''Don't Freak Me Out'' is the first and only album released by English musician Jimmy Stevens in 1972. The album was produced by

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

. But in the United States, it was released in January 1973 and was called ''Paid My Dues''.

Recording

Stevens recalls that his entire album was done in two sessions. For this first one he was to be accompanied by

Alan Kendall Alan Kendall (born 9 September 1944) is an English musician and was the lead guitarist for the Bee Gees, in an unofficial capacity from 1971 until 1980, and again from 1987 until 2001. Career His first recording was "Don't Play That Song (You ...

and Maurice's friend

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

from

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. Bonham was busy elsewhere at the start of the session and a drummer Heydon Jones was hired quickly to fill in. The songs were recorded with Stevens singing and playing piano at the same time, Kendall playing acoustic guitar, and Jones or Bonham on drums. Stevens and the engineers were very happy with the results. In particular Bonham's powerful drumming touched off an impassioned performance by Stevens on the title track, which would be the English title song to the album.Joseph Brennan - Gibb Songs: 1972
/ref> Gibb was supervising the session, but he did not play together with them. Later he added bass to all but "Sweet Child of Mine" (which is just Stevens with orchestra), organ on "Don’t Freak Me Out", keyboard on "When You Grow Up", and Bill Shepherd orchestration to three songs. Kendall's acoustic guitar was just about mixed out, but he or Maurice added electric rhythm guitar to "High Heel Blues". All this tinkering changed the raw feel of the basic tracks. The second session for the album was in May 1972, and features Peter Frampton on guitar,

Mike Kellie Michael Alexander Kellie (24 March 1947 – 18 January 2017) was an English musician, composer and record producer. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Kellie was a member of the rock bands the V.I.P.s, Spooky Tooth and the Only ...

on drums and the orchestra was arranged by

Gerry Shury Gerald Roland Shury (11 August 1944General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 17; Page: 0919 – 24 May 1978)England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), page 7395 was a British songwriter, arranger, an ...

. Frampton played

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

instead on the " Bye Bye Love" and added electric guitar to two others. Frampton, who was a member of Humble Pie, recorded his first solo album '' Wind of Change'' around this time, and Kellie, late of Spooky Tooth, was the drummer on it, while Bee Gees’ tour drummer

Chris Karan Chris Karan (born Chrisostomos Karanikis, 14 October 1939) is a Britain-based Australian jazz drummer and percussionist of Greek descent. Life and career Karan was born in 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Karan played in The Three Out t ...

played

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

. Two of the album's songs, "Paid My Dues" and "Tears" were covered by then former Spooky Tooth lead singer Mike Harrison, on ''

Smokestack Lightning "Smokestack Lightning" (also "Smoke Stack Lightning" or "Smokestack Lightnin'") is a blues song recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1956. It became one of his most popular and influential songs. It is based on earlier blues songs, and numerous artists ...

'', his second solo album, also released in 1972,

Track listing

* All tracks were written by Jimmy Stevens except where noted.

Personnel

* Jimmy Stevens –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, organ *

– guitar *

– drums on "Don't Freak Me Out" and "Is It Me Babe" * Heydon Jones – drums on "Tears" and "When You Grow Up" * Bill Shepherd – orchestral arrangement * Peter Frampton – guitar *

– drums *

Chris Hughes Chris Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The New R ...

– sax on "You Are There" * Julian Gaillard –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

on "You're the Lady I Want to Grow Old With" *

– orchestral arrangement * Robin Black –

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

* Paul Tregurtha – engineer

References

{{Authority control Albums produced by Maurice Gibb Jimmy Stevens (musician) albums 1972 debut albums Atlantic Records albums RSO Records albums