The 1969 debut of a polyglot music legend
Originally released in 1969, this debut outlined the wide musical grasp and irreverent sensibility that would grow the band’s legend over the next 49 years. 49 years in which this initial explosion of creativity sat in the vault unreissued. 49 years in which either the group’s continuing activity diverted their attention from a reissue, or in which lawyers intermittently haggled over muddy contractual rights. Either way, Omnivore has finally liberated the album from its resting place and reissued the fourteen songs in a tri-fold slipcase with original front and back cover art, Donn Adams period liner notes, and contemporary notes by Jay Berman. Berman characterizes the band’s repertoire, even at this early point in their career, as including “nearly anything,†and the eclectic mix of covers and originals bears that out.
This first studio lineup included long-time members Terry Adams and Joey Spampinato (the latter then credited as Jody St. Nicholas), along with vocalist Frank Gadler, guitarist Steve Ferguson and drummer Tom Staley. The group stakes out the audacious corners of their musical omniverance with covers of Eddie Cochran’s rockabilly “C’mon Everybody,†Sun Ra’s avant garde jazz “Rocket Number 9,†Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s folk blues “C’mon If You’re Comin’†(which the group revisited on 1972’s Workshop), and a country soul arrangement of Bruce Channel’s 1962 chart topper, “Hey! Baby.†Few bands at the time would have even known this range of material, let alone find a way to make it fit together on an album.
The original material from Adams, Spaminato and Ferguson is equally ambitious. Adams mashes up trad jazz and rock ‘n’ roll for “Kentucky Slop,†boogies hard on “Mama Get Down Those Rock And Roll Shoes,†captures the melancholy of Carla Bley’s 1964 jazz instrumental “Ida Lupino†with original lyrics, and closes the album with the piano-led “Stay With Me.†Ferguson’s trio of originals include the pop and soul influences of “I Didn’t Know Myself,†the gospel rocker “Stomp†and the country, folk and gospel flavored “Fergie’s Prayer.†Spampinato offers the album’s most ebullient moment with “You Can’t Hide,†a title the band would revisit ten years later on Tiddlywinks.
The album’s collection of first takes (including the previously unreleased first take of “Stomp†substituting for the re-recorded version that appeared on the original vinyl) provides a snapshot of the band as they played live. The set list reflects the confluence of musical interests, knowledge and talent the band members brought to the group, and the performances have an all-in quality that made second takes superfluous. Whether or not the renditions were note-perfect (and they pretty much are), they were perfect expressions of the musical ethos that sustains the band to this day. It’s a shame that the originally released second take of “Stomp†wasn’t included as part of this reissue, but that’s a nit, given the historical and artistic riches that have been sprung from the vault. [©2018 Hyperbolium] 