ELECTROMAGNETS

Texas had something to prove. They weren't only the home of a special brand of blues or twanged out country music. They had some boys who could shred with the likes of John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck and Al DiMeola. Texas was home to Eric Johnson. A guitar wunderkind, tone-master and a very melodic tunesmith. The entire band was fabulous on their respective instruments. Kyle Brock laying down tight, heavy bass lines. BIll Maddox churning out crafty back-beat fills, and Stephen Barber giving Jan Hammer and Joe Zawinul a run for their money.

Each tune sets the stage for creative soloing by Johnson and Barber. The tracks have a live feel, as the timing seems to swell and grow elastic. The music never drags, it engages the mind and soothes the ear. Johnsons tone is so sweet, he seems to always choose the right spaces, never overplaying. I actually wish some of the tunes could have been a little longer, to stretch out the solos.

Motion has that soft sensual fluidity in it's overall effect on my senses. Chris Geppert, better known as Christopher Cross guests on vocals. Hawaiian Punch is a funky piece of playful Jazz Rock that would have sounded at home on a Tony Williams Lifetime album. Dry Ice is a hard driving electric piano tinged workout, with Johnson just tearing notes into teeny pieces. Kyle Brocks bass gets some space to take a few leads as the threesome trade bits over Maddox's hyper-active groove. Blackhole adds more jazz into the mix, with a tight rhythm, tasty guitar licks and deft keyboarding. Salem slows the pace and Stephen Barber takes the lead on Fender Rhodes and vocals. Thomas Ramirez adds his sax to Minus Mufflers and giving the tune a heavier jazz inflection.

Four stars is maybe a stretch, but not by much. Everyone should check it out. It's definitely a "MUST HAVE" for fans of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

Electromagnets sole selftitled album was released in 1974. This album caught my attention because of Eric Johnson´s participation on the G3 tour with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai ( look in Steve Vai´s discography for: Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai- G3 Live In Concert). It´s not that I really think Eric Johnson´s music is breathtaking or excellent in any way on that album but I felt that I at least had to give his seventies fusion album a chance.

The music on Electromagnets is jazz/ rock fusion of the softer variant. Technically challenging but with a generally light mood. The album is almost entirely instrumental except for Salem which has vocals. A nice feature to make the album more diverse. All songs are more or less good but I think that Hawaiian Punch and especially the little more agressive Dry Ice are the best songs on the album. I would put Electromagnets in the same boat as The Dixie Dregs and some of Jeff Beck´s jazz/ rock albums like Blow by Blow and Wired.

The two live tracks on the CD re-issue are very powerful even though the sound quality isn´t the best. Listen to that shred work from Eric Johnson.

The musicianship is outstanding. These guys are very accomplished.

The production is excellent and brings out the best in the music.

Electromagnets is a good album IMO, but I must say that I generally prefer darker music than this. I think the album deserves 3 stars and I fully understand if others feel that this album should receive 4 stars because it´s a very professional album and the quality of the music is high. It´s just a matter of aquired taste with this one for me I guess.

Great Jazz Fusion album. A great music performances with great improvisations. A happy conception that made a great Jazz stuff. Great guitar performances and great bass performance with lot's of Weather Report influencies but we can listen some John McLaughlin parts to. To me, one important USA Jazz Fusion band of seventies, with a one of most great album but unfortunately unknown. In Progarchives List, just appears one albun but I have Electromagnets II that it's so great that the first. A mandatory addition for those like Jazz Progressive Fusion because it's a great stuff. Not the best of USA Jazz fusion but an important band that I recomended heard. Please enjoy all Fusion fans and I give 4 stars.

A little-known jazzy prog band from Austin,Texas, Electromagnets were formed in 1973 by Bill Maddox (drums), Steve Barber (keyboard) and Kyle Brock (bass),while they were collaborating with many percussionists and horn men during their early days.A year later the horn section is abandoned and Eric Johnson jumps on board.In 1975 their eponymous debut was released.

And this really powerful,progressive-linked and complex Jazz-Fusion with many different approaches.From energetic groovy rhymths to (mostly) fiery guitar-based fusion tracks with sudden breaks and from sax-driven mellow jazz to electric-piano centered smooth Jazz Rock ala WEATHER REPORT.Often the tracks have an improvisational mood with Johnson delivering excellent jazzy solos.Fantastic rhythm section with heavy bass lines and furious drumming,while Barber's clavinet will definitely bring you GENTLE GIANT to mind.The 1998 Rhino/Wea CD reissue contains two live bonus tracks already presented in the original album,a good documentary of the band's live activity back in the 70's,but with a very raw production.

Again,this album is strongly recommended - surpassing many better known bands than Electromagnets - not only to Jazz or Fusion fans but anyone looking for some true energy thrown in his prog menu...3.5 stars

This release is among my top ten fav discoveries in 1999. Back in 1975, a little-known, Texas fusion band released an album that has become the stuff of legend and one for the collectors' bins. And 23 years later Rhino unearths it all for us on CD. Wonderful! This is precisely what '70's jazz rock fusion was all about, great tunes like this. Keys are delightfully dated Hammer/Zawinul/Hancock/Corea-ish, funked superb, bass ultimately Clarke/Pastorious, pumpin' fusion-driven tough, drums supremely right on and who is this on guitars?!! Eric Johnson, teenager Johnson was ripping it up in classic jazz rock fusion style back in the early seventies. Amazing. Frankly, he had 90% of all his chops down pat way back when and I actually prefer his stylings and riffs better in his ancient fusion mode. He kicks some serious hindparts, pulling out all the stops. He burns the frets with ferocious efficiency. Have mercy! This stuff is the ticket for a free time machine ride right back into a glorious time in the days of The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever. Why the Electromagnets didn't gain wider recognition is puzzling -- some things just don't happen.

This is simply great keys, wonderful bass, excellent drums, and extremely hot guitar -- all set firmly in a solid jazz rockin' fusion-fired groove. High recommendations! What fun!

Here is an amazing example of what happens when guitar prog fusion riffs goes genius, and along with it there is an inspired team of drummer, bassist and synth players. Even though the compositions intend to give plenty of space to the guitar, it's easy to notice the width of the abilities and techniques of the other musicians. Elaborate and surprising harmonies, and also some different noises, notes and tones made by all of them gives this an uniqueness on the genre. I'd say that they put together the structure of jazz-rock prog, but using some spicy seasonings of canterbury musical school.

There are vocals only on one track, Salem.

4,7 stars for side A, more prog-rock oriented, 4,1 for side B, it has more jazz elements.