Brian Auger, Julie Driscol & the Trinity Berliner Jazz Stage November 7, 1968 Unknown broadcast source @320
Setlist:
01 Radio announcer-Red Beans and Rice 02 Freedom Jazz Dance 03 Take Me to the Water 04 Radio announcer-Season of the Witch 05 Shadows of You 06 When I was a Young Girl 07 Wheels of Fire
From the outgrowth of Steampacket, a band that included not only Brian
Auger and Julie Driscoll, but also a young Rod Stewart, came Auger and
Driscoll's collective effort that produced two albums. When Driscoll
left in 1969 to pursue a solo career, Auger, drummer Clive Thacker, and
bassist Dave Ambrose continued as Brian Auger & the Trinity. Open
has been unfairly characterized as a kind of groove jazz rip, one that
combines Wes Montgomery, Jimmy McGriff, and the rock sensibilities of
the psychedelic era. Whatever. There are many tracks here, from deep
grooved funky jazz to lilting ballads and greasy blues numbers and the
skronky exotica number "Goodbye Jungle Telegraph." Auger may not have
been as gifted an organist as Alan Price technically, but he could more
than hold his own on the Hammond B-3 (as evidenced by the first two
tracks here which are instrumentals, "In And Out" and "Isola Nate"). He
was also able to pull more sounds out of the instrument than any of his
peers. Auger wasn't much of a vocalist, but he could dig deep and get
the emotion out of a song -- especially in a funky number like "Black
Cat," which featured a killer though uncredited studio horn section.
Driscoll's contributions are all on the second half of the album,
beginning with the shuffling choogle of Lowell Fulsom's "Tramp,"
continuing through a moving reading of Pops Staples' "Why (Am I Treated
So Bad)," two Auger originals, and concluding in a reading of Donovan's
"Season of the Witch" that single-handedly established her reputation as
a vocalist of great interpretative ability and emotional dexterity.
Almost eight minutes in length, it is the perfect interplay for the
quartet with its dark, smoky swirling energy and extant soul groove, and
capos the album on a high note, making it a delightful precursor to the
classic Streetnoise which was to follow. ~Tom Jurek
Track List:
1. In And Out 2. Isola Natale 3. Black Cat 4. Lament For Miss Baker 5. Goodbye Jungle Telegraph 6. Tramp 7. Why (Am I Treated So Bad) 8. Kind Of Love In 9. Break It Up 10. Season Of The Witch 11. I've Gotta Go Now [CD Bonus Track] 12. Save Me [CD Bonus Track] 13. This Wheel's On Fire [CD Bonus Track] 14. Road To Cairo [CD Bonus Track]
Line-up / Musicians
- Brian Auger/ vocals, keyboards - Julie Driscoll/ vocals - Gary Boyle / guitar - Dave Ambrose / bass guitar - Roger Sutton / bass guitar - Clive Thacker/drums
Brian Auger's Oblivian Express Live Dallas Sound Studio
May 1, 1974
Dallas, Texas
Unknown Station FM Source @ VBR
Band: Brian Auger - hammond b3, keyboards Alex Ligertwood - vocals Barry Dean - bass Jack Mills - guitar Stephen Ferrone - drums
Set List:
01-Radio intro 02-Back To The Beginning 03-Inner City Blues 04-Straight Ahead 05-Freedom Jazz Dance 06-Maiden Voyage 07-Truth 08 -Compared To What (fade out)
The first outing by Brian Auger's jazz-rock ensemble the Oblivion Express, first issued in 1971, is one of the great masterpieces of jazz-rock fusion. Auger, having just disbanded his longtime band the Trinity in 1970, still had plenty of rock and roll in his system. His yearning for the open frontiers of electric jazz was certainly the driving force -- in the same way that it was for Miles Davis on A Tribute to Jack Johnson, and Lifetime was for Tony Williams -- but it was anchored in the visceral application of rock. With guitarist Jim Mullen, bassist Barry Dean, and drummer Robbie McIntosh, Auger charted into the unknown. This album fits like a glove, each tune moving ever forward into the next. From the opening knotty, rhythmic twists in "Dragon Song," to the subterranean counterpoint in "Total Eclipse," to the band's theme song that closes the album with its pumping bass and guitar interludes, and Auger's Lemmy Kilmister-like vocals, Oblivion Express is a classic in its genre. There is a rawness in passion and intent here that is balanced by wondrously imaginative arrangements for rock band instrumentation, and an aesthetic that is disciplined and visionary. ~Thom Jurek AllMusic
Track List:
Dragon Song Total Eclipse The Light On The Road The Sword Oblivion Express
