There’s a feeling of excitement that I get when I discover a particular artist whom I didn’t realize had a hand in some of the most impactful records in music history. Just this past summer, I found out Dave Grohl, of Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame, had actually performed with Queens of the Stone Age on their album Songs for the Deaf, and toured with them during that period. All of a sudden, the sounds from that era of the band made much more sense, and I felt myself excited at learning the new information, as it showed how wide a certain artist’s output could extend.

The same applies for Dick Sims. His name rang familiarity, and though I had been introduced to him through the Explosive Records label, I was unaware of where I had heard his name before. I found my answer sitting on my living room floor, spinning through vinyl on a summer afternoon. With Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard on the turntable, I scanned the liner notes. Lo and behold, there he was: Organ - Dick Sims.

Immediately, I hopped onto Discogs to see his other credits, and found out that he was the main keyboardist for Clapton throughout the entirety of his 70s output, ranging from 461 all the way through Backless, on some of his biggest hits such as “Wonderful Tonight”, “Cocaine” and “I Shot the Sheriff”. In addition, Dick Sims was credited for performances with Bob Seger, Freddie King, Lester Chambers, Pure Prairie League, Joan Armatrading, and Steve Pryor, and writing/arrangement credits for Paul Revere & The Raiders and J.J. Cale.

As a result, I was extremely curious as to what Within Arm’s Reach could bring. With the reunion of several key players in Eric Clapton’s band, including Tulsa drummer Jaime Oldaker (Peter Frampton, Stephen Stills, Ace Frehley), vocalist Marcella Detroit (Eric Clapton, Shakespeares Sister), drummer Richie Hayward (Little Feat, Paul Rodgers, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant), and more, I knew the instrumentals would be tight and reflective of some of rock’s greatest. On the record, Dick Sims proves that his musical chops are strong enough to put together a full-length release. Kicking off with “Take a Little Time”, Dick Sims immediately drops us into an atmosphere of hazy heartland rock, with 2nd generation Tulsa player Pride Hutchison drumming a slow groove along a rising chord progression from Sims’ keys. Psychedelic, soothing background vocals from Shannon McNally (Stevie Nicks, John Mellencamp) and Todd Griffin (The Graveyard Train) contribute to the atmosphere.

On the next track, “When Old Worlds Fall”, Dick Sims’ vocals begin to shine. I would argue that his singing voice is not necessarily conventional, but the gravelly tone and age add a reflective quality, especially with the lyrical content. “Might be a little shaky, feel real achy but I’ll always be there for you." The vocals and production makes this track a highlight. Marcella Detroit provides the backing vocals here, giving the song a quintessentially 70s vibe in the choruses, swelling to heights with the help of production from Hutchison that make the track feel like an early epic.

In fact, Tulsa influence appears all over this record. Especially on the track “Downtown”, where distorted slide guitars from Doug Pettibone (Keith Richards, Elvis Costello), thumping drums from Richie Hayward (Little Feat, Eric Clapton, Paul Rodgers, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant), and searing harmonica from the one-and-only Lester Chambers (Chambers Brothers) piece together a stomping blues rock anthem discussing the death of an unnamed woman. On this track, vocalist Rod Jackson (Slash’s Snake Pit, Shady Tree) belts out, “She said she’d always been around. She said she’d lived all over town. She said I’m going downtown, now she’s six feet underground.” The track is followed by a more lighthearted affair, with a smooth, sweet duet between Shannon McNally and Marcella Detroit on “Blue Skies”.

Each of the backing musicians get a place to shine on the record. Dusty Wakeman (Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams, Buck Owens) handles the bass on the track “Spend the Night”, where his lines travel up and down the key at a frantic pace native to hard rock, providing what I find to be one of the one of the most exciting instrumentals across the entire record. Alongside some fantastic saxophone work from Bill “Stumuk” Nugent (Frank Zappa), Hammond fills from Sims and groovy drums from Jaime Oldaker, the song is a danceable classic.

Dick Sims doesn’t take himself too seriously on some other tracks. One track near the center of the album, “One More Toke”, has one of my favorite lyrics and choruses off the record, in which Sims croons, “I been to jail and I’m tired as hell so I think I’ll go outside and take a real big *inhale* toke!”

One of the final tracks on the album, “Do What’s Right”, is a complete epic, discussing a poignant message, that Sims won’t stop until he reaches “the top of the hill”, unafraid to show who he truly is in doing what he believes to be right. The song builds in intensity, as almost every single instrument that has appeared throughout the album introduces itself in the final third of the track, turning into a hard-rock jam, with a blistering solo from Pettibone, Oldaker’s performing fills wildly on a packed and kicker drum breakdown, Chambers’ harmonica wailing, all the while Dick Sims cries, “Take me home! Home! HOME!”, with Marcella Detroit providing a backing counter-melody. It’s a testament to the musicians involved, showcasing how all of them can still bring the heaviness and emotionality that made their earliest work so impactful. Dick Sims passed away in 2011, and hearing a track such as this makes it all-the-more saddening to have lost such an important musical icon so soon. Additionally, it makes me grateful to have a record such as Within Arm’s Reach where one can see and hear an entire album of material from rock's greatest Hammond player, a musician unphased by the evolution of music and dedicated to his craft, with the individuals who performed with him along the way.

“Dreams come and they go. You never know what they are or what they seem to be. Or are they reality? I can’t see. Things aren’t like they used to be. Now I’m living in sweet harmony, and trying to do what’s right. I’m trying with all my might. Time to do what’s right. And I won’t give up till I get to the top of the hill. And I don’t give a damn if you know who I am, I’m right here. Right here.” - Dick Sims, on “Do What’s Right”