Rich Versus Roach Explained

Rich versus Roach is a 1959 studio album by drummers Buddy Rich and Max Roach with their respective bands of the time. The album is mixed with each of the two bands in a different stereo channel.

Track listing

LP side A

1. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" (Louis Prima) – 4:06
2. "The Casbah" (Gigi Gryce) – 4:25
3. "Sleep" (Earl Burtnett, Adam Geibel) – 3:15
4. "Figure Eights" (Buddy Rich, Max Roach) – 4:26

LP side B

1. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 4:15^[1]
2. "Big Foot" (Charlie Parker) – 4:59
3. "Limehouse Blues" (Philip Braham, Douglas Furber) – 3:42
4. "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye" (Ernie Erdman, Ted Fio Rito, Gus Kahn, Robert A. K. King) – 3:50

1986 CD re-issue with alternate versions:

1. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" (alt. take) – 4:22
2. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" – 4:08
3. "The Casbah" – 4:28
4. "The Casbah" (alt. take) – 4:58
5. "Sleep" – 3:18
6. "Figure Eights" – 4:30
7. "Yesterdays" – 5:41
8. "Big Foot" – 5:00
9. "Big Foot" (alt. take) – 5:14
10. "Limehouse Blues" – 3:56
11. "Limehouse Blues" (alt. take) – 3:43
12. "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye" – 3:57

Personnel

Rich's band

• Buddy Rich – drums, percussion
• Phil Woods – alto saxophone
• Willie Dennis – trombone
• Phil Leshin – double bass
• John Bunch – piano

Roach's band

• Max Roach – drums
• Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone
• Julian Priester – trombone
• Tommy Turrentine – trumpet
• Bobby Boswell – double bass

Production

• Jack Tracy – producer, liner notes
• Gigi Gryce – arranger
• Bill Stoddard – engineer
• Kiyoshi "Boxman" Koyama – compilation, research

References

• Mercury MG-20448 (original LP)
• Mercury 826987-2 (CD)

Notes and References

1. At least one source lists a very different length for "Yesterdays" on the LP. 5:43 vs. 4:15, 4:15