BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

Blood, Sweat & Tears is a terribly uneven band. Though bursting with skill, musicality and vision not many albums are solid. Often enough they are a collection of good, great and even boring material. Unlike other bands in the genre they seemed to draw in opposite directions at times, resulting in an uneven spread. The good parts are superior. The bad or not so good are, quite frankly, not that interesting.

In the year of 1971 Blood, Sweat & Tears released this album, simply entitled 4. As on previous albums the musical contents are made up of jazz, rock, blues, folk and classical elements. The difference being that 4 is a very cohesive and enjoyable album. It is held together in a way I feel some other records fail to do.

The opener, "Go down gamblin", is a terrific piece of raw and heavy jazz-rock. A great riff, fantastic energy and Clayton-Thomas' vocals makes it one of their best hard rock tracks. "Cowboys and indians" is a ballad-ish song with great lyrics and warm atmosphere. "Redemption" opens with a fantastic drum beat and heads into distinctly jazzy territory, as is the case in "Mama gets high": Again, I am not one to go through every track, so I will settle with some final words on the album as a whole.

I think this is a tremendous album. Apart from "New city" this is the one album of Blood, Sweat & Tears I return to the most. It is great from beginning to the piano led end and it's classical theme. What Blood, Sweat & Tears managed to do on 4 is simply to put all that made them great into one fabolous piece of art. Not too sentimental, not too slick and not too overbearing. It still sounds fresh to me and as vibrant as it ever did back in 1971. It did not break any new ground but consolidated what had already been gained over the past few years. The even mixture of hard rock, rock, blues, jazz, classical, folk and what not is very comforting and thrilling, 4 is a charming, energetic and lively album that really shows what Blood, Sweat & Tears was all about in it's first years of existence.

I clearly remember the day when I at the tender age of 10 picked up this album from my father's collection, putting it on the turntable and going into the kitchen to have a snack. When the first track, Ride captain ride, came on I swear I felt like losing my mind to an eternal groove. It swept me off my feet and keeps on doing so. This is jazz-rock with a slight emphasis on jazz, a good dose of slick funk and a big wallop of rock. The end result is one of my favorite albums and in my opinion the best from B,S&T.

While "Ride, captain, ride" is a jazz-rock kick in the head, "Life" is a decidedly funky affair with great wah-wah and a rolling groove that is amazing. "No show" and "I was a witness to a war" are great, mellow stuff of the highest pedigree. The cover of John Lee Hooker's "One room country shack" is superb and ends the first side of the vinyl in the best way.

Side two opens with "Applause", a song about a performer who's entertaining but really feels lonely. A fantastic song, sad but epic in a jazz-rock way. "Yesterday's music" is a straight forward pop//rock song but a terrific one. Then comes the humour, "Naked man". An oddity but very entertaining and nice melody. The cover of the Beatles song "Got to get you into my life" is inspired and everything draws to a close with the beautiful "Takin' it home", thus ending a wonderful album.

Not many people seem to like, no love, this album as I do. I think it is very underrated, inspired and vibrant record showcasing all that's great with the genre. There's jazz, rock, funk, blues, folk, hard rock and then some. Of special note is the fact that George Wadenius is the guitarist on the album, as he had been for some time in 1975. Being swedish I find it especially cool that one of my countrymen, and such a brilliant one aswell, is part of this album's greatness. I love it, from start to finish. It is an amazing album. Complex, beautiful, accessible and entertaining.

"Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US rock act Blood, Sweat & Tears. The album was released through Columbia Records in June 1970, 18 months after the release of their sophomore album in January 1969. It was another commercial success for the band, even though it didn´t reach the same extremely high number of sold copies that the predecessor did.

Like the case was on the predecessor, a large bulk of the material on "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" are re-arranged cover tunes, and very little is original material. Blood, Sweat & Tears manage to put their own spin on the tracks though and you are never in doubt which artist it is you are listening to. The band´s trademark brass rock sound is intact and you´ll also be treated to musicial elements from soul, r´n´b, jazz and classical music. Compared to it´s predecessor, "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" is slightly more r´n´b influenced and a little less jazz rock tinged.

The playing are still quite adventurous though and as always the musicianship are on a high level. Tight playing, a rare attention to detail and a lead vocalist in David Clayton-Thomas who has a strong and relatively raw voice and a convincing delivery. The whole thing is packed in a professional and organic sound production, which suits the material well and while not all tracks are equally challenging (the 7:49 minutes long "Symphony for the Devil/Sympathy for the Devil" stands out a bit because of it´s semi-progressive structure), they are all catchy and memorable. All in all "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" is a strong release by Blood, Sweat & Tears and while it doesn´t quite reach the heights of it´s direct predecessor a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

"Blood, Sweat & Tears" is the self-titled 2nd full-length studio album by US rock act Blood, Sweat & Tears. The album was released through Columbia Records in January 1969. Three members of the band, including lead vocalist Al Kooper, had left the band since the release of the debut album "Child Is Father to the Man (1968)". An album released only 11 months prior to this second studio album. The band brought in new lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas to replace Al Kooper and also added three additional members to the lineup, to bring the total number of members up to nine. "Blood, Sweat & Tears" proved to be a huge commercial success for the band as it sold more than 4 million copies...

...which is a testimony to how open minded listeners, radio stations and labels were in those days. There are definitely some mainstream oriented material on the album, but to my ears this is predominantly a semi-progressive jazz rock album and at times a fairly challenging one at that. Blood, Sweat & Tears have further developed on the brass rock sound of their debut album (which also included strong elements of r´n´b, classical music and mainstream pop) and added more jazz elements and at times progressive elements like complex songstructures and strong classical music leanings. Apparently this adventurous fusion of music styles went down well with the music listeners in 1968.

I love the fact that those listening to the album back then (and with 4 million copies sold I assume that some of them weren´t necessarily accustomed to more adventurous music) could actually embrace such a diverse and relatively complex album. Just take a listen to the three opening tracks on the album to get an idea of how diverse this album is. The opening track "Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie (1st and 2nd Movements, Adapted from "Trois Gymnopedies")" is a classical piece, "Smiling Phases" is a progressive jazz rock tune and "Sometimes In Winter" is a more mellow and pop oriented track. Brass are omnipresent throughout the album and define the band´s (at the time) unique sound. New lead vocalist David Clayton- Thomas is a more raw sounding vocalist than Al Kooper, and as a result the music on the album features slightly more edge, than the case was on the debut album.

"Blood, Sweat & Tears" is one of the first albums recorded on a 16-track recorder, in a time when 4- and 8-track recorders were the norm. And it´s audible. Not that the debut album didn´t feature a professional and well sounding production, but this sound production is even more detailed and well sounding. All in all "Blood, Sweat & Tears" is a step up from the debut album in every department and also a very strong release on it´s own merits. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

"Child is Father to the Man" is the debut full-length studio album by US rock act Blood, Sweat & Tears. The album was released through Columbia Records in February 1968. Blood, Sweat & Tears was formed in 1967 in New York City, with the vision of mixing rock music with big band sounding brass arrangements. They are widely regarded as one of the first rock groups to do it to this extent.

The band´s sound is actually pretty varied with elements from rock, pop, r´n´b, jazz and even a couple of nods toward psychadelia and classical music. The recurring element throughout the album is the brass section though. The band are very well playing and lead vocalist Al Kooper has a smooth voice and a soothing delivery. He can deliver more raw vocals on the most bluesy tracks too though, so he is quite the versatile singer. The material are generally well written and predominantly vers/chorus structured, but not all tracks are equally interesting and the lyrics are for the most part pretty generic "man loves woman" themed (read: Sugar coated). It´s the arrangements of the tracks, the professional, organic and detailed sound production that and the high level musicianship that are the real assets here.

"Child is Father to the Man" is on many levels a great debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears and for it´s time it was also quite original because of the different musical elements contained within. The core of the tracks aren´t that orignal though and occasionally it´s a bit too nice and lacking edge, but still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Blood Sweat & Tears has been in my life since I was a teenager and I don't remember when the first time I heard I Love You More Than You Ever Know for the first time - I think it was sometime around 1971 from the cassette that my big brother played at my hometown, Madiun. I was than aware that the song became a major radio hit and regularly played also by local bands. But to me BS&T was more than just that song as I liked the band's brass rock style as clearly described here at this site : "Blood, Sweat & Tears was/is a Jazz-Rock band formed in New York in 1967, and one of the early examples of the genre that would be known as "Brass Rock" and sharing their hierarchy of the genre with CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY (later CHICAGO), both being prime examples along with their UK competitor IF."

Yes, I fully agree that BS&T is in comparison with Chicago Transit Transit Authority even though there is a fundamental difference: CTA uses much more electric guitar solo than BS&T and I really admired CTA first album that really rocks! BS&T uses much more brass section and more jazzy and sometime bluesy like I Love You'll More Than You Ever Know or Somethin' Going On (track 9 of this debut album).

This album is to me an excellent one even though I prefer CTA because of they are rockier than BS&T debut album. But ... I really love the bluesy jazz style that this debut album presents. From the opening Overture it's quite clear that the band tried to record their album ini a relaxed way and I can get the sense from the Overture. The opening track I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know is my all time favorite as the song is very strong in melody and especially I love the groove it produces - it really creates vintage nuances which I call it in Bahasa Indonesia as "nuansamatik" (the term that I created and use it regularly to describe the situation where certain music matches the criteria being called as having a vintage nuances. The song not only good in its blues style but I also love the vocal, brass section and guitar solo. It's really killing! Thanks to Al Kooper on this!

The other tracks are excellent as well. The fourth track My Days Are Numbered is a very good example how strong and solid their composition is. It flows nicely with jazz nuances and great brass section. My true favorite is Somethin' Going On (track 9) which has blues style and powerful guitar solo....and not only that, it's really rockin' and nuansamatik as I can recall many segments with vintage music that represents the era of classic rock. The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud reminds me to the work of The Beatles - something like Eleanor Rigby but this one is much more PROGier.

I think this album deserves a solid four-star rating as it has powerful songs and most songs are composed beautifully (under the corridor of prog music) with excellent harmonies and dynamic changes from one segment to another in typical song and from one song to another. The brass section is really great. Most songs are basically not really melodic - but it's OK because we are in PROG music perspective. Take an example of last track So Much Love/Underture where it lacks melody but it's a well-composed song. This CD has bonus songs which I like it very much - especially the hit I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (track 13) performed live. It's really great! Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

While the debut effort from American jazz rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears did experience moderate commercial success, it wasn't until this self-titled sophomore effort that the band finally experienced the mainstream recognition that they truly deserved. Although the band's popularity would soon sharply decline, this well-known 1968 gem showcases Blood, Sweat & Tears at the absolute top of their game. On this LP, the listener will be treated to a fascinating marriage between jazz, psychedelic rock, blues, and pop that was unique for the time period, and still remains remarkably original to this day.

Keeping in mind that this observation was released before 'jazz rock' was truly solidified as a genre by innovators like Miles Davis, Chicago, and Frank Zappa (all of whom released some of their biggest contributions to the style in 1969), it's quite surprising how innovative Blood, Sweat & Tears is. Although the album rarely deviates into extended jams that characterized jazz-rock classics like In a Silent Way or Hot Rats, Blood, Sweat & Tears does exhibit a unique mix of brass and electric instrumentation, the raw power of rock music, and the instrumental prowess of jazz. Whereas Frank Zappa approached jazz rock from the 'rock' side of things and Miles Davis approached the genre from the 'jazz' side, Blood, Sweat & Tears approaches the genre from a more pop-oriented perspective. Whilst the band's style is not very commercial by today's standards, this is an album characterized by memorable hooks and unforgettable melodies - although there's much more to Blood, Sweat & Tears than simple pop choruses, the band manages to brilliantly incorporate melodic hooks into their style without sounding forced.

Although a very small amount of the music here was actually composed by the band (which is a minor turn-off for me), the song selection is top-notch and the performances are flawless. The brass arrangements complement the music perfectly, and the 'main' band is exceptional as well - lead singer David Clayton-Thomas especially deserves a shout out, as his warm tone and exciting delivery is a big part of what makes this album so enjoyable. The album is also quite diverse, sporting everything from the excellent ballad "You've Made Me So Very Happy" to extended jam sections in "Blues - Part II". While it does work really well for the most part, there is a bit of inconsistency in the quality of the songs ("And When I Die" is nowhere on par with the best the album has to offer), and the observation's high points can leave the listener a bit unsatisfied by its less impressive portions.

That said, however, Blood, Sweat & Tears is an excellent album in nearly every sense of the word, and a true joy to listen to. This is one of those records that always manages to put me in a good mood - whether it be the emotional melodies, funky instrumentation, or brilliant jamming sections, listening to this album is just a hell of a lot of fun in virtually any scenario. While it may not be entirely without its faults, Blood, Sweat & Tears is still an invigorating classic that deserves to be heard by every music lover.

The earlier career of Chicago is among my favourite groups to listen to, but here's a band that put albums BEFORE Chicago. Meet Blood, Sweat and Tears, a band that also is categorized as jazz-rock with a strong horn section (if I have my information correct, one of the Brecker brothers was in the band, but not on this album), a singer with a raspy voice (Kath to Clayton-Thomas) and guitarists with similar names (Terry Kath to Steve Katz). If you drew a Venn diagram with the two bands, producer James William Guercio is in the intersection. The punchline is BST has not the ''wow'' factor Chicago does despite debuting a year earlier.

Whereas Chicago were a rock band with heavy jazz influences interspersed with R&B, classical and psych, and all of those styles meshed together well in highly original tunes, BST has mostly covers and adaptations here that are more jazz-pop with slightly haphazard minglings with classical, blues, rock, and even can show off some Broadway flair. Some of the tunes have quite desirable melodies that good pop has in the form of ''And When I Die'', ''You Make Me So Very Happy'' and ''More and More''. The hitch is that David Clayton-Thomas is singing, and unlike Kath's warm rasp, Clayton-Thomas sings like he's trying too hard to hit high notes he simply cannot hit. The horn section picks up that flaw.

The self-titled album is too hit and miss all over the place. Whatever magic befell on the better poppier tracks never happened on ''Spinning Wheel'' and ''Sometimes in Winter''. The band can get a bit too humdrum and can never spark amazement like their rivals can. Even on three star albums, Chicago can really get some pizazz going to make me forget about other flaws (until review time). ''Blues Part II'' is the huge elephant in the room that lingers on a jam for too long (and references without credit Cream's ''Sunshine of Your Love''; doesn't work in a jazz-pop context) and pales in comparison to ''Liberation''.

If you love jazz-rock, get Chicago's first, second and seventh albums, and if you want ''More and More'', seek out this. Not that shabby, but you won't remember half the album five minutes later.

One of the most important and revolutionary albums of the late 60´s. A very insteresting, and quite a novelty back then, mix of jazz, rock, soul, blues, even classical music put together in one great single record that deserverly became a huge seller at the time. Unfortunatly it is almost forgotten today, which I think is really criminal. I only had the chance to listen to it as a whole in the last few weeks and I loved it. Of course I had heard Spinning Whell and You Make Me So Very Happy on the radio. Those giant hits were quite well played in Brazil during the years and the latter is still being played on those classic rock stations. But Blood Sweat & Tears second album is much more than those two.

I´m not a big fan of jazz rock or brass driven bands like this, but you have to be deaf not to see their talent and skill. Most important,. they play SONGS and play it greatly. Well, with one exception, the group´s 11 minute jam Blues-Part II. Typical of the period, but still interesting anyway. I loved their versatily of tackiling so many different styles and doing that so well. the cover of Traffic Smiling Phases is absolutely awesome! The slow ballad Sometimes In Winter is another good surprise. Amazingly is very well sung, even though is the only track that is nor perfomed by the great David Thomas Clayton. Guitarrist David Kats does a fine job here (granted: the tune is not too demanding, but his voice here is warm and convincing). More And More is also a highlight. The only flaw I saw here was an overlong and not very good version of Billie Holliday´s classic God Bless The Child, but that´s just my personal taste.

After just a few spins I was completely taken by this CD. The combination of the band´s instrumental prowness. creative arrangements and Clayton´s terrific, soulful delivering was a rare breed indeed. I don´t know if the following albums were that good (probably not), but this one is a masterpiece in its genre, whatever it is. As a prog site goes I wouldn´t go as far as giving it five stars. Still, an essential addition to any prog rock music collection for its boldness. greatness and groundbreaking status.

Found in a record store for 50 cents! Can't beat that price. A blast from the past single from 1968. Contained here is the megahit SPINNING WHEEL as well as the minor hit MORE AND MORE. Both are excellent tunes that date back to 1968. Neither is truly progressive in the standard sense, but more in the way Chicago or Steely Dan are progressive. None the less, SPINNING WHEEL is a classic song of the 60's an still sounds great after 40 years have gone by. The flip side, MORE AND MORE, is more of a bluesy, jumping, funky, kind of tune. Typical backing horns for Blood, Sweat, and Tears on both of the songs. While this is not essential by any means due to the fact that these can be found on the original album or on complilations, they are still fine songs deserving of 3 stars. Nice to hear these after so much time has passed.