Jose Feliciano Feliciano! CD

Live Recording

Personnel: Jose Feliciano (vocals, guitar); Jim Horn (flute, alto flute, recorder); Ray Brown (bass); Milt Holland (percussion).
Reissue producer: Chick Crumpacker.
Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center Of The World, Hollywood, California on November 21, 1967 and January 5 & 6, 1968.
Digitally remastered by Dick Baxter (BMG Studios, March 1994).
Personnel: José Feliciano (vocals, guitar); Jim Horn (flute, alto flute, recorder); Milt Holland (percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Dick Baxter.
Recording information: RCA Victor's Music Center Of the World, Hollywood, CA (11/21/1967-01/??/1968).
Unknown Contributor Role: José Feliciano.
Arranger: George Tipton.
Having made their LP debut with half an album's worth of repackaged oldies, the Sweet then followed through with an entire disc of the things, drawing from both their own recent back catalog and that of songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, to create a record of almost unholy pop pleasure. For the Sweet were not the only arrow in the Chinn and Chapman quiver. They were scoring hits, too, with New World, with their "Tom Tom Turnaround" ranking among the most mawkishly compulsive songs in the duo's entire catalog. Passing it on to the Sweet to cover for their own LP didn't simply make sense from a commercial point of view. It was also the first step toward establishing Chinnichap as a songwriting brand name that would ultimately become as self-sufficient as any Motown, Brill, or Kasenetz-Katz coupling. Two recent Sweet singles, "Funny Funny" and "Co Co," and three B-sides, "Jeanie," "Spotlight," and "Done Me Wrong Alright," do weight this supremely punningly titled set down a little -- add "Tom Tom Turnaround" and the average fan would probably have owned a full half of the record before even picking it up. It should also be acknowledged that the remainder of the record was in no way comparable with the quality of those other songs. A lackluster rendering of "Daydream" and the unappetizing American soft rock stylisms of "Santa Monica Sunshine," "Reflections," "Honeysuckle Love," and "Sunny Sleeps Late" are all little more than bland filler. However, "Chop Chop" absolutely remedies the rest of the album's failings. Another Chinn and Chapman classic, it was originally recorded by singing DJ Tony Blackburn, with members of the Sweet themselves on backing vocals. It failed to take off, and the Sweet add little more to it than Blackburn had already tried. But, in the company of those other hits, its original failure seems incredible -- as incredible, in fact, as the Sweet's own success. ~ Dave Thompson
Released at the apex of his popularity, this was Feliciano's most successful album. It reached number two, largely on the strength of his only big hit single, "Light My Fire" (which is featured here). Soulful easy listening is an oxymoron, but this is about as close as that fusion gets to reality, with passionate vocals and virtuosic flamenco guitar. Besides "Light My Fire," it's dominated by interpretations of '60s hits like "Sunny" and "California Dreamin'," as well as three Lennon-McCartney tunes. Noted jazz bassist Ray Brown is one of the supporting musicians. ~ Richie Unterberger

Uncut (p.119) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Feliciano's lilt and syncopated stutter proved a winning formula. That vocal delivery never wavered..."