Classified is a studio album by the New Orleans pianist James Booker, released in 1982.[7][8] It was reissued in an expanded edition in 2013.[9]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	B+[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[4]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

Production

The album was produced by Scott Billington, who recorded several sessions with Booker in 1982.[2] The sessions were at times interrupted by Booker's odd behavior or his stints in jail.[10] Classified captures both solo and quartet recordings; Booker's Maple Leaf Bar band included bassist James Singleton, saxophonist Alvin Tyler, and drummer Johnny Vidacovich.[9][11][12] The Professor Longhair medley came to an abrupt end when Booker left mid-song in order to cash a check.[6]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau wrote that "in general there's too much reliance on the left hand, with the consequent loss of dynamic subtlety compounded by a klutzy drum mix."[1] The Philadelphia Daily News praised Booker's "great stomping piano, [which is] not quite as fervent as Fats Domino or as idiosyncratic as Professor Longhair, but mightily infectious all the same."[13]

AllMusic called the album "one of the great blues albums of the early '80s."[2]

Track listing

Personnel

• James Booker - piano
• James Singleton - bass
• Alvin Tyler - saxophone
• Johnny Vidacovich - drums

References