''Really'' is the second studio album by

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

, released on December 4, 1972.

Background

After several years in California working as an engineer in Leon Russell's studio, Cale returned home to Oklahoma gigging in obscurity when

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

recorded the arrangement of " After Midnight" that Cale had released as a B-side to a Liberty single in 1966. The song became a hit in 1970 and put Cale on the map as a songwriter. He recorded his debut album, ''Naturally'', in 1971, which included a slower version of "After Midnight" and the minor hit single "Crazy Mama", which rose to number 22. Already wary of stardom, Cale toured and recorded at his own pace throughout the decade, oblivious to trends and eschewing publicity.

Recording

''Really'' was produced by Audie Ashworth, who continued to produce Cale until 1983. Cale's second album further developed the "Tulsa sound" that he became known for: a swampy mix of folk, jazz, shuffling country blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. Although his songs have a relaxed, casual feel, Cale, who often used drum machines and layered his vocals, carefully crafted his albums, explaining to Lydia Hutchinson in 2013, "I was an engineer, and I loved manipulating the sound. I love the technical side of recording. I had a recording studio back in the days when no one had a home studio. You had to rent a studio that belonged to a big conglomerate." Cale was very proud that bluegrass musicians Uncle Josh Graves and Vassar Clements played on ''Really'', later recalling to Derek Halsey of Swampland.com in 2004, "That was one of the highlights of my life, man. We recorded that out at Bradley's Barn, and I was a big fan of

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass (music), bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned ...

and

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

. And, of course, Josh was the Dobro player on that stuff, and Vassar was 'Mister bluegrass fiddle player', and both of those guys came out to the studio and played that day. They were like Buddy Emmons in the studio; they were so good you just kind of quit playing and dug what they were playing." Cale's guitar work is impressive on ''Really'', with William Ruhlmann of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

commenting that it "manages to be both understated and intense here. The same is true of his seemingly offhand singing, which finds him drawling lines like 'You get your gun, I'll get mine' with disarming casualness." Cale covers

Don Nix William Donald Nix (September 27, 1941 – December 31, 2024) was an American musician, songwriter, and producer. Nix, who was best known for his song "Going Down," was described by AllMusic as "one of the more obscure figures in Southern soul ...

's rock and roll classic "Goin' Down" and gives a jazzy treatment to

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

' blues standard " Got My Mojo Working", which is simply called "Mojo". In 2009, the album was re-released with '' Naturally'' as a French exclusive 24-track 2-CD album set, as part of

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

' '2 For 1' series.

Reception

AllMusic: "...for some, his approach will be too casual; there are many times, when the band is percolating along and Cale is muttering into the microphone, that the music seems to be all background and no foreground. You may find yourself waiting for a payoff that never comes."

Track listing

Personnel

– lead guitar, voice (tr. 1, 6, 10–12), rhythm-guitar (tr. 5, 9), voice, bass, piano, drums, guitar (tr. 7), voice, electric piano, lead guitar (tr. 8) *

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in the ...

– electric piano (tr. 1) * Bill Boatman – rhythm guitar (tr. 8), guitar (tr. 11) * David Briggs – piano (tr. 3) * Kenneth A. Buttrey – drums (tr. 3) * Jimmy Capps – rhythm-guitar (tr. 5, 6, 10, 12) * Vassar Clements – violin (tr. 6, 10, 12) * Kossie Gardner – organ (tr. 5) * Mac Gayden – lead guitar (tr. 5), slide-guitar (tr. 9) * Gary Gilmore – bass guitar (tr. 8, 11) * Josh Graves – dobro (tr. 6, 12) * Roger Hawkins – drums (tr. 1) * Bob Holmes – harmony vocal *

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American musician, hailing from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, He is known for playing the bass guitar and trombone, and is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was b ...

– bass guitar (tr. 1) * Bill Humble – trombone (tr. 1) * Jimmy Johnson – rhythm-guitar (tr. 1) * Jimmy Karstein – drums (tr. 8, 11) *

Charlie McCoy Charlie McCoy (born Charles Ray McCoy, March 28, 1941) is an American harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist in country music. He is best known for his harmonica solos on iconic recordings such as " Candy Man" ( Roy Orbison), "He Stoppe ...

– harmonica (tr. 7) * Farrell Morris – drums (tr. 2), congas (tr. 4, 12, 12), percussion (tr. 6, 10) * Bob Phillips, Don Sheffield – trumpet (tr. 1, 5) * Norbert Putnam – bass guitar (tr. 2, 3, 4) * Bob Ray – bass guitar (tr. 5, 9) * Norman Ray – saxophone (Baritone) (tr. 1), vocals * Don Sheffield – trumpet * George Soulé – drums (tr. 5, 9) * Robert Tarrant – congas (tr. 5), tambourine (tr. 9) * Bobby Woods – piano (tr. 2, 4) * Joe Zinkan – bass guitar (tr. 6, 10, 12) * Joann Sweeney – voice (tr. 1)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1973 albums J. J. Cale albums Shelter Records albums Albums produced by Audie Ashworth Albums recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio