There’s one more half-century-old classic rock album that deserves recognition before this year ends: Dave Mason’s solo debut “Alone Together”. Released in July 1970, the former Traffic member proved that he was more than a capable sideman with this album.
Prior to his solo outing, Mason had already established his musical chops penning some of Traffic’s hits including “Feeling Alright”, which was later recorded by Joe Cocker and numerous other artists. He also performed on Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” (Mason opens the song with a 12-string acoustic guitar) and was part of Delaney & Bonnie’s touring entourage. Shortly after the release of Mason’s debut album, he joined the recording sessions for Derek & Dominos for what was to be the band’s followup to its first album, though it was never completed due to Eric Clapton quitting the band.
On “Alone Together”, Mason collaborated with an all-star cast of recording artists who frequently played on each other’s albums in the ’70s, including vocalist/keyboardist Leon Russell, Traffic percussionist Jim Capaldi, Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney & Bonnie, drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist Don Preston, bassist Chris Ethridge, multi-instrumentalist Larry Knechtel (a member of ’70s rock group Bread and played piano on Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”), vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear, and Derek & Dominos’ rhythm section Carl Radle (bass) and Jim Gordon (drummer).
The album features the ubiquitous British guitarist at his best: from up-tempo rockers like “Only You Know and I Know” and “Waitin’ on You” to the slow mournful ballad “Sad and Deep as You” (also played on Traffic’s live album “At the Canteen”). The song that truly distinguishes Mason’s guitar prowess is “Look at You Look at Me”. This tune (clocking in at 7:22) has one of the greatest classic rock guitar solos of all time. It starts out slow and steady and gradually builds up speed with Mason bending strings on runs at the higher end of the fretboard, with every note intentionally placed for maximum impact. Clapton once remarked that Mason’s guitar playing had a “fantastic touch.” And this song proves it.
Besides delivering a powerful batch of melodic songs, the album was also noted for its unusual packaging. The record was produced in marble vinyl, a mix of pink, brown and beige colors, while the record jacket was designed in a trifold that had a die-cut hole at the top to allow it to be used as a poster.
Recently, Mason tried to recreate “Alone Together” with an entirely new band. The reason was that the guitarist felt his voice sounded too young on the 1970 version. However, that attempt failed to capture the magnetic appeal of the original. It was like Leonardo da Vinci taking another stab at painting the Mona Lisa. As the old saying goes: don’t bother trying to fix something when it’s not broke.