Bonnie Raitt - Blender Blues - Non-Album Tracks (1971-1972)

With this post, I'm starting a series of stray tracks albums for Bonnie Raitt. It turns out that she's one of those artists like Norah Jones or Sheryl Crow who has done a ton of guest artist collaborations, duets, and songs played only in concert, so I've been able to make a lot of albums for her.

At the start of Raitt's career, she wasn't famous enough to appear on various artists compilations and soundtracks and the like, so all the songs here are songs she played in concert that she never put on any of her albums. In 2018, I posted a great acoustic concert from 1971, which was the same year she released her first album. Nine of the 14 songs here are from that concert. Additionally, there's one song from a 1970 concert, and four songs from two 1972 concerts.

This early in her career, Raitt didn't have enough money to pay for a band when playing in concert, so she did all her shows solo acoustic. I'm glad, because I love music stripped down to solo acoustic style, and I think it suits her well. She straddles the line between folk and blues, much like her first few solo albums. Virtually all the songs are covers, but "Blender Blues" is a rare original. I assume she never put that on any album because it was too raunchy, but that's a shame because it's a fun song.

I really wish Raitt would have released another album or two in the early 1970s, because she does a great job with these songs. A lot of the songs are famous, but she makes them her own with her unique vocals and guitar style.

01 Woodstock (Bonnie Raitt)
02 Something in the Way He Moves (Bonnie Raitt)
03 You Can Close Your Eyes (Bonnie Raitt)
04 In My Reply (Bonnie Raitt)
05 Your Song (Bonnie Raitt)
06 Set You Free This Time (Bonnie Raitt)
07 Candy Man (Bonnie Raitt)
08 Can I Get a Witness (Bonnie Raitt)
09 Country Road (Bonnie Raitt)
10 Love in Vain (Bonnie Raitt)
11 Going Down to Louisiana - Rollin' and Tumblin' (Bonnie Raitt)
12 Richland Woman Blues (Bonnie Raitt)
13 Walk On By (Bonnie Raitt)
14 Blender Blues (Bonnie Raitt)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16687595/BONNIRTT1971c-1972_BlendrBlues_atse.zip.html

The photo I used for the cover art dates to September 1972.