Larry Carlton – The Warner Brothers Anthology (3CD Boxset)

Larry Carlton is a name fondly remembered by Steely Dan fans, his guitar work on The Royal Scam was another level, but he is far more than just that as I was to discover. Born in Southern California he took up the guitar at the age of six and was introduced to jazz while in junior high school. During the 70s & 80s he gained a reputation as studio musician and was noted for his unique “sweet” sound which he produced from his Gibson ES-335. His versatile cross genre approach, along with his ground-breaking volume pedal technique, soon saw him as an in demand session player. In 1972 he was invited to play on the Crusader 1 album by jazz/rock legends The Crusaders, eventually performing on ten further albums for them. His resume of recording sessions during this period is impressive, as along with the aforementioned Steely Dan; we have Barbara Streisand, Leo Sayer, David Cassidy, Joan Baez, to mention a few and notably his playing on Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira albums. And the list goes on across his career as he has featured on well over a 100 gold selling albums for other artists, and personally winning four Grammy’s along with numerous nominations as a solo artist.

When his tenure with The Crusaders came to a close in the mid 70s he signed to Warner Brothers Records where he went on to record six solo albums for the label which is the music in focus here on this anthology. Across three CDs Cherry Red Records have compiled the best cuts from these six albums, with the added bonus of tracks from his time in Fourplay and the familiar theme tune from the American TV series Hill Street Blues. Also included in this anthology set is a detailed 16 page booklet with sleeve notes by A. Scott Galloway, full of background history and track details, and all packaged in a tri-foldout cardboard sleeve.

Once again Cherry Red Records have produced a fine remaster with good sound quality highlighting Larry’s unique guitar contributions throughout. There are forty four choice cuts taken from Larry’s six albums released on Warner Bros Music, these are Larry Carlton, Strikes Twice, Sleepwalk, Friends, Fingerprints and Deep Into it. These maybe familiar to listeners who have followed Larry Carlton’s work, but for me they were a new journey of discovery. I am ashamed to say that my total knowledge of Larry Carlton rested with Steely Dan and my obsession with the band. That said, I have obviously heard more of his playing than I initially thought, and on hearing the tracks on this anthology it appears I have been missing out on some great music by a great guitar talent.

The first disc opens with the track Room 335, this was a nod to the name of his home studio and his signature guitar the Gibson ES-335, here on this track it is notable that he used the opening chord progression of Steely Dan’s Peg – Larry knowing full well a winning chord progression when he heard it. This perhaps demonstrates why Becker and Fagan wanted him to contribute to Steely Dan’s music. He also wrote the string arrangement for this track and also provided the listener with a great solo.

Throughout this eponymous album there is a clear demonstration of Larry Carlton’s guitar skill and wonderful guitar sound, with some great jazz inflected tunes covering many styles, moods and tempos over the numerous tracks. Similarly the selections made from the six albums have been carefully chosen by Cherry Red Records to highlight his skill and versatility. Mention also for the many support musicians who appear across the tracks and have risen to the challenge, offering some great performances along side Larry.

Except for the opening track I have deliberately not discussed individual tracks, because and as mentioned I came to this anthology review having never heard of Larry Carlton’s solo output. My initial curiosity to tackle this set was sparked by Carlton’s excellent contributions with Steely Dan, however what I found in this collection was an excellent an eye opener (or maybe ear opener to be more precise). A great personal discovery with each track having something to offer. I found this is a collection that can both satisfy close listening and digesting, or played in the background as you do other things – it manages to fit both briefs so well.

In summary – a great collection of accessible and listenable jazz pieces by one of the music industries guitar greats, although one whose career has mostly gone under the radar for this listener. Hats off therefore to Cherry Red for this personal voyage of discovery…

TRACK LISTING
CD 1
– From Larry Carlton Album
01. Room 335 (5:39)
02. Where Did You Come From (3:31)
03. Point It Up (4:59)
04. Nite Crawler (5:23)
05. Rio Samba (6:59)
06. (It Was) Only Yesterday (4:37)
– From Strikes Twice Album
07. Strikes Twice (5:26)
08. The Magician (4:15)
09. In My Blood (4:13)
10. Springville (6:38)
11. For Love Alone (5:02)
~ Bonus tracks: [by Fourplay]
12. Charmed I’m Sure [From 4LP] (6:13)
13. Snowbound [From Snowbound] (5:03)
14. Blues Force [From Yes Please!] (7:01)

Time – 75:04

CD 2
– From Sleepwalk Album
01. Last Night (5:21)
02. Blues Bird (4:31)
03. Song For Katie (3:49)
04. Frenchman’s Flat (4:33)
05. Sleepwalk (4:36)
06. Upper Kern (7:32)
07. 10:00 P.M. (5:08)
– From Friends Album
08. Breaking Ground (4:29)
09. South Town (5:25)
10. Tequila (4:10)
11. Blues For T.J (5:21)
12. Song In The 5th Grade (5:25)
13. L.A., N.Y. (4:56)
14. Friends (5:20)
~ Bonus track:
15. Hill Street Blues [Mike Post’s Theme Tune] (3:15)

Time – 73:58

CD 3
– From Fingerprints Album
01. Fingerprints (4:57)
02. The Storyteller (6:48)
03. ‘Til I Hurt You (4:17)
04. Slave Song (4:52)
05. Lazy Susan (5:43)
06. Chicks With Kickstands (5:29)
07. Gracias (6:11)
08. Crying Hands (7:05)
– From Deep Into It Album
09. Put It Where You Want It (4:15)
10. Deep Into It (4:21)
11. It’s A Groove Thang (4:46)
12. Closer to Home (3:47)
13. I Can’t Tell You Why (4:28)
14. Like Butta’ (5:07)
15. Roll With It (5:25)

Time – 77:38

Total Time – 226:40

MUSICIANS
Larry Carlton – Electric Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Percussion
~ With:
There is an exhaustive list of musicians over six albums but players not listed in sleeve notes Main player

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: USA
Date of Release: 16^th May 2025

LINKS
Larry Carlton – Website | Facebook | Info at Cherry Red Records