PROTO-PROG

The band didn't squander its success either as it engaged in its massive tour circuit and TV appearances from the release of "Surrealistic Pillow" in February, 1967 all throughout the year while the band members were enthusiastically working on a followup album. While initially JEFFERSON AIRPLANE was quite content with the psychedelic pop direction that propelled the band's music into the limelight, the members of the band like many musicians of the day were profoundly impacted by the release of The Beatles' game-changing album "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club" which was heard like a shot around the world that pop single oriented albums were out and that the era of conceptually focused art rock albums that offered more freedom were in. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE like many of the era immediately scrapped all its plans and started anew and fearlessly moved on well beyond its pop rooted comfort zone.

The band wasted no time and crafted its first art rock album in time to release at the end of the year in November. The results amounted to the first of its most interesting period and AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S came out only nine months after "Surrealistic Pillow" but saw the band maturing from its psychedelic singer's oriented pop simplicity to a bonafide proto-progressive art rock band. With a nebulous album title that referred to the group's code work for LSD and provocative counterculture album cover that satirized the shallowness of American consumer culture, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE hadn't abandoned its hippie ideals and revolutionary thinking that were drowned out with in heavy doses of drug use but rather took it all to the next level. While the band's pop single days were over and the band never scored another top 10 in its career, the album was touted by critics as one of the West Coast psychedelic rock scene's most mature undertakings finding praise as far afield as the hi-brow musical world of the UK.

The first impression AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S will give you is that JEFFERSON AIRPLANE had embarked on a journey of a newfound artistic freedom and breaking the shackles of the whims and profit seeking margins of the record label (RCA in this case) although it is true that the fast-changing music scene had record companies thrown off their game in the late 60s and RCA was gambling on the "Sgt Pepper's" effect that AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S would be met with the same chart success but unfortunately America wasn't quite ready for such heady art rock and the album was a disappointment in terms of initial sales despite raving critical reviews. To many this album will sound a bit amateurish with sloppy musical performances that embraced a bit of dissonance and off-kilter vocal harmonies which were in stark contrast to the slick pop aesthetics of "Surrealistic Pillow." Soulful lyrical content back by extended folk rock backing and slightly askew guitar accompaniments were prognosticating the world of post-punk and avant-prog long before either genre came to be.

Another aspect that made BAXTER's substantially different was the fact Paul Kantner picked up the songwriting slack as Marty Balin became ever disillusioned by the band's drug use antics. Kantner offered a much looser form of songwriting that found greater doses of garage rock nonchalantness to the mix however Grace Slick proved herself to have a much greater range on her vocal abilities and delivered some of the best performances of her career. Overt anti-war lyrical content had evolved beyond the "tune out, drop out" years of hippie ideals and taken into the realms of pure protest in the vein of many folkies of the era such as Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton and Pete Seeger. The album also featured more anarchic sounds with acid rock guitar sounds let off the leash as well as the highly experimental 9-minute track "Spare Chaynge" that sounded like an early Krautrock offering that would eventually become popularized by Germany's Amon Duul II" with its thundering bass rolls and provocatively dissonantly hypnotic guitar riffing.

When all is said and done, AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S proved to be an extremely influential album on many of the progressive rock bands that would emerge in a few short years and what the album lacked in terms of popularity at the time, it more than made up for in ingenuity and maturity that steered the band into the direction of one of the 60s most forward thinking bands which kept the band relevant well beyond the fleeting year of The Summer of Love. AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S is without a doubt an acquired taste as it lacks the instant liability factor that its processor endeared fans with. On the contrary, this album is a dark and brooding social critique steeped in harsher tones and musical delivery systems. It's a fascinating work that while not exactly perfect showcased many of the elements that would become progressive rock staples. Loose freeform compositional structures finding unpredictabilities and moments of non-rock instrumentation such as a flute only elevated its art rock status into one of the most innovative albums of 1967. It took me a while to warm up to this phase of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE but in the end this album has become more interesting the more i've listened to it.

1. "Theme for the Masses" (2:52) a very nice, well-composed intro/overture with a pretty perfect blend of Hammond- dominated rock musicians and string quartet. (9.25/10)

2. "Harrison Street / Excerpt (from the Theme)" (10:29) now we're definitely in the territory of theatre soundtrack music, but then singer Joey Scott enters. The musicianship is very good though the composition is a bit stilted by conformity to stereotypic structures of Broadway rock operas and the ABCs of rock music construction; everything feels as if by-the-numbers--tight and constricted. Even the extended organ solo in the third and fourth minutes seems restrained and held in check. Arthur Webster's lead guitar solo follows and it's either filled with intentional mistakes or made horrible by beginner-like inexperience. The second guitar that joins in a little later at least has some knowledge of chords and jazz structures--and still it keeps going! This is one song that I know that I could have better composed and performed! (16/20)

3. "Back to Philadelphia / The Race" (4:39) turning to Philly's R&B sound, the band settles back into the smoky darkness of a late-night lounge on the shady side of town. It's better than the previous song but it's so cautiously conservative: again, by the numbers. It is, however, good music for Joey's rather nice, nuanced vocal performance. (8.75/10)

4. "The Race / From a Back Door Window (The Search) / Theme for the Masses" (17:18) blending together several motifs of very familiar DOORS-like pop music over which Joey Scott tries to deliver Eric Burden/Jim Morrison-type vocal performances. The musicians in the rhythm section show some proficiency at their instruments--at least until the two guitarists try to impress again, then it becomes near disaster. I find myself cringing with embarrassment (cuz I've been there)! (29.33333/35)

5. "Postlude: Looking Back" (2:10) the country-rock finale is another bookend of nicely rendered pop music. (8.875/10)

Total Time 37:28

An odd novelty topic serves as a vehicle for some fairly amateur musicians to serve up a rather mundane collection of standardized musical styles for a wannabe Jim Morrison-like rock star. An album that perhaps should not be included in my list of significant 1968 contributors to the Birth of Progressive Rock if not for the ambitious rock opera conceptual theme. Too bad the producers and band failed to incorporate the string quartet from the opening song throughout the entire album.

C+/three stars; a good but not very valuable contribution to the development of early progressive rock music. And if you're thinking, after reading my review, that the band might have potential that will be better realized on its successive albums, you'd be wrong: this is the peak of their sound and development; the next one just gets more kischy Off-Broadway-like.

1. "Live" (1:17) why the band chose to include this excerpt from a live concert performance I can only guess--to display the tight, skillful rhythmic play of the duo.

2. "I Love, You Love" (13:52) While the loud sections of this recording are a difficult listen due to trouble in the source tapes at handling the decibel levels on the recording tapes, I am quite fond of the slower, more spacious downtempo (and volume) sections. Drummer Janne Karlsson definitely delivers from his end--which is no small accomplishment given that he's one of only two instrumentalists up on that stage--and considering that he's up against the monster potential of an organ. At 8:45 Bo starts into a new motif, chugging forward with the insistence of a freight train while Janne gallops alongside, the peak of which begins at the end of the eleventh minute. By the middle of the twelfth minute Bo has slowed everything back down to a stop, creating a peaceful patch in which he barely fills with some extremely low-volume note play. Subtle drum play returns and some gentle organ pulses and swells, but the song is really just suffering a slow death. Stellar performances from two masters of their instruments. (27/30)

3. "Carolus Rex" (1:46) a smash-up and distortion-pack of double-tracked performances by the duo performing a kind of public band piece in the shell on the city green. Weird but interesting! (4.3333/5)

4. "Chateau Plaisance" (21:55) opening with a fade into a blues-tinged swing that sees Janne holding down the rhythm with Bo's foot pedals while the organ fills the rest of the sonic field with some very expansive chords and play. Janne has plenty of room in which to fill and embellish--a lot of it quite impressive--while Bo keeps testing the number of notes he can hold on the organ all at the same time with his raunchy Hammond sound. At 5:40 there is a weird fade out while, at the same time, there is a fade in of a whole new motif with totally different sounds and engineering effects--and again at 6:18. I really love the new motif that is established: something in the nearly-funky groove really succeeds at drawing me in--but then its lost when the organ backs out at the nine-minute mark and we're left with a drum solo. The dude's good, I just don't really like drum solos. Another fade out/fade in at the eleven minute mark serves up more drum-dominated music--until Bo finally gets his act back together in the 12th. From there out it's a Hammond fest with lots of requisite screeching, swirling and wailing. One good five minute section is not, however, enough to make this a winner. (39/45)

Total Time 38:50

I'm a little irked to think that song edits like these--of obvious live performances--keep getting passed on to the public as "studio recordings." I, for one, am so thankful for the invention and advent of multi-track recording! While I am not a fan of either this type of music or the organ (especially the Hammond), I have decided to include this album in my celebration of 1968's contributions to the Birth of Progressive Rock music due to the creative engineering and editing as well as the obvious skills and creative talents of the two instrumentalists involved. Plus, I can see how this tandem might quite possibly be where modern day psychedelic jazz-rock prog artist Ståle Storløkken got his inspiration for his small trios, duos and quartets.

B-/four stars; a fine representative of the organ and drum genre of 1960s blues-rock displaying two very fine musicians.

It opens well enough with the only song that bothers to grace the greatest hits back catalogue with the energetic Woman from Tokyo. It's memorable though I've never rated it too highly as it's not as inspired as the earlier material.

It goes downhill from there faster than a rat out of an aqueduct. Mary Long has bizarre lyrics and a forgettable tune. Inspired by the queen of censorship Mary Whitehouse and forgotten just as quickly.

Super Trouper is less than 3 minutes and not even as good as the catchy Abba tune.

Smooth Dancer is better, really rocking with a style like the awesome Highway Star.

Rat Bat Blue is definitely better in terms of Blackmores fret work instilling a passion lost on most of this album. The riffing is terrific so it stands out after the earlier mediocrity. The keyboards blaze in a blistering solo with Lord at his best. He is attacking those keys like a man possessed.

Place In Line is a bluesy guitar driven thing that I kinda like being a blues fan. Mistreated us a better blues number, but there's still some cool hooks on this. Lord delivers a shimmering organ solo and Blackmore rocks out so that elevates it.

Our Lady is a psychedelic groovy track that runs out of steam and ends the album with a whimper rather than a bang.

In short, apart from three gems this is a Purple misfire that reflects the inner turmoil that was troubling the band at the time, leading ultimately to their disbanding til a refreshed approach gave them a return to greatness and Gillan on 1984's Perfect Strangers.

Might Just Take Your Life is motored by organ shreds in a bluesy rhythm. The harmonies are wonderful and Blackmore's lead breaks are scorching.

Lay Down, Stay Down has some great riffing and an ice cool lead break.

The pace becomes a slow burn on Sail Away that features a catchy melody and Coverdale in fine form.

You Fool No One has Paice locked in a rhumba rhythm and harmonies throughout. An oddity in Purple's catalogue and again Coverdale is a powerhouse on vocals. The lead break ascends to some high note fret work.

What's Goin' On Here has an infectious hook and a blues rock feel. The harmonies are glorious and Blackmore is having a ball on lead guitar with the call and answer approach to the vocals, then ballroom piano follows. This one is a real fun blast and remains a favourite obscurity.

Mistreated has been a favourite of mine since I've heard it live, powered by Coverdale and a blistering lead guitar solo. The slow bluesy feel is wonderful, and how this builds gradually with layers of guitars over Hughes brooding baseline has a genuine emotional resonance. The outro lead break is a belter, a blazing inferno of speed picking.

"A" 200 closes the album with spacey keyboards and catchy melodies. The instrumental is captivating.

Overall, Burn is a blazing triumph and the band would keep the candle burning for the next year's albums with only a few burnouts along the way.

1. "The Sky Cried - When I Was a Boy" (7:41) opens with quite the bombastic barrage of sound--and not just rock instrumentation but LOUD storm noises and more--while all four musicians flail away with their volumes turned up to 11. The sound recording is not great (especially on the drums) but then what engineer and tape could tame and contain this kind of barrage? The theatric, impassioned lead vocals of Mark Stein are reminiscent of The Animals' Eric Burdon as well as many of the hard rockers to come, including those of Grand Funk Railroad, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. (14/15)

2. "Thoughts" (3:32) a powerful song using two vocalist in the alternating way that Uriah Heep, Grand Funk, and others would do, I'm told these lyrics are equally moving. (9/10)

3. "Paradise" (6:04) B-movie horror soundtrack organ opens this one before inane Killing Eve theme music bass and vocalese join in. It's really not until 2:20 that the song kicks into full rock form--and it's a killer--one that THE ANIMALS and ARGENT would be quite proud of. Then it reverts to cinematic theater for a church choir vocal section before exploding into the hard rockin' chorus of the title. The final minute has the band winding down into a more subdued vocal part. Interesting and creative song! (9/10)

4. "That's What Makes a Man" (4:29) opening like a FOCUS song from one of the Dutch band's early albums. Mark Stein enters as the music softens, singing sensitively in his higher-pitched almost-falsetto register. The bridge to the multi- voiced chorus is a great build with heavily distorted guitars and swelling organ chords What a well-crafted, perfectly- constructed rock song! So many hard rock bands will benefit tremendously for the example of this song and album! (9.25/10)

5. "The Spell That Comes After" (4:32) a song credited to Frank Zappa album artist Calvin Schenkel and Frank Zappa protogé, Essra Mo(w)hawk. (Will the real author please stand up!). It opens with quiet, syncopated high bass notes, gradually joined by gentle strains of organ and higher-pitched vocalese notes giving the soundscape an eerie and misty feel. At 1:45 the band finally bursts into its full rock motif--another one that previews so many dramatic hard rocking prog-related bands in the near future like URIAH HEEP, IRON MAIDEN, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, MOUNTAIN, HUMBLE PIE, and even Andrew Lloyd-Weber's rock operas (Jesus Christ Superstar). (9/10)

6. "Faceless People" (6:07) the pensive opening 90 seconds feels based on a familiar riff/construct from classical music, but then the rock juju can no longer be contained and the band bursts forth with a nicely complex, if somewhat ragged (drums and electric guitar) motif. Still, it's not till the end of the third minute that any singing enters--and then 30 seconds later Vince Martell is encouraged to take his dirty distortion guitar to another level: launching into a very nice solo for about 20 seconds. Then we return to the rock motif for more of Mark Stein's vocals, but in the sixth minute we are privileged with a side tangent that seems to re-engage the classical side of these artists training bass for a very cool instrumental and choir finish. (8.875/10)

7. "Season of the Witch" (8:47) here the band shows how their own particular vision of how a song should and could sound still drives them as they rock/psych out for nearly nine minutes on this Donovan song (which in Mr. Leitch's catalogue was originally only three-minutes long). The song opens with another 90 second intro speckled with subtle, individual note and sound contributions in an attempt at creating a mysterious mood. This is augmented when the singer, organ, bass, and drums join in, not really changing the sparse cave-like feeling, only adding their own elements--until the choruses when they ramp it up to full rock power (though never as heavy as they did on their previous songs). Then there is the sixth minute in which Mark Stein recites some poetic theater with some great acting chops. The theatrics go well on into the seventh minute, even when Mark returns to "singing" around the 6:40 mark. The band's extreme efforts are pretty effective but never really totally persuasive--though their "failure" could have more to do with the shortcomings of the original song (which had never really impressed me in the first place). Anyway. Kudos for the attempt! It is fairly entertaining! (17.75/20)

Total Time 41:12

A great rock album that for well qualifies in the "proto-prog" category. I can definitely see how and why these musicians were in demand after the breakup of this band: they're really skilled professionals.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of skillfully composed and executed proto-prog that I think all prog rockers would enjoy; it's a true "blast from the past"!

New Deep Purple is irresistible for old metal heads and the line up of the big 5 is a wonderful treat. They are back on their 23rd studio album; Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, Don Airey on keyboards, and Simon McBride on guitars. The progenitors of classic metal are in their Twilight years but can still rock with the best of them. And they have the genius of Bob Ezrin in album production. What can go wrong? Not much but don't expect another In Rock, Machine Head or Perfect Strangers. Instead prepare for an excellent album that's all killer. No filler.

They burst out the gate with the melodious Show Me, followed by cool riffing on A Bit on the Side. Gillan is in fine vocal form and the music rocks hard with touches of prog, mainly from the keyboard wizardry of Airey. The lead breaks on this are freakish with incredible speed fretwork and that melody is infectious.

Sharp Shooter has a sporadic rhythm and locks into a steady pace with great vocals.

Portable Door has a fast tempo and Gillan gives it everything accompanied by glorious organ and guitar motifs. I like the melody and the Hammond organ sounds. Another dynamic lead break enhances the enjoyment.

Old-Fangled Thing has a tremendous lead solo, lashings of organ and a quirky jazzy feel. I like that musical interlude too.

If I Were You is a power ballad that has a melancholy feel.

Pictures of You has a riff that reminds me of Alice Coopers Devils Food. I like Gillans vocals here and it's got an infectious melody.

I'm Saying Nothin' has quirky lyrics about keeping dark secrets to the grave, perhaps autobiographical. Again it has a great melody, cool guitars and keyboards trading off in style.

Lazy Sod is another song about being too lazy to get outta bed, remember Lazy, and it's got a great riff and rhythm. The lead break is killer from McBride. Aireys keyboard attack is masterful; a wonderful track on the album.

Now You're Talkin' opens with slide guitar and then it motorvates along with sizzling energy.

No Money to Burn has a 70s classic rock feel. The riff is blistering and Gillan powerfully sings about having no cash to waste. It sounds a bit like Wishing Well in the mid section. The lead break is scorching and again Airey hammers that keyboard with speed and precision.

I'll Catch You is a slow bluesy track that holds an emotional edge with Gillan reflecting about feeling broken and dreaming about a girl beyond his reach. "My bags are ready, My keys are in the car. Anytime you want to jump, I'll Catch you in my arms" is a line that jars me on each listen. This is a superb track.

Bleeding Obvious closes the album with fret melting guitar riffs and high string bends layered over. The guitars are frenetic along with Paice and Glovers rhythm section. It ends in a paroxysm of speed picking and fast tempo drumming.

At the end of this new Album I can't help but think how much they achieved with this. After so many years in the business, it is incredible they can still generate music of this calibre. The album grows on you and I am in awe of the musicianship and how Gillans vocals resonate. There's a lot of passion poured into this and if it's their last album they have gone out in a blaze of glory.

Frenetic tempos abound on Lady Double Dealer, and they dabble in funk rock on You Can't Do it Right, but it is not worth repeated spins as a total album. Having heard the earlier releases it is hard not to compare those classics of rock to what we have here. Even the albums of recent years are better than this effort.

Stormbringer has had a 35th Anniversary release since, remastered and with quadrophonic versions of each track, and a bunch of remixes, but it is difficult to enjoy Deep Purple when they seem to be going for a new sound, when we love them the way they are as a band brimming with dynamic energy, with killer riffs and innovative lyrics.

1. "And the Address" (4:38) an instrumental jam in which the band shows off its musicianship and stylistic preferences, here within a heavy rock chord progression. The sound engineering (recording clarity) is weak yet the instruments can be heard and distinguished. There is definitely something in the way the musicians play (and add subtle flourishes here and there) that makes me think of full-blown 1970s prog. (8.875/10)

2. "Hush" (4:24) the band's first hit has a familiar 1960s feel to it with an Elvis-like vocal performance with its renowned "nah, nah-nah nah" line. The musicians' tightness is notable: they're all so tightly in the pocket. (9.125/10)

3. "One More Rainy Day" (3:40) multi-tracked lead vocals and b vox during the choruses gives this rather simple song a very pop orientation. At the same time, each of the instrumentalists is adding their own fill nuances, convincing me that they are really skilled musicians. (8.875/10)

4. "Prelude: Happiness / I'm So Glad" (7:19) a fairly simple and almost-monotonous song (especially, but only, the lyrics/vocals) on which the band try to produce something anthemic. (13/15)

5. "Mandrake Root" (6:09) an HENDRIX-style sound and structure gives the band members ample opportunity to show that they have chops--especially Ian Paice. (9.33333/10)

6. "Help" (6:01) here the band displays more of their independent vision with a totally unique take on The Beatles classic hit--sounding as if they're playing in the sacristy of an Aquarian Age church. (8.75/10)

7. "Love Help Me" (3:49) the band (or producers/record company) trying to fit a heavy rock band into a contemporary pop song. Sorry, but the band's proclivity for heavy slash-and-burn outweighs any sunny pop intentions. (8.75/10)

8. "Hey Joe" (7:33) opening with a motif that is very much like Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," we get an extended instrumental intro (almost two-and-a-half minutes with some very nice organ soloing from Jon Lord) before there is a sudden transition into the classic Hendrix version of "Hey Joe" at 2:25. Rod Evans vocal performance here is my favorite on the album and the others do a remarkable job of taking The Experience's masterful version even further. (14/15)

Total Time 43:33

Despite relying on covers and imitation, Deep Purple proves that they have chops and they have vision.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece in which some highly-creative and -skilled musicians try to conform to the expectation of fitting their expansive vision and style into the clothing of some very simple rock compositions. The band shows that it can work but that they really need different clothes--ones of their own design and imagination.