The title of
Michael Stanley's 1973 album
Friends & Legends -- his second and final solo effort before starting the Michael Stanley Band -- is certainly deserved. The Clevelander's talent must have been immediately evident to big names in the music business, because even
Stanley's self-titled debut featured stellar guests. Bill Szymczyk produced
Friends & Legends, and he recruited
Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm,
Stephen Stills' Manassas, saxophonist
David Sanborn,
Richie Furay, and
Dan Fogelberg to perform on it;
J. Geils is also credited for helping
Stanley co-produce the saxophone parts. "Among My Friends Again" is pleasant, easygoing folk-rock. An extremely mellow, reflective cover of
the Beatles' "Help" is impressive, and
Stanley says in the liner notes to the Razor & Tie reissue that a friend played it for
John Lennon, who replied that
Stanley's version was performed the way he originally conceived the song. The dramatically brooding "Let's Get the Show On the Road" is one of
Stanley's best songs and was a concert favorite for many years; Sanborn's rich saxophone work on the track is stellar, and he really stretches out on the funky, Latin-flavored outro jam. "Just Keep Playing Your Radio" is an early example of rock's embrace of reggae. Thanks to
Joe Vitale's multi-tracked flute parts and its overall Latin feel, "Roll On" resembles the music of War. "Funky Is the Drummer" is a fun, little throwaway on which
Stanley introduces the musicians. The long guitar jam at the end of the otherwise subdued "Poets' Day" concludes Friends & Relatives on a blistering note. ~ Bret Adams