You Never Know Who Your Friends Are
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| You Never Know Who Your Friends Are | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | Rock, blues rock, R&B | |||
| Length | 42:04 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Al Kooper | |||
| Al Kooper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from You Never Know Who Your Friends Are | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | D[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[3] |
You Never Know Who Your Friends Are is the second solo album by American multi-instrumentalist Al Kooper, issued in 1969 on Columbia Records.
Kooper wasted no time recording this album, coming just seven months after his debut release. It is a continuation of sorts of his debut; the album contains another eclectic mix of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, and blues, though without the psychedelics that had somewhat permeated through I Stand Alone. Utilizing a large group of musicians under the direction of Charlie Calello, known collectively as "The Al Kooper Big Band", Kooper also strayed away from the heavy string orchestrations of his debut.
Relying on more original compositions, with nine of twelve tracks by Kooper, and the remaining three by Harry Nilsson and Motown Records staff songwriters, the album further helped to cement Kooper's reputation. The album reached #125 on the Billboard 200 on October 25, 1969, and was on the charts for six weeks.[4][5]
