Jack Bruce Things We Like (CD, Polydor Records, 1970) *****
Genre: Blues rock
Places I remember: Flashback Records (Essex Road, Islington) and FOPP (Covent Garden)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Theme From An Imaginary Western (Songs For A Tailor)
Gear costume: Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune (Songs..), Over The Cliff (Things...)
Active compensatory factors: Songs For A Tailor was the second solo album that recorded by Jack Bruce, though he did not release his first solo album, Things We Like, for another year (which is why I've bracketed them together for this post).
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Theme From An Imaginary Western (Songs For A Tailor)
Gear costume: Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune (Songs..), Over The Cliff (Things...)
The two albums are chalk and cheese. Things We Like (featuring John McLaughlin and Dick Heckstall-Smith) is a firey blast of instrumental jazz rock fusion and Songs For A Tailor is more blues rock in style (albeit in an off kilter way) featuring Jack's brilliant vocals. Both are master classes in each form.
Dick and Jon Hiseman on drums appear on both albums and are both unbelievably great foils for Jack.
The other name I should celebrate here is Pete Brown's. His lyrics are a constant source of smiles, bemusement, frowns, and nods.
Where do they all belong? As I've turned into a Jack Bruce completist, there is a stack of Jack to come on both CD and record in this genre.
Where do they all belong? As I've turned into a Jack Bruce completist, there is a stack of Jack to come on both CD and record in this genre.
When Hilary Frost joined Vertical Hold on cello, she swore that Jack Bruce released a 3 LP box set of him playing cello....I never believed her...and I still don't know if it's true or not....btw...I have loads of Cream and also lots of Clapton....a tiny bit of Baker, but heaps of Jack Bruce incl the CD re-issue of "Songs For A Tailor", which is brilliant! (Love Mountain too)....RIP almost all of them nowadays....
ReplyDelete