First Base (album)

First Base
Studio album by Babe Ruth
Released	November 1972
Recorded	June-September 1972; EMI Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock, hard rock
Length	41:36 LP (47:30 CD)
Label	Harvest EMI (Capitol Records in the US)
Producer	Alan Shacklock, Nick Mobbs
Babe Ruth chronology

First Base is an album by the rock music group Babe Ruth. Produced by Alan Shacklock and Nick Mobbs, and engineered by Tony Clark at the EMI's Abbey Road Studios between June and September 1972, it was released that year.

The album went gold in Canada, sold well in the US, but had disappointing sales by comparison in the UK. The song "The Mexican" has been covered and remixed many times. Among them, it was covered in 1984 by John "Jellybean" Benitez with vocals by Janita Haan. "The Mexican" was also mixed into the third track of The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One by Liam Howlett of The Prodigy in 1999.

The sleeve design, painting and photography were by Roger Dean.

Track listing

"Wells Fargo" (Alan Shacklock) – 6:14
"The Runaways" (music: Alan Shacklock, words: David Whiting) – 7:12
"King Kong" (Frank Zappa, side 4 of Uncle Meat) – 6:40, recorded in one take, no overdubs
"Black Dog" (Jesse Winchester) – 8:03
"The Mexican" (Alan Shacklock) – 5:45, interpolates Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu (For a Few Dollars More, music by Ennio Morricone)
"Joker" (Alan Shacklock) – 7:42
"Wells Fargo" (single version, CD only; Shacklock) – 3:35
"Theme from For a Few Dollars More" (CD only; Morricone) – 2:19

Gasper Lawal: congas, bongoes, kabasa
Brent Carter: saxophones
Harry Mier: oboe
Peter Halling: cello (leader); Clive Anstee: cello; Manny Fox: cello; Boris Rickleman: cello
Jeff Allen: drums (on "The Runaways" only)