BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS

The master of Hammond organ Brian Auger was born in London in 1939, where he would produce some of his best music.His first band was Steampacket along with Julie Driscoll, with whom he would form Brian Auger & the Trinity in 1968 (featuring Gary Boyle of Isotope).With Trinity Auger produced two albums mixing Jazz, Blues and R'n'B, before founding his most prolific band Brian Auger's Oblivion Express in 1970.With Jim Mullen on guitars, Barry Dean on bass and Robbie McIntosh on drums Auger would record Oblivion Express'es eponymous debut at Advision Studios in London in November 1970, released the following year on RCA.

Side A contains some of the best early-70's Jazz-Rock to be heard, both the short ''Dragon Song'' and the long ''Total eclipse'' are pure Jazz-Rock/Fusion delights with some powerful, dominant bass lines by Dean, Auger performing incredibly on organ and some fine jazzy guitar soloing by Mullen.''The light'' on the other hand is closer to the sound of Trinity, groovy organ- based Fusion/R'n'B with plenty of vocals by Auger with a positive taste at the end.On the flipside ''On the road'' kicks off with more of the same style, pleasant Fusion with good jazzy guitar soloing and Auger rather performing on the background this time than delivering any virtuosic notes except the middle solo.With ''Sword'' the band seems to lack inspiration, another long organ/guitar-led rockin' Fusion cut, very similar to the previous to the point you can't set them musically apart.The last track ''Oblivion Express'' has a certain DEEP PURPLE vibe on its groove, being a good blend of organ-based Heavy Rock and guitar-based Jazz-Fusion with Mullen in pure orgasm by the middle and some fiery almost EMERSON-ian organ offerings by Auger later.

It's a pitty tha the album did not maintain the high inspiration of the first pair of compositions.But again the rest of it is played with some great passion and energy, so Brian Auger's Oblivion Express'es entry in discography can be listened easily even today.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.