Veteran producer Jim Dickinson had been well-established as a trusted producer and sideman by the time he recorded an album of his own in 1972. Atlantic honcho Jerry Wexler had signed Dickinson and the Dixie Flyers, the label's house band for nearly all its soul recordings at the time, to record an album. Only Dickinson really felt up to it, and Dixie Fried was the result. Mixing blues, country, and unapologetic Southern boogie on nine tunes, Dickinson sounded something like a not-yet-formed Leon Russell or Dr. John (the latter of whom played on the album extensively). His wild, eclectic choice of songs makes for a mixed bag in the end. The sheer barrelhouse abandon of "Wine" is surpassed only by the New Orleans-style R&B of the title track, or the carnival-barker anthem "O How She Dances," a strange and fascinating precursor to Tom Waits' signature style. On Bob Dylan's "John Brown" Dickinson loses his way a bit, and his voice (at once hesitant and overzealous) trips him up in a number of places throughout. A gem to be sure, but one of a very rough cut indeed, and of course this factor may hold special appeal to some listeners. But understandably, Dickinsonstuck to producing for a while after this one. [Sepia Tone's 2002 release is the first time this album has ever been issued on compact disc.] by John Duffy
Haig Adishian - Design
Howie Albert - Engineer
Ron Albert - Engineer
Lee Baker
Stanley Booth - Liner Notes
Sammy Creason
Jim Crosthwait
Jeremy Cunningham - Photography
Jim Dickinson - Producer
Tom Dowd - Producer
Charlie Freeman
John Fry - Remixing
Joe Gaston
Jeannie Green
Jimmy Hole - Reissue Design
Mary Holliday
Chuck Kirkpatrick - Engineer
Mike Ladd
Terry Manning - Engineer, Photography
Tommy McClure
Jeff Newman
Gimmer Nicholson
Knox Phillips - Engineer
Karl Richardson - Engineer
Richard Rosebrough - Engineer
Carol Ruleman - Photography
Sid Selvidge
Mike Utley
Ken Woodley
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