Jack Bruce

OBAL PEKNY
DESKA VYBORNY STAV

A1  Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune  3:39
A2  Theme For An Imaginary Western  3:27
A3  Tickets To Water Falls  2:59
A4  Weird Of Hermiston  2:20
A5  Rope Ladder To The Moon  2:51
B1  The Ministry Of Bag  2:47
B2  He The Richmond  3:34
B3  Boston Ball Game, 1967  1:44
B4  To Isengard  5:28
B5  The Clearout  2:36
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    Artwork – Ink Studios
    Cello [Cellos] – Jack Bruce (tracks: A5)
    Composed By [Music Composed By], Arranged By – Jack Bruce
    Drums – John Marshall (tracks: A5, B2), Jon Hiseman (tracks: A1 to A4, B1, B3 to B5)
    Engineer – Andrew Johns
    Guitar – Chris Spedding (tracks: A2 to A4, B1, B4, B5), Felix Pappalardi (tracks: B4), Jack Bruce (tracks: A5, B2, B4), L'Angelo Misterioso (tracks: A1)
    Mastered By – Rob Grenell
    Organ – Jack Bruce (tracks: A2 to A4, B5)
    Other [Got Together By] – Ralph
    Percussion – Felix Pappalardi (tracks: B2)
    Photography By [Cover Photograph By] – Roger Phillips
    Piano – Jack Bruce (tracks: A1 to B1, B3, B5)
    Producer – Felix Pappalardi
    Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Saxes] – Art Themen (tracks: A1), Dick Heckstall-Smith (tracks: A1)
    Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Saxes] – Art Themen (tracks: A1, B1, B3), Dick Heckstall-Smith (tracks: A1, B1, B3)
    Trombone – John Mumford (tracks: B3)
    Trumpet – Harry Beckett (tracks: A1, B1, B3), Henry Lather* (tracks: A1, B1, B3)
    Vocals – Felix Pappalardi (tracks: A5, B4)
    Vocals, Bass – Jack Bruce
    Words By – Pete Brown (5)

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Jack Bruce's first solo album. I don't know if it's his best, it's the only one I own from him. But it's great. "To Isengard" is wonderful, "Theme From An Imaginary Western" (who was planned to be performed by Cream but was rejected in 1967 ; Mountain played it at Woostock), "Weird Of Hemiston" (also was planned to be performed, but rejected, by Cream) are killer songs.
Too much horn arrangements anyway, at least for me. Not A 5-stars albums because of that.
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Jack Bruce was not only 1/3 of the virtuoso line-up of Cream and its lead singer, but also the only multiinstrumentist, the group’s main and more gifted song writer and probably also the responsible for most of all the weird arrangements that made the band’s sound so innovative; his partnership with lyricist Pete Brown was kept intact for this album After the Cream’s demise, and above all because of the Blind Faith project which Jack felt as a “betrayal” , he was fully determined to stop postponing the long though about solo album; and although not the 1st he recorded this was the 1st he released;
There’s an underlying Cream feel on this album but it comes only from the songwriting because Jack did all he could to get a very different sound; with that purpose he enlisted the help of Chris Spedding and Jon Hiseman (guitar and drums) who are featured on most tracks; there’s also a horn section composed by Harry Becket and Henry Lowther on trumpets, and Dick Heckstall-Smith and Art Themen on tenor and soprano saxes (tracks 1, 6 and 8), and two tracks with John Marshall on drums and Felix Pappalardi on back vocals and percussion; As for Jack he divides his talents between his personality filled vocals and raucous, flashy and sturdy Gibson bass sound, plus pianos, organ, guitars and cellos;

The vibrant horn tracks 1 and 6 are based on a Blues structure, but have the due twist and great jazzy horns arrangements (George Harrison is the (discreet) rhythm guitarist on “Never Tell your Mother…”) and “Boston Ball…” is a short trombone (John Mumford) fuelled, psyched Jazz horns and double vocal lines odd and captivating track;
The original “Theme from an Imaginary Western”, Cream rejected and Mountain would later take to glory is also here, a poignant tune where Spedding understated playing reveals itself full with sensitiveness; no flashy solos from this guy but his tasteful licks, fills, arpeggios et al are a perfect counterpoint for Jack’s piano and bass lines and highly contribute to the songs magnificence (also true for “Tickets…” and “Weird of Hermiston”)
On what is probably his most famous song “Rope Ladder…” the ambience is built around a strummed acoustic and great cello lines with Jack playing everything except the drums, John Marshall takes care of; on “He the Richmond” Pappalardi adds a 2nd voice and a double acoustic guitar arrangement gives a swinging feel to the song ;
The longest track is “To Isengard” (otherwise all tracks are shorter than 3:30 minutes which leaves you with lust for more and the impression JB knew exactly what he wanted to “say”) which starts quietly with gentle acoustic guitars (Bruce, Pappalardi & Spedding) in a 6/8 slow feel, and mid way through goes into a rampageous, jagged, free tempo Rock craze with the electric guitar and the bass duelling over scattered drum rolls;
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It would be a 6 star if it wasn't for the mediocre production, so it's only a 5 star.
Jokes apart, why does it rank so low for 1969?
By then Jack Bruce was a musician with a very high reputation and visibility. Moreover, despite its underlying complexity, this music flows beautifully. It cannot be blamed to be neither too proggy, nor unoriginal. It's just a perfect pop gem which for reasons that are obscure to me didn't get - and still is not getting - the visibility and appreciation it deserves. Like many others.