Draft:Live at the Bitter End, 1971

Live at the Bitter End, 1971, is a live album by American soul singer Donny Hathaway of songs recorded at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, in October 1971. All material on the album was previously unreleased, drawing from eight sets performed over a three-night residency. These same shows, however, did provide the recordings that comprise the second half of Hathaway's celebrated 1972 album, Live.

Background
Writing in "The New York Times" on October 29, 1971, jazz critic Don Heckman took a highly unconventional approach toward his review of one of the club performances that contributes to this album. Starting by announcing that "Donny Hathaway…should be heard," he emphasizes that he was "much more concerned with urging you to go experience his music for yourself than I am with making critical points."

Release
The material on Live at the Bitter End, 1971 was originally released as one CD in the four-CD box set, Never My Love, with Rolling Stone noting that its inclusion of "a strong R&B version" of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend", which Hathaway had previously recorded as a duet with Roberta Flack.

Rhino released the first standalone version of the album on vinyl in an exclusive 4,000-copy limited edition for Record Store Day 2014.

Live at the Bitter End, 1971 reached a wider audience with Rhino's release of a digital edition to streaming services on February 26, 2021.

Personnel

 * Donny Hathaway – vocals, electric piano, piano, organ, arrangements
 * Cornell Dupree – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Mike Howard – guitar, backing vocals
 * Willie Weeks – bass, backing vocals
 * Fred White – drums, backing vocals
 * Earl DeRouen – conga drums, backing vocals