a mixture of originals and covers, the set was clearly intended to broaden the pair's audience. That said, I'll be honest and tell you the hardcore blues and country stuff did nothing for me. It may have been the early-'70s "in-sound" and I didn't doubt their commitment to the genre (remember a couple of years later Bonnie punched Elvis Costello in the face when he made disparaging remarks about American blues musicians), but tracks like their blues medley, 'The Love of My Man', and 'Let Me Be Your Man' just sounded warmed over to me. Why would I want to hear a cover of Robert Johnson's 'Come On In My Kitchen' when I could hear the original ? Similarly, their cover of 'Soul Shake' was okay, but didn't come close to the Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson original. Those criticisms aside, the album had quite a bit going for it. even though she was prone to over-singing, there was no denying Bonnie had a great voice. Delaney wasn't bad either. Add to that, Delaney had a good ear for crafting catchy rock hooks and that talent was well displayed on tunes like 'They Call It Rock and Roll Music', 'Alone Together' and 'Living On the Open Road'. I'm even partial to a couple of the non-rock tunes - 'God Only Knows I Love You' was a sweet country-soul tinged ballad, while their cover of Barbara Keith's 'Free the People' was one of the goofiest, but most charming singles ever released. Was it the perfect LP ? Nah. Was it their best album ? Nah. Still, it's a good place for the curious and casual fans to start with.
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"To Bonnie from Delaney" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Hard Luck and Trouble (Delaney Bramlett) - 2:35   rating: *** stars
Nice country-soul number that showcased Delaney's sweet voice. Nice way to start the album off. 
2.) God Only Knows I Love You (Delaney Bramlett - Mac Davis) - 2:46   rating: **** stars
Sweet acoustic country ballad, but t was a sweet country ballad for people who didn't like sweet country ballads. Ah, the old days.   
3.) Lay Down My Burden (Steve Bogard - Michael Utley) - 3:35   rating: *** stars
'Lay Down My Burden' found Bonnie stepping into the spotlight with a surprisingly retrained take on this Gospel-flavored number. Not a big fan of the genre, but I could still enjoy her performance. 
4.) Medley - 4:00   rating: *** stars
i.) Come On In My Kitchen (Robert Johnson)
ii.) Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean (Herbert Lance - Charles Singleton - John Wallace) - 
iii.) Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (traditional arranged by Delaney Bramlett) 
'Medley' was a good example of their commitment to the country-blues genre. Not to hard to picture these guys on a front porch playing these tunes on a Saturday evening. Bonnie's performance on 'Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean' was the best of the three segments, though Gregg Allman stole 'Goin' Down the Road Feelin' bad' with his dobro work.    
5.) The Love of My Man (Ed Townsend) - 4:28 rating: ** stars
Authentic sounding bluesy ballad with Bonnie on lead. Nice support from the Memphis Horns, but the song just didn't have a great deal to distinguish it from the rest of the album.
6.) They Call It Rock and Roll Music (Delaney Bramlett) - 3:33   rating: **** stars
Ah, Delaney's recipe for writing a rock and roll tune ... Yeah it was a bit campy but with King Curtis on sax, it was also the funkiest and most enjoyable track on the album. Delaney's King Curtis call out was priceless.  

(side 2)
1.) Soul Shake (Margaret Lewis - Myrna Smith) - 3:10   rating: *** stars
'Soul Shake' was the album's most overtly soul and commercially oriented tune, and while their performance was enthusiastic, it couldn't come close to the original Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson version.  
2.) Miss Ann (Richard Penniman - Enotris Johnson) - 5:01   rating: **** stars
Delaney's frenzied performance on 'Miss Ann' was easily the album's best cover tune (and in the running for overall best performance). Of course having Little Richard in the studio providing equally frenzied keyboards may have served to give Delaney a little more incentive to tear this one up.   
3.) Alone Together (Delaney Bramlett - Bonnie Bramlett - Bobby Whitlock) - 3:13   rating: **** stars
With the pair sharing lead vocals, 'Alone Together' was a breezy, blues-rocker powered by some nice fuzz guitar.  
4.) Living On the Open Road (Delaney Bramlett) - 3:02   rating: **** stars
The album's best melody and the best rocker ... worth hearing just form the scorching slide guitar (Duane Allman ?). This is the tune I would have tapped as the single.    
5.) Let Me Be Your Man (George Soule - Terry Woodford) - 3:20 rating: ** stars
I'm a big George Soule fan, but Delaney's cover of 'Let Me be Your Man' sounded force, shrill, and over-the-top.  
6.) Free the People (Barbara Keith) - 2:47   rating: **** stars
How could you not like their cover of Barbara Keith's 'Free the People' ? Complete with lead tuba and choral backing, it was goofy, charming, and a winner. Kudos to ATCO for tapping it as a single:
- 1970's 'Free the People' b/w 'Soul Shake' (ATCO catalog number 45-6756) 

The album provided the duo with one of their biggest commercial successes, peaking at # 58 on the US charts.
Published
mmars Aug 12 2008 4.00 stars
Not every song is great on this album, but there are several songs to die for. Love of My Man and They Call It Rock & Roll Music are two of those songs. At times I can't help wonder if Tina Turner was a bigger hit than Bonnie only because she was black. Bonnie is that good. Also take note of the guest musicians. Little Richard on Miss Ann, King curtis on They Call it Rock & Roll Music, Sneeky Pete (i.e. of Gram Parsons fame) on steel guitar. Soul Shake is also great. Ah...the days of great rock where everybody knew everyone else and they all played with each other at some time or other.
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Catalog

Ratings: 148
Cataloged: 192
Track rating sets:Track ratings: 9
Rating distribution
Rating trend
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >>
15 Apr 2024
chris_v Vinyl3.50 stars
30 Jan 2024
ReCreation_39  ▼2.00 stars
  • 1.00 stars A1 Hard Luck and Troubles
  • 4.00 stars A2 God Knows I Love You
  • 4.00 stars A3 Lay Down My Burden
  • 1.00 stars A4 Medley:
  • 4.00 stars A5 The Love of My Man
  • 4.00 stars A6 They Call It Rock & Roll Music
  • 3.00 stars B1 Soul Shake
  • 1.50 stars B2 Miss Ann
  • 1.00 stars B3 Alone Together
  • 1.00 stars B4 Living on the Open Road
  • 2.00 stars B5 Let Me Be Your Man
  • 2.00 stars B6 Free the People
22 Dec 2023
massivedefense  2.50 stars Heard It
12 Sep 2023
Flight_Sensations Owned3.50 stars now that’s a good idea
13 Jul 2023
nouay  3.50 stars
31 May 2023
magicsxxxxx Digital3.00 stars
23 May 2023
jacky_mill  3.50 stars
20 May 2023
DickGraves  2.50 stars
8 May 2023
jcl1983  3.50 stars
1 May 2023
92filmgeek  ▼3.00 stars
  • 3.50 stars A1 Hard Luck and Troubles
  • 3.50 stars A2 God Knows I Love You
  • 3.50 stars A3 Lay Down My Burden
  • 3.50 stars A4 Medley:
  • 3.00 stars A5 The Love of My Man
  • 3.50 stars A6 They Call It Rock & Roll Music
  • 3.00 stars B1 Soul Shake
  • 3.00 stars B2 Miss Ann
  • 3.00 stars B3 Alone Together
  • 3.00 stars B4 Living on the Open Road
  • 3.00 stars B5 Let Me Be Your Man
  • 3.50 stars B6 Free the People
1 May 2023
xtclover  3.50 stars
31 Jan 2023
dchamp  2.50 stars
8 Jul 2022
kerocb  3.50 stars
31 May 2022
keith_richards  2.50 stars
15 Apr 2022
CrimsonGlory  2.00 stars Malo - Bad
Cover art for To Bonnie From Delaney by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
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Previous
Next
Previous in discography: Accept No Substitute: The Original Delaney & Bonnie
Accept No Substitute: The Original Delaney & Bonnie
Genesis
Next in discography: Accept No Substitute: The Original Delaney & Bonnie
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Track listing

Credits

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Contributions

Contributors to this release: fedderedder, CurtisLoew, dist, progshine, Alenko, sunking47, danburnette, sfhulluk, PC_Music
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