01	Caddo Queen						03:38
	02	A Woman Left Lonely						03:55
	03	Souvenirs						05:34
	04	After Midnight						02:38
	05	Queen Of The Night						04:03
	06	Oh My My						02:57
	07	As The Years Go Passing By						04:23
	08	Yesterday's Music						03:27
	09	We Had It All						02:57
	10	The Other Side						02:55
	11	Trade Winds						05:14

Queen of the Night
Date of Release Apr 1974
Styles Blues-Rock

Producer Jerry Wexler puts the earthy vocals of Maggie Bell in a beautiful setting here. She stretches John Prine's "Souvenirs" to the max with Steve Gadd ably assisting by splashing the drums as deep as Bell's vocals. Her up-tempo version of J.J.Cale's "After Midnight" is more captivating than Eric Clapton's; she oozes that Etta James sexuality while Reggie Young throws some tasty guitar into the semi-calypso groove. Bell's identity is unique on much of the material, but a couple of tunes have her paying tribute to some of her sisters. The title track, "Queen of the Night," is drenched in gorgeous harmonies by the Sweet Inspirations and is pure Genya Ravan, but conversely, the cover of "A Woman Left Lonely," embraced totally by Janis Joplin on Pearl, is a sweet vocal and totally alien to how Joplin ripped the song to shreds so wonderfully. It works on an entirely different level on "Queen of the Night" - Bell's voice is an instrument that slips into different styles on a moment's notice. She takes the fun but silly Ringo Starr/Vini Poncia number five hit from the same year and gives it some style, then turns around with Deadric Malone's "As the Years Go Passing By" and delivers another brand of quality sound. Cornell Dupree's fabulous guitar leads cook in the background - the frosting on the cake for "As the Years Go Passing By." Intense and beautiful, it is the real sleeper here. While Merry Clayton was singing back-up on Ringo Starr's "Oh My My" and ex-Black Oak Arkansas Ruby Starr would track Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," Bell broke through her Stone the Crows image to cover a range of ideas, giving even David Clayton Thomas some respectability, taking his original "Yesterday's Music" to new heights with a Bonnie Bramlett-style touch of gospel. From Will Jennings to Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen, Bell's Queen of the Night is a stunningly marvelous mix of blues, pop, soul, and Southern rock. "We Had It All" builds with a smoldering tension that gives Bell a platform for her inspired phrasings. Sager must've been over the top when she first heard this version of "The Other Side." This is music straight from the heart, which concludes with "Trade Winds," piano, drums, and Bell's voice tapering off like the end of a great set at some intimate nightclub. This is an extraordinary creation worth pulling out when you want to appreciate a fine wine (which old records can be like). - Joe Viglione

1. Caddo Queen (Jennings/Troy/Williams) - 3:38
2. A Woman Left Lonely (Oldham/Penn) - 3:55
3. Souvenirs (Prine) - 5:34
4. After Midnight (Cale) - 2:38
5. Queen of the Night (Leahy) - 4:03
6. Oh My My (Poncia/Starkey) - 2:57
7. As the Years Go Passing By (Malone) - 4:23
8. Yesterday's Music (Smith/Thomas) - 3:27
9. We Had It All (Fritts/Seals) - 2:57
10. The Other Side (Allen/Sager) - 2:55
11. Trade Winds (McDonald/Salter) - 5:14


Chuck Rainey - Bass
Maggie Bell - Vocals
Barry Goldberg - Keyboards
Ralph MacDonald - Percussion
The Sweet Inspirations - Vocals
Cornell Dupree - Guitar
Steve Gadd - Drums
John Hughey - Guitar (Steel)
Arthur Jenkins - Keyboards
Leon Pendarvis - Keyboards
William Salter - Bass
Richard Tee - Keyboards
Chris Welch - Liner Notes
Jerry Wexler - Producer
Reggie Young - Guitar

1973 LP Atlantic 7293
2001 CD Repertoire 4661





Maggie Bell
Born Jan 12, 1945 in Glasgow, Scotland
Styles Blues-Rock

by William Ruhlmann

Scottish soul-rock singer Maggie Bell first gained prominence singing with Stone the Crows, which released its first album in 1970 and broke up in June 1973. Bell went solo with Queen of the Night (featuring the U.S. number 97 "After Midnight") in 1974, followed by Suicide Sal, both of which charted in the U.S. Her only U.K. chart singles came with "Hazell" (number 37) in 1978, and a duet with B.A. Robertson, "Hold Me" (number 11), in 1981.


1974 Queen of the Night Atlantic
1975 Suicide Sal Repertoire
1977 Great Rock Sensation Polydor
2002 Live at the Rainbow, 1974 Angel Air
2003 Live at the Boston USA 1975 Angel Air
Crimes Of The Heart Repertoire