David Axelrod (US)

Song of Innocence is loosely based on the mystical poetry of William Blake. According to the liner notes, Axelrod didn't think a vocal ensemble could capture the essence of Blake's poems, so he opted for an all-instrumental interpretation instead. The result sounds to me like a really fascinating movie score (think Morricone), combined with a healthy dose of late 60s psychedelia, and a bit of somewhat Zappa-like weirdness. Earl Palmer's subtle, insouciantly funky drumming is a marvel to behold, and guitarist Howard Roberts flashes some of the twisted brilliance that characterized his playing on his wonderful early 70s solo LPs Equinox Express Elevator and Antelope Freeway. Axelrod is extremely adept at combining strings and horns into his music in a way that doesn't sound like they're intended as a "sweetener". Songs of Experience had an even sillier cover than Songs of Innocence, and continued the William Blake thread. Musically, it's a somewhat less-distinguished re-hash of the same formula that made Songs of Innocence such a stunner. That said, it does have its moments ("London", "The Sick Rose") and it's worth checking out if you enjoy film soundtracks and epic musical productions. For my money, both of these LPs are first-rate orchestral instrumental progressive rock recordings from the late 1960s. Both beat the crap out of Days of Future Passed at any rate.

I haven't heard much of Axelrod's subsequent work, though what I did hear was bland almost to the point of infringement upon Muzak territory. I have read from a few reliable sources that Seriously Deep (recorded for Polydor in the early 1970s) is similar to Songs of Innocence, and is also quite good. Strange Ladies, from 1979, is tepid LA-style fusion. Most of Axelrod's best stuff has been reissued on vinyl and CD, so there's no need to pay exorbitant prices for original pressings. There is also a new recording (from 2001, I cannot recall the title) and a compilation CD (The Axelrod Chronicles). -- Dave Wayne