ELASTIC ROCK

The debut studio album release from Ian Carr's Jazz-Rock Fusion brainchild. Recorded before MIles Davis' Bitches Brew had been released and before (Ian claims) he or his band members had even heard In a Silent Way, the spirit of fusion expressed on this album is very much ahead of its time with lots of interweaving of dynamic instrumental play coming from multiple electrified or electrically-effected instruments. There are some quite iconic riffs and grooves on this album that many Jazz, Jazz-Rock Fusion, and even Prog lovers will, no doubt, recognize.

1. "1916 " (1:11) such an epic opening! Like a signature song for some radio or television show! Great display for John Marshall's talents. (5/5)

2. "Elastic Rock" (4:05) this laid back piece sounds and feels like something from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue 2.0--at least, it starts that way: it's the feel as, obviously, Miles' original had neither electric piano, electric bass, nor any type of guitars; it's all about the feel. But then as Chris Spedding takes on his solo the music plants itself firmly into the post- Post Bop world of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Great song with great use of accenting horn "section." (9.25/10)

3. "Striation" (2:15) a really enjoyable duet of fascinating interplay between Jeff Clyne and his bowed double bass and Chris Spedding's finger-picked electric guitar. (4.75/5)

4. "Taranaki" (1:39) upper-register electric bass, gentle electric guitar and electric piano chord interplay driven by hi- hat & rimshot rhythm over which Ian and Brian also dance a beautiful duet with flugelhorn and tenor sax. Amazing! (5/5)

5. "Twisted Track" (5:15) gentle electric guitar picking carrying over from the previous song is soon joined by bass, cymbals, and breathy horns usher this into Jimmy Webb territory: if Burt Bacharach arranged Miles Davis to play a Jimmy Webb song! Pretty cool! Ian & co. were definitely creating some very sophisticated and beautifully woven tapestries! Somehow even Chris' bent C&W guitar notes work in the intricate mix of this song. (9.333/10)

6. "Crude Blues, Pt. 1" (0:54) Karl Jenkins' oboe and Chris' gentle jazz electric guitar make for strange but beautiful bedfellows as they introduce this one.? (4.5/5) 7. "Crude Blues, Pt. 2" (2:36) ? which turns into a "cool" 1960s Beatnick-turned-Hippie tune as the full band joins in. More solos from Karl as Ian, Chris, and Brian, populate the middle-ground above this groovy keyboard-less rhythm track. (4.5/5)

8. "1916 - The Battle of Boogaloo" (3:04) take the opener of Side One and then turn it into a multi-track three- and four-part rondo and you might get an idea of the feel of this one. (9.25/10)

9. "Torrid Zone" (8:40) built over a bass-and-guitar earworm riff that keeps the listener engaged (more like hypnotized!) John Marshall and Ian really get to shine on this one: Ian in a very FREDDIE HUBBARD-like sound and style, John recorded with one mic?! Karl and Chris get a little more animated (on the left and right, respectively) as Ian plays on (just as Freddie would). Great groove; great performances! (18.25/20)

10. "Stonescape" (2:39) muted trumpet opening feels like something straight off of Kind of Blue but then electric piano joins in. Double bass and brushed drums join in later. Cool little late night BILL EVANS-like song. (4.625/5)

11. "Earth Mother" (5:15) repeating some previously-explored riffs and themes that were used in the "Crude Blues" suite (including the presence of Karl Jenkins' oboe)--performing variations on them like the restatements, inversions, and modulations that occur in the recapitulations of classical music movements. Nice work from Karl. (8.875/10)

12. "Speaking for Myself, Personally, in My Own" (0:54) a skillful John Marshall drum solo that bridges "Earth Mother" and "Persephone's Jive." (4.375/5)

13. "Persephones Jive" (2:15) great little jazzy-gem to finish things off. I love this (still a continuation of Side Two's tape- jam). Ian, (distant) Brian, Chris, and the rhythm section are all firing on all cylinders on this one. (4.625/5)

Total Time 36:18

It had been a long time since I'd heard this album and I'd completely forgotten how amazing it is. Though I have not yet tried to substantiate this, I have a feeling that the music on Side One was all recorded in one straight session as was the same for Side Two--the separations and song "breaks" thereby being artificially created in the engineering room.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion and a landmark album in the history and evolution of the burgeoning melieu.

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