Welcome to the Q Workshop in which we find the newly-made quartet (after the departure of singer Frankie Gadler), following producer/engineer Eddie Kramer into Jimi Hendrix’s brand-new Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

Workshop, the now fan-favorite and classic NRBQ album, threw off the singles, Get That Gasoline Blues and the album’s opening take on the Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee song C’mon If You’re Comin’.

This particular platter also gifted the world Terry Adams’ composition, RC Cola And A Moon Pie, later inspiring the name of the band’s Moon Pie festivals. Additionally, the band added the Delmore Brothers classic, Blues Stay Away From Me which they had previously recorded for 1972’s album, Scraps.

Of particular note, with the departure of vocalist Frankie Gadler, Al Anderson and Joey Spampinato stepped up for more vocal duties and on board for the new recording, the now-going-forward, semi-permanent Whole Wheat Horn section (comprised of Terry’s brother Donn Adams on trombone and Keith Spring on saxophone often accompanied by Terry on coronet/trumpet and Joey Spampinato on saxophone).

For the new remastered edition, five bonus tracks have been added and only serve to make this reissue of Workshopindispensable for Q fans worldwide. Spampinato’s Trouble In The Henhouse, Donn Adams’ Dry Up And Blow Away, and Terry’s Electric Train are all derived from the Workshop sessions, giving us listeners even more of the original.

These are augmented by a lively alternate version of RC Cola And A Moon Pie plus an updated take of Get That Gasoline Blues. Not that updated though, it was recorded the year after Workshop was released at the request of the label Kama Sutra in 1974 in response to the U.S. gas shortage.

As an extra bonus, the track includes original member Steve Ferguson dating from when he briefly rejoined the band! Guest players Kenny Sheehan (rhythm guitar) and Steve Shook (acoustic guitar) come along for the ride as well. All this and new notes by John DeAngelis too!

1. C’mon If You’re Comin’
2. RC Cola and a Moon Pie
3. Blues Stay Away from Me
4. Mona
5. Just to Hold My Hand
6. Get That Gasoline Blues 7. Deaf, Dumb, and Blind
8. Miss Moses
9. I Got a Little Sevret
10. Hearts of Stone
11. Misunderstanding
12. Four Million B.C.
13. DRY UP AND BLOW AWAY [Bonus Track]
14. TROUBLE AT THE HENHOUSE [Bonus Track]
15. ELECTRIC TRAIN [Bonus Track]
16. GET THAT GASOLINE BLUES (Unedited Single Version) [Bonus Track]
17. RC COLA AND A MOON PIE (Single Version)

Originally entitled Age of Aquariums, and as aforementioned, Workshop became the first album to feature what is considered by many to be the classic quartet version of NRBQ. This incarnation incorporated the talents of bandleader Terry Adams (keyboard/coronet/trumpet), Joey Spampinato (bass/guitar/sax/vocals), Al Anderson (guitar/vocals), and, in his final studio appearance with the band, Tom Staley (drums).

Although they had been performing with an evolving makeshift horn section - which could (and often would) include coronet/trumpet player Terry Adams and saxophonist Joey Spampinato - this album also debuts the semi-permanent Whole Wheat Horn section, consisting of Terry’s brother Donn Adams on trombone and Keith Spring on sax.

The shift in personnel served the Q well, as Workshop was lauded and raved about by enthusiasts as well as pop music critics. Producer Eddie Kramer was able to further enhance the band’s practically indefinable style, ranging from the undeniable Paul McCartney-influenced Spampinato rocker Deaf, Dumb and Blind to the understated grace and complex rhythmic syncopation of Terry Adams’ Miss Moses.

Another Spampinato gem is the organic pop ballad Mona and instrumentally, the track is notable for Terry’s accordion accents, as well as the conspicuous absence of drums. In addition to the copious originals, the guys revived the C&W-tinged Blues Stay Away From Me, which had actually been recorded for inclusion on their previous long-player, Scraps.

Likewise, their second stab at Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry’s Come On If You’re Comin’ reinforced the popularity of the track, which became a performance and enthusiast favorite. A similar fate would befall the Q’s unofficial anthem - the down-home rockabilly rave-up RC Cola & a Moon Pie. Sadly, over the decades, Workshop was never reprinted, although several notable compilations such as RC Cola and a Moon Pie (1986) have included key tracks, but here via the wonderful Omnivore Recordings all that has most gloriously changed.

Official Purchase Page

www.nrbq.com