Record basics

Album name: Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In
Group name: Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina
Year: 1971
Number of discs: one
Label: Columbia Records
Collection: Brenner / Gessner
Distinguishing characteristics: “G” written inside album sleeve, indicating that my father owned it
Buy it on Amazon: $27.99

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with this record, but I’ve previously reviewed two by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina:

Loggins and Messina (1972): 2/5
On Stage (1974): 4/5

What I expected

Folk rock, country rock.

What it was actually like

Several songs on this record were also on On Stage, such as the famous Danny’s Song. The version on Sittin’ In was the version that I remembered, folk style with two guitars and vocals, and later with piano and violin.

Vahevala was nowhere near as dumb on this record as it was before; it helped that it was far shorter. The steel drums were way too much, though, and not even good.

Listen to a Country Song was one that I liked a lot from On Stage, and it was great here as well, especially its fiddle solo.

Of Trilogy‘s three parts, the first (Lovin’ Me) and third (Peace of Mind) were pretty boring filler material, with the latter including a pretty lame attempt at soul. I liked the second (To Make a Woman Feel Wanted) better, though. It was blues and country with honky tonk piano, but unfortunately they still couldn’t lose the damn saxophone.

Speaking of unnecessary saxophone, Back to Georgia started out as a country rock song with piano that was not good, but then started to get much better – until the saxophone made its appearance, and in this case it was actually worse, because the track had two different saxophones and my living room has surround sound, so they were coming at me from both directions!

And Nobody But You, a rock song with harmonized country-sounding vocals, some piano and a good tempo, was also diminished by the saxophone.

What was it with these guys and the saxophone? When reviewing their (later) record Loggins and Messina, I wrote:

I want to stress that rock musicians really need to avoid using saxophone in their music. If you’re Charlie Parker, I want to hear your saxophone part, but in rock I just don’t think there’s a lot of use for it.

And I wish someone had given them that message 50 years ago.

Anyway, Rock ‘n’ Roll Mood was not very rock ‘n’ roll to me. House at Pooh Corner was an acoustic folk-style song about Winnie the Pooh. Same Old Wine was very slow, blues style but rather boring, though the harmonica was fine – and at eight minutes and 17 seconds, twice as long as it needed to be.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In by Loggins and Messina (Vinyl record album review)