CRUSIN´ AT MIDNITE

The original formation of the DR DOPO JAM was formed by bandleader, composer, instrumentalist, vocalist and head honcho Kristian Pommer in Roskilde, Denmark not too far from Copenhagen back in 1968 under the guise of a Zappa-inspired psychedelic band but by the time the band (after many lineup changes) got to their debut "Entree" in 1973, it had become an eclectic mishmash of styles surrounded by big brass jazz-fusion and a goofy cabaret type of persona that emphasized not only an unpredictable and unrepeatable stylistic approach but ensured a healthy dose of whimsy that offered a glimpse of what would happen if the "Hot Rats" era of The Mothers of Invention had joined up with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to cut a couple albums culminating in the wild extravaganza of their sophomore release "Fat Dogs And Dansihmen."

Due to the bloated nature of the band's lineup for their only two albums to be released in the 70s and a lack of commercial success, Pommer threw in the towel and moved on to form the funk rock band Tequila which in turn released a couple albums and then called it a day themselves. Instead of establishing a new band, Pommer decided to resurrect the days of DR DOPO JAM in 1981 but with a more time period friendly vibe with the release of the third album CRUISIN' AT MIDNITE. For this album, Pommer completely started from scratch and found two members from previous lineups and three completely new ones which made the totality of the band a mere eight members which by DR DOPO JAM standards was pretty low.

Right from the very first track "Midnite Cruiser," it's apparent that Pommer was going for a more mainstream sort of sound on CRUISIN' AT MIDNITE with a funk based groove and an early 80s sort of new wave feel. While the Zappa influences haven't been totally trampled upon, they have been tamed and the jazz-fusion and silliness extravaganzas had been set on chill mode for this one. The tracks are fairly straight forward boogie rock with an emphasis on exotic rhythms and heavy percussion zones. While the band had garnered the well deserved reputation as the most experimental of Danish bands, on this third release little of that would be apparent although there are scant moments of bizarre freakouts and progressive outbursts but for the most part this one is fairly tame and lackluster compared to the 70s offerings.

While the genre jumping still exists with Canterbury Scene type flute parts, jazz-fusion albeit on simmer as well as the occasional rockin' out segment, the music on CRUISIN" AT MIDNITE is fairly similar with a funky groove that wouldn't be out of the question on the dance floor. While DR DOPO JAM has remained elusive outside of their Danish homeland, this third offering is even more obscure as it is the far inferior product to have been unleashed under that moniker. While i wouldn't call this album a waste of time by any means, it lacks the creative vitality that the initial pair dished out in virtually every aspect. This one was actually quite unnecessary and if visual guides offer any assistance, the blandness of the cover art in comparison to the first two album's artier side is a perfect indicator what to expect sonically as well. Well, worth the listen but rather meh and forgettable.