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Blodwyn Pig - Mick Abrahams: A Musical Evening With The Mick Abrahams Band CD (album) cover

MICK ABRAHAMS: A MUSICAL EVENING WITH THE MICK ABRAHAMS BAND

Blodwyn Pig

 

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3.97 | 12 ratings

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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
4 stars Abrahams, Sargeant and Walt..and Dharma

Having left Jethro Tull and recorded two solid albums with his new band Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams decided it was time to move on again, albeit temporarily. He put together a new band, choosing the moniker the Mick Abrahams Band. There is though a degree of confusion over the use of name, as this album is simply credited to Mick Abrahams on the sleeve, but to the band on the LP. Likewise, the album title is not entirely clear either, the front of the sleeve bearing the notation "A musical evening with..." but the spine and the actual LP showing no album title at all.

The band is a four man line up, but is more rock orientated than that of Blodwyn Pig with no brass at all. The multi-talented Bob Sargeant is the second principal musician (after Abrahams), his organ and piano contributions being the main alternative to Abrahams fine lead guitar. In keeping with his band leader status, Abrahams writes all the songs here, with Sargeant receiving two co-writing credits.

The opening "Greyhound bus" reflects Abrahams growing ambitions Stateside, where Blodwyn Pig had enjoyed a degree of success on tour. The song is a mid-paced slice of blues rock. Probably identified early on as a potential single, the track boasts a decent vocal melody and some excellent lead guitar. "Awake" is the first of the two feature tracks, running to almost 9 minutes. The song is a majestic blues anthem featuring a killer vocal performance by Abrahams and some wonderful Ken Hensley style organ playing by Sargeant.

"Winds of change" changes the mood completely, this soft acoustic folk style ballad being Tim Buckley like in its beauty and simplicity. "Why do you do me this way" is almost onomatopoeic, the title betraying a simple blues funk rock number. The song is far from original, but enjoyable nonetheless. "Big queen", which opens the second side of the LP, is a variant on "Greyhound bus", Abrahams fine vocals being the focal point. Bob Sargeant co- writes and takes lead vocals on "Not to rearrange". The song has a country blues tinge, but while the performance is competent the song is the weak point of the album. The problem with it has more to do with its anonymity, the steel guitar only serving to distance the song from its peers on the album.

The final track is a 15 minute monster entitled "Seasons". Here, Abrahams vocals bear comparison with the great David Clayton-Thomas. The piece has a fine multi-part progressive structure, and is by far the most ambitious thing Abrahams had done up to this point. The extended nature of the track gives both Abrahams and Sargeant ample space to add a variety of solos, all of which are consistently high in quality and appeal.

Overall, an excellent album which benefits from Abrahams taking tighter control over the content and sympathetic production by Chris Thomas.

While the LP sleeve is at best prosaic, the rear image of Abrahams is nicely embossed like a mosaic.

Easy Livin | 4/5 |

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