Blood, Sweat & Tears

Good

Not bad, but just not my style.

Very solid Boomer album. Elements of jazz, blues, orchestra, rock. It rolls along nicely and most songs are unique and notable. The blues numbers kinda roll on (the closing track does not need to be eleven minutes along), but the musicianship is superb. I can easily support its inclusion on this list - but it isn't a terrific, flawless album. Some numbers are too long, it feels rather disjointed at times between tracks, and it isn't like a groundbreaking album. But it is performed quite well.

3.5

Very variable. A couple of great tracks, a couple of trip inspired nonsense.

Wasn’t really sure what to make of this

So much variety here in brilliantly - executed jazz, rock and classical. And individually some of the songs are quite enjoyable. But, just like fish and sugar, it doesn't work very well when it's put together.

Lacks big singles. I love the instrumentation though. 3/5

Eclectic, strong voice, great singles. Entertaining throughout.

The stylistic shifts within stylistic shifts make this Jazz(?) Rock(?) Modern Classical(?) Blues(?) album unknowable. It’s variations on variations on variations and it’s also a lot of fun. My favourite bits are the instrumental sections, though I admit that vocals consistently contribute to the LP’s number one strength, which is surprise. The use of covers and interpolations are also mind boggling. It’s controlled chaos with every new element sounding perfectly out of place.

Another high 3 for me today, a bit all over the place but I enjoyed all of it!

Just ok

new and good

Not a group I know, but very familiar sounds - not bad, felt a bit of its time

Somewhat interesting interpretations of works by other songwriters (with the exception of the album's only true original, "Spinning Wheel"). David Clayton-Thomas' voice is strong and more than capable of handling the soulful tunes. The arrangements are tight and tasteful. Yet somehow, the whole thing seems kind of bland. Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Chicago, and Three Dog Night are all virtually interchangeable and the world of family-friendly Jazz-Pop.

My mom and dad used to play this album all the time, so there's quite a bit of nostalgia here, so it's difficult to separate bias and objectivity. Call it a 3.5, round it down.

3.5

What in the holy Baby Boomer Sam hell is this?? Not entirely objectionable but it feels like you took the late 60s and distilled it down to it's purest form. Kinda cheesy, kinda don't hate it. Not sure what to do with this or if I'll ever listen to it again.

They're good musicians but the songs aren't there and his voice is annoying. Plus, is this a Christian album? Lot of overtones suggest that. Overall, a mess.

8/10

LIke it. Middle scores

Pretty strong and funky. I really liked it.

Cooler Jazzrock aus dem Jahre 68, Instrumental super, Gute Aufnahme. Mit Spinning Wheel - ganz knapp am fünfer vorbei

3/5

later

Wow - haven’t heard this since way back and happy it came along here. They were a great group and I’m still loving this. Nice jazzy rock.

Good tight rhythms but very 60’s

Fun, but not impeccable

I was already familiar with this album previously. Blood, Sweat & Tears is one of the better examples of blending jazz (using horns) and rock, along with Chicago. This is a strong album to showcase that. There are some catchy songs with some extended instrumental passages as well. It may be a bit dated, but it's very good and I would listen again.

Skemmtileg plata sem kom á óvart.

Fín plata, mörg skemmtileg lög.

The musicianship pushes this up to a 3* but honestly, pretty dull

Technical Musicianship - 5; Artistic Sensibility - 1. Their ability to pass back and forth between styles is impressive. But it's so specifically arranged and deftly performed that the overall effect is of a television orchestra. It's like the 50 year old musical director of NBC decided to do a side-project to show all of the kids how hep he was. But what makes any artistic project worth auditioning is a point of view; and I can't find one here. Thank God the Stooges and New York Dolls came along to save us from all of this showmanship.

Jazzy take on 60's rock. They're really into Satie's "3 Gymnopedies", using a guitar + flute arrangement of it as the bookend tracks of the record. Standout is "Spinning Wheel".

A real kick in the brass. Is this album a cop? You have to tell me if this album is a cop. My inner boomer and inner hipster are in a slap fight over giving this album 4 or 3 stars. My wife told me to tell you she hates this album.

This one had the big hits and some other pretty good ones. I do love Satie and those arrangements are pretty nice. Overall decent stuff.

A few bangers and a lot of filler.

Interesting fusion of jazz and rock.

- Die Kombi aus Rock und Jazz hat mir gut gefallen - Würde ich auf jeden Fall nochmal hören und ist mal was besonderes das man nicht so oft hört Topsong: Spinning Wheel

Very musically diverse album, somewhat unexpectedly so. "Spinning Wheel" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy" were unsurprisingly the best songs. The version of "God Bless The Child" was bizarre, but not bad. Definitely a solid album.

meh

A lot of blood, sweat & tears went into me suffering through this one. I have always felt the 70's were unique musically in that for every great rock record produced there was a bunch of filler garbage that was a result of expanded studio capabilities that were deployed in a terrible way. At least we got Hank's musical number off this one. https://youtu.be/zUwSaO2SnHQ?si=b1gPUzmIecyMelP0

This album, and this band, are kind of confusing to listen to. It's "jazz rock" of the late 1960s, but what does that even mean? The jams that come along on this album sound like a church rock revival concert, a boozy Vegas bar, a honky-tonk bluesfest and honest to goodness prog rock had a bastard baby. I feel like they were aping the Doors at times, but not quite pulling it off? Other times they feel like they're ripping off Tom Jones. "Spinning Wheel" is the one track where they seem to find what they're groping around for. I'm sure some folks enjoy it, and maybe it represents what folks were experimenting with in 1968, but the fusion of sounds and instruments kept leaving me wanting. Perhaps I'm just not the audience for it. So it goes.

2,4 - Joa, das war ein Album. Lief gut durch, an manchen Stellen aber dann auch arg nervig. Highlights: More and More, God Bless the Child

No es el tipo de música que me gusta. No disfruto del todo el frenesí en los solos que tienen varias canciones, la mezcla de sonidos puede ser un arte maravilloso sin embargo, no soy alguien que lo pueda encontrar en el caos.

Unos arreglos de locura en los metales y voces que parece que nacieron para cantar el soul hicieron que este album fuera un disfrute total. Sabrosísimo, deja con ganas de que todo sonara así de bien.

Of the 150+ members listed on this bands Wikipedia page, perhaps my favorite is Bo Bice, of early American idol fame. Much like that list, this albums is massively extensive, with few cohesive elements, but is sometimes impressive all the same. Is there jazz? Yeah Is there rock? Yes. Blue-eyed-soul, yacht rock, big band, bayou, pop, gospel, prog? Sure. Pretty much anything is on this album. It feels a bit like the progenitor for Jacob Collier, who also digs his heels into whatever musical whim he finds himself on. I was unfamiliar with these guys being the “Spinning Wheel” guys. Strangely, it didn’t change my listening experience at all. Peculiar. 2/5 for my taste, but overall 3/5 for some good musicianship

i liked the organ. fun jazz rock. i could do without the cheesy callouts to other tracks. also the satie themes.

While listening to the opening track, I was incredibly confused as to what I just got myself into. It felt like I was listening to the score of a final battle in a sci-fi fantasy movie. Then, "Smiling Faces" comes on and slapped in the face for ever doubting this album. BS&T is truly an experimental sound. The vast orchestra of instruments bounce around from rock to funk to jazz spontaneously. At times it feels like there's a song within a song. You'd think an electric organ and a piano going at the same time would be a chaotic mess, but the two mesh so well in these songs. Sometimes, the changing of genres can feel a little disjointed but I appreciate the risks being taken. Albums like these are why I'm glad I'm taking this journey. I don't see any way I'd end up listening to something like this, but I'm glad I did. 3.5 Stars

Winner of the album of the year at the Grammys in 1970.

Given that some of the songs are almost standards there was familiarity. Always found something in the voice of DCT which works across a mix of musical styles. A pretty good album that still sounds fine today.

This jazz-rock album is like an impeccably set dinner table—gleaming, ornate, and perfectly arranged—but so focused on presentation that it forgets to serve anything truly satisfying.

All over the place. A competent bit disappointed album maybe?. Individual songs are fine but as an album I did not enjoy the journey

If identity crisis was an album

I was quite surprised by this. Lots of passion and great songwriting. I'm a fan!

S'il y a une musique qui s'appelle Blood Sweat & Tears l'album prend une étoile peu importe le contenu Mouais pas ouf mais vas y je mets 3 parce qu'ils ont eu la décence de ne pas être des mauvaises personnes niveau choix des titres (et puis petit diff sur l'intro quand même)

Rather enjoyed elements, even though it was in constant argument with itself. 3.5

Is it fair to say I’ve never heard of Blood, Sweat & Tears? Their most popular song on Spotify has only about 20 million plays. Not super obscure, but not well known. Usually, the obscure 60’s bands tend to be hit or miss, since it’s mostly psychedelic stuff. But I have to say this one was very interesting. This band’s kind of like an unorthodox Chicago, with how they blend jazz into rock and pop. It’s a little all over the place, but I dig it. It has great energy and variation. Kind of wish they left out Blues, Pt. 2, though. It’s long, out of place, and steals the riff of Sunshine of Your Love at one point. Despite that, pleasant surprise. Favorite track: You Made Me So Very Happy Other hits: Spinning Wheel, Smiling Phases, Sometimes in Winter, And When I Die, More and More

On of my favourite songs. Album was good aside from that

it was kind of all over the place for me.

damn this album slaps, i had no idea!! i was expecting some 60s psychedelia snoozefest but this was more like a classical-jazz-folk-rock fusion hitfest. love the erik satie variations, the blues rock interpolations on blues pt 2, the god bless the child cover, and the originals in between. the live tracks on the expanded edition are frankly unnecessary, but i'm here for just about everything else. i only knew spinning wheel was on here! favorites: variations on a theme by erik satie (1st and 2nd movements), and when i die, god bless the child, spinning wheel, you've made me so very happy, blues pt 2, variation on a theme by erik satie (1st movement)

Nearly perfect blend of jazz and rock. Al Kooper’s influence is still present on several of the higher energy songs.

It's OK. Seems like it should be more up my alley, with the horn section and all. Lyrics are uninspiring, but the singer's good. Not sure what it is, but I'm pretty ambivalent about this album.

Yikes. This was all over the place. I'm 470-ish albums into the project now, and I can usually predict whether an album will be averaging more or less than 3. I'd have put good money on this being less than 3, but I'm surprised to see it's currently 3.1-something. I'm afraid I thought it was terrible. Being able to play really well has, sometimes, elicited a third star from me, even when I haven't really enjoyed an album. But not here. Yes, they can play. But the songs are mostly delivered in such a way as to sound really bland, if not hilariously bad at times. Trying to be positive, I liked the random salsa burst in the middle of God Bless the Child and one or two other trumpety moments. For me, no matter whose songs they're singing, they generally managed to make them sound very bland or excessively drawn out. It all needed to be dirtier.

Loved his voice. The instruments were cool especially the trumpet parts.

Pas mal

Super tight, rollicking jazz flecked blues rock - this was a pleasant surprise. The singer can wail!

It’s a strange mix but it has some good songs

Impressive, but didn’t really engage me

Rock and Roll for a Musical that never happened

Very impressed by its innovation and creativity for its time—that being said, they did remake a worse and more famous version of a beatifiul song. But we are forgiving

Hovering somewhere between a two and three star for me, a bit generic and meandering in parts. The band don't seem to be able to decide what genre they want to play, which actually saved this from two stars, as my interest was slightly held simply wondering which genre they would pivot to next.

Not a fan at all.

I'm not sure why exactly but this album was a lot more disappointing than I expected it to be. Much like the "Chicago Transit Authority" album, it felt like I was listening to some kind of oddball 60s/70s musical production, even with the very familiar (and rightfully popular) tracks like "And when I die" or "Spinning wheel" (or even "You've made me so very happy"); perhaps it was just the string refrains that seemed to permeate the album that created that effect. I do like David Clayton-Thomas's very distinctive voice, and occasionally the songs really shine, but the abrupt changes in tempo and style throughout created a fairly discordant experience that didn't really sound intentional, unless this really was a musical-revue soundtrack. Which I'm (pretty) sure it wasn't.

I've completely underestimated them! Tracks 5-8 are very familiar and I was never a big fan, but the other tracks are a lot more fun musically. Not on the original album but on the expanded edition are the two live recordings which are the best part.

9/10 Well, well, well. This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for from this project. A band from nearly 60 years ago that I had no prior knowledge of, but have absolutely blown me away. For an album recorded in 1968, this not only sounds super fresh today, thanks to the quality of the production, but also stylistically pre-empts a lot of bands that I love from later decades. They create an absolutely superb blend of rock, funk, soul and jazz, with a little twist of other bits and pieces for good measure. It’s like if you chucked Dave Brubeck, Tower of Power and Cream in a blender, with a pinch of country and folk spice blend. The balance between smooth, funky and jazzy is pretty damn good, and they mix things up enough from track to track that things never get stale. And that’s before I mention the musicianship. They are so tight. So controlled. So in each other’s pockets that it’s an absolute treat to listen too. The drummer and bass player in particular are superb, but there’s not really a missed step anywhere on the record. The compositions are complex, without really losing touch with the feel, and they can switch tempo and style at the drop of a hat, flitting between something very focused and something a bit more freeform as they go. There were perhaps a couple of slight lulls here and there, and there’s just a little bit of something holding me back from giving top marks, but I’ve massively enjoyed this and will definitely be back. Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie (1st And 2nd Movements) - An interesting intro. It’s played with a pretty straight bat to begin with and then they start getting a bit weird with it. Lots of phasing and grandiosity, perhaps hinting at what’s to come. Smiling Phases - This busts down the door. It’s frantic, yet controlled. So much fun. The vocalist is great, as is the drummer. In fact, they’re all doing solid work here. It’s a brilliant blend of jazz, funk and rock. They just keep throwing changes in there too, but it’s still very coherent. Love some of the solo sections, and it packs so much in to 5 minutes. Exceptional stuff. Sometimes In Winter - And now a folksy, easy listening type track. Sure, why not? It’s well put together and actually makes for a nice settler after the controlled chaos of the previous track. I mean, it’s cheesy as anything, but it’s well written and well executed. More And More - Enough of a rest, let’s kick up the pace again. This is like a proto Tower of Power. It’s not as frantic as Smiling Phases, but there’s loads of groove and attitude to it. It’s got great tempo, and some of those horn fills are just great. Love David Clayton-Thomas’s vocal on this. The rhythm section is so solid too. And When I Die - A plodding little folksy intro, but it doesn’t take long before they up the pace and add a bit of jazzy swing to things. Bobby Colomby is an exceptional drummer. For a song that varies tempo so much, this is so, so tight. It’s cheesy, but they know it and embrace it. That ‘yeehaw!’ is hilarious. It just sounds like they’re having so much fun, but when that’s wrapped up in something so technically proficient, it massively elevates things. It’s really, really good. God Bless The Child - This is smooth. It’s cheesy, but brilliantly so and it sounds like a blend of Weather Report and Tower of Power. Some of the organ chord choices are super lush. The bass playing is quality and they pull the rhythm around but stay so tight. There’s a lot of feel to this too. And why not throw in a mambo style latin section?. They’re really very good. Spinning Wheel - The chorus of this is so good. I feel like the section after the first chorus section drifts a little, but it’s pretty brief and good lord, that chorus is funky. The trumpet solo section swings so hard too. Love some of the little rhythmic fills they chuck in. And that flute bit is superbly silly. You've Made Me So Very Happy - And we’re back with something smooth again, but they throw in some super funky sections too. The way the horns and bass echo each other in some of the riffs is superb. This song does perhaps drift a little in places, but there’s still so much quality in the musicianship. Blues, Pt. 2 - There’s a slow build to this. It’s got a lot of vibe to it, but it takes quite a long time to get going. When it kicks in though. Ooof, that strolling bass line is great, with such subtle control from the drums. And then the drummer gets his go. Again, Colomby is not just in the pocket, he is the pocket. We’re just rotating through the players now. It’s self-indulgent, but so good. They’re all on such form that it’s a great listen, and there’s so much touch and feel to what they’re doing. This does just drift from section to section, but that’s the point really. And why not play some little slices of songs you like. That bit of Sunshine of Your Love is banging and there are a couple of other bits of songs in there that I know less well too. But it’s all good. Variation On A Theme By Erik Satie (1st Movement) - And we go full circle. Nothing to add, except that this whole thing was great.

Really conflicted because I loved the intro and outro and “And When I Die”, but the rest was quite poor.

Was ok. 3.71

"This Album is a masterpiece... my older cousins had the record at their house... and, even as a six year old... i could hear how good "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and "Spinning Wheel" were on the radio, and how many other singers were covering them on various shows... my older cousins reinforced to me just HOW good of a record i was listening to, lol... and i'm glad they did... because it became one of the first records i ever bought myself... and it became a regular on my early childhood turntable... The opener "Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie" sounded almost like from another world... and also me made have to go look up who Erik Satie was... anyway... "Smiling Phases" is next.. a soul workout with unreal playing and a great vocal by David Clayton-Thomas... the sweet "Sometimes in Winter" by Steve Katz... "More and More"... and their version of "God Bless the Child"... the hit single on side one was "And When I Die"... written by Laura Nyro... and done impeccably and sung impeccably by this band... Side Two hits you like a ton of bricks with the aforementioned "Spinning Wheel", "You've Made Me So Very Happy" one two punch... "Blues Part II" where they BLOW on a blues medley... and ending with the Satie reprise... FIVE STARS!"

This is an album I would 100% Re listen to multiple times

Decent

непримечательный

This makes me so very happy.

If progressive soul were a thing, mixed w/ jazz fusion and jazz-rock, I guess Blood, Sweat, & Tears would be the exponent of that genre. I don't really like progressive anything, unless it's politics (and even then that reeks of a neoliberal formulation), but this is honestly better than I expected. Unlike the other prog slogs, BS&T at least give the impression that they're having fun: the others, that they're completing a chore of intellectual drudgery. Loosed is even sweet sagacity (shout out to Laura Nyro): 'All I ask of living is to have no chains on me / And all I ask of dying is to go naturally.' It can't be that good tho, since, in the end, it's too pretentious and long-winded, it's not that original, and I'd actually never choose to listen to it. Okayish.

I dunno man. I don't know. Decent. But. I have to hear this before i die? Im not sure i do? Fine Blues p2 absolutely sucks, waste of time and takes away the positives. Insipid

The jazz caught me off guard.

Was not expecting this. Also I think I always had these guys confused with Earth, Wind and Fire. Kinda jazzy, very eclectic. liked it ok.

I like jazz but never love a jazz album

Rad album

The horns are cool.

An iconic group with an iconic sound.

Couple ok songs but the whole like orchestra production doesn’t really do it for me the way its done here.

this sure is a weird album!

I like jazz, I can handle rocking soul, but the two together here did almost nothing to me. Can’t say there’s anything I would want to revisit, though it has the odd good jazz breakdown or shouty chorus.

3,5

Not my style of music, even for that era

This self-titled album shows off just how ambitious Blood, Sweat & Tears were in blending rock with jazz, soul, and pop. Tracks like “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” are polished, catchy, and full of brass-driven energy that makes them stand out as the big hits they became. The playing is tight across the board, with the horn section giving everything a punchy, upbeat feel, and David Clayton-Thomas’s vocals bringing a smooth, commanding presence. At the same time, the record can feel a little too polished for its own good. Some of the deeper cuts stretch out but do not always stick, and the experimentation sometimes comes across more like showmanship than real substance. It is easy to admire the craft and the skill of the musicians, but as an album it does not always flow in a way that keeps you fully locked in. Blood, Sweat & Tears has some undeniable highlights, but as a whole it feels more like a collection of strong singles and filler than a fully satisfying album.

A little bipolar. At one end is the buttery smoothness of Sometimes in Winter, at the other the toe curling barndance jiggery of And When I Die. I don't know.

Loud, bombastic, and full of energy. The frontman sure sounds like he’s having the time of his life. I just can’t really say the same. It’s inoffensive, but still kind of falls into that category of big band brassy music that you kind of have to love to really be on board with it. I give BST a soft 2/5. ⭐️⭐️

I was quite surprised how relaxing this was. Much better than elevator music!

Joyful jazz-rock fusion featuring big band orchestrations that rival Chicago. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" is a personal favorite. It takes a simple and romantic sentiment and blows it up into this huge, dramatic song. It's gorgeous, and I really connect to it. Love can really feel like that.

Nice solid class rock. I feel like this band dares to have moments where they switch things up on the listener and it's fun because they do it often but it's contextually appropriate. It feels like I can hear a ballad and it won't just be a repetitive piano chord progression throughout; there will be pauses, drum breaks, shortened measures, and things like that that I appreciate. Nice 3/5!

Horseshit. Just appalling nonsense.

It's a great album! My Dad really loved a couple of the singles, so I heard this since I was a kid. When I got a little older I listened through the whole thing and it's mostly great. Must agree with most people here saying the Variations and "Blues, pt 2" really stick out badly and prompt a "Why the hell would you put this here?" vibe. David Clayton-Thomas' voice is great - strident and emotional. I love the mix of jazzy, progressive. rock instrumentation throughout this album. I've listened to it maybe a dozen times in m life and I'm sure to listen to it again for a few. Want to give it a 4.5 because of those three left-field songs. But since there are no half-measures allowed, I'm going to give it a 5 becuase the ones I like, I really like!

growing on me as i’ve stuck with it. some very interesting jazzy bits

Lettre ouverte aux spectres du jury des Grammy Awards 1970. Messieurs les jurés (paix à vos âmes, si tant est que vous en ayez une), Je vous écris depuis une époque que vous n'auriez sans doute pas comprise. Une époque où la musique peut tenir dans une petite boîte sans fil, où l'on peut accéder à presque tout ce qui a été enregistré en quelques secondes. Et c'est dans le cadre d'un projet un peu fou, une sorte de pèlerinage sonore à travers 1001 albums jugés "essentiels", que je suis tombé sur votre... œuvre. Votre décision ou plus exactement votre crime de lèse-majesté musical. Je veux bien sûr parler de cette funeste soirée de 1970 où, dans un accès de folie collective ou de surdité avancée, vous avez décerné le prix de l'Album de l'Année à "Blood, Sweat & Tears". Je dois vous avouer que la première écoute fut un choc. Pas un choc esthétique, non. Plutôt le genre de choc que l'on ressent quand on met les doigts dans une prise électrique défectueuse. Un spasme, une convulsion de mauvais goût qui a secoué mes enceintes et mon âme de pauvre rocker élevé au son de The Cure et des Pixies. Comment avez-vous pu ? Je vous pose la question sans détour. Qu'est-ce qui a bien pu traverser vos esprits ? Étiez-vous à ce point terrorisés par la jeunesse, par la contre-culture, que vous ayez ressenti le besoin de récompenser son exact opposé ? Car cet album, c'est l'anti-rock par excellence. C'est le rock tel que l'imaginerait un directeur de banque qui voudrait "faire jeune". C'est un monstre de Frankenstein musical, une créature boursouflée, où des cuivres assourdissants, dignes d'une comédie musicale de seconde zone à Broadway, viennent piétiner sans vergogne les restes d'un pauvre groupe de rock qui n'avait rien demandé. C'est une musique terriblement sérieuse, qui se prend pour ce qu'elle n'est pas. Elle se drape dans des atours de "complexité" et de "virtuosité", mais elle est aussi profonde qu'une flaque d'eau. C'est une musique de frimeurs, pour les frimeurs. Le genre de disque qu'on devait mettre à l'époque pour impressionner ses invités lors d'un cocktail dînatoire, entre deux conversations sur le golf et les placements en bourse. C'est de la musique d'ameublement, du bruit de fond de luxe. Et ce chanteur... Avez-vous seulement écouté ce chanteur ? David Clayton-Thomas. Il a la puissance vocale d'un animateur de supermarché annonçant une promo sur le papier toilette, et la subtilité d'un marteau-piqueur. Chaque note est forcée, chaque intention est surjouée. Il ne chante pas, il pavoise. Pendant ce temps, dans la même catégorie, il y avait un petit disque sans prétention. Un truc enregistré par quatre jeunes de Liverpool. Ça s'appelait "Abbey Road". Ça vous dit quelque chose ? Un album qui, plus d'un demi-siècle plus tard, continue de faire pleurer, rêver, et vibrer des millions de gens. Un disque dont chaque note, chaque silence, est un miracle. Vous aviez l'or entre les mains, et vous avez choisi le plaqué. Vous aviez l'éternité, et vous avez choisi la naphtaline. Sachez que l'Histoire, elle, n'a pas été dupe. Votre décision est devenue une blague récurrente, un cas d'école de l'égarement critique. "Blood, Sweat & Tears" a rejoint le cimetière des gloires éphémères, tandis qu'"Abbey Road" trône au Panthéon. Je ne vous en veux pas, personnellement. Votre erreur de jugement m'a au moins offert une bonne tranche de rigolade et le sujet de cette lettre. Mais par pitié, si vous vous réincarnez un jour, faites-le en vendeurs de moquettes. Laissez la musique à ceux qui l'aiment vraiment. Avec mes salutations les moins respectueuses, Un passeur de disques du futur. Note finale : 1/5

On paper, horn-driven rock with jazz chops should be right in my wheelhouse, and the big singles — “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” — are still excellent. But the album as a whole doesn’t fully land for me. Slick, well-played, and historically important, but not one I’d call a five-star record. Somewhere between 3 and 4 feels right — respect for the hits and the influence, but the deep cuts leave me less impressed.

-this is fascinating and very hard to typify with one genre or sound. probably the earliest example of “jazz rock” i’ve ever heard -it definitely felt… aimless. like a collection of random singles, didn’t stand out much. still made for a pretty enjoyable listen at least, even though it was hard to pay attention -Favorites are Smiling Phases and Blues, Pt. 2

1,9/5

The album is very instrumental in a good way. However, the vocals and lyrics were not my favorite.

I knew at least Spinning Wheel, and I knew enough o their music to recognize them, but this album was still eye-opening. The opening version of Eric Satie? Those drums? This is amazing.

A lot of fun, I really enjoyed it

Wow - orchestral soul, jamming out like a motherfucker!

I own this one and enjoy it.

Cool album. Jazz rock gringo de los 70

Derivative! Well, that’s not completely fair. They sound like a copycat band but they borrow from so many sources (Chicago, The Moody Blues, Motown, Jethro Tull) that I can’t accuse them of straight ripping off of any one thing. They are fun to listen to when they’re not being horribly pretentious, and there are a few memorable tracks on this album.

Some good songs but not a game changer for me

Was sampled by Jason Forrest's War Photographer, so that's pretty cool

The jazz-rock mix isn't my cup of tea, but they can certainly play well. The second half of the record was much better, with the best songs in it ("Spinning Wheel" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy"). I didn't like the singing much, and the best moments for me were the most "jazzy" ones, like the end of "God Bless the Child". I also found the Satie opener to be a bit gimicky and didn't like it much.

A really great surprise. What a great mix of genres. Sounds incredible for the 60s. I keep coming back to it!

It is good album.

3 Couldn’t finish it, was doin me bloody tree in tbh

Itvwas an ok album but it felt a little bit all over the place. I like the jazz influence and it's obvious they are good musicians but,yeah, some of the songs are not for me.

The bluesey jazz rock thing doesn’t work for me. I know that a lot of people don’t love this new singer’s voice but I didn’t mind it. Some good tunes, more forgettable ones and as much as love Satie, the bookends on the album are weird and out of place.

not for me.

This is one of the better old albums I’ve listened too. This is an amazing album seeming it came from 1968 having great vocals and interesting instrumental. Very before its time. But just like a lot of these albums it’s just not for me the musics enjoyable but nothing out of the ordinary. I see how people like this and why it’s on the list but there is just so much better. I’ll give Blood, Sweat & Tears their props for them doing all this in 1968 but it’s still just alright 6.9/10 3.4

Jazzy and intricate. Never boring.

I genuinely enjoyed this album.

Inconsistent, but when it’s good, it’s a real jam

I know this band. Never listened to an album. I need to listen to more. I love this. Especially the horns.

Really enjoyed it actually

really good

5/10

That's an extremelly high quality music. I may not feel like listening to it casually everyday, but there's no way that someday I'll manage to raise my finger and point any kind of flaw on this. Absolute 5 stars.

We have some very familiar songs from the 60s that are all great, but then you get all these instrumental pieces, Motown covers, and even a little soul all of which might be even more fun!

A lot more varied and eclectic than I was expecting! This shit is really very good. This is one of those albums that make you want to dive into the rest of their catalogue. I hope I’m not disappointed!

Nobody sounded like them when this album was released. (Chicago Transit Authority was close, but had a different approach) This album was startling in its daring and still holds up.

Solid

Super corny and hate the production and arrangements

Listen to this!

Like it 3/5

Early rock.

Pleasant background rock album, rather tight, rather fun

Sympa à écouter, mais pas spécialement mémorable à mon sens.

Good stuff. I was working out and my wife asked " is that blood, sweat and tears?" I pointed towards my abs questioningly, she shook her hear and said "No. The music."

I don’t remember any of these songs in Jesus Christ Superstar.

🎵 Day 37 / Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968) 🗯 Look, I get it — the chops are good, the horn arrangements are airtight, and for some listeners this is going to feel like stepping into a jazz-rock cathedral. But to me? It’s like getting trapped in the extended soundtrack to an old cowboy film that never ends. All hats, horses, and brass flourishes. That’s not to say it isn’t impressive. These guys could play well compared to most bands of the era, and the fusion of jazz, pop, and rock here was groundbreaking. ‘Spinning Wheel’ and ‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy’ were big hits for a reason. But personally, it’s a record I admire more than enjoy. Verdict: Not my jam For fans of: Chicago, Steely Dan, horn sections with something to prove

The good old days when music was great

meh 2/5

Uma fusão de blues-rock com jazz, com o rock psicodélico e o pop em peças enriquecidas pelos arranjos que valorizam tanto as partes conjuntas (naipes de cordas e metais) quanto as participações individuais de vozes, guitarras e baixos. Um ótimo disco, daqueles prazerosos em se ouvir.

- Good for listening when journaling, etc. - Unique rock n roll type of take - Re-listen in order 3.5/5

Surprisingly good.

Damn good jazz

This album was fun enough. I like the lead singer’s voice. Favorite songs were Spinning Wheel and You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. Basically their songs that played on oldies radio that I listened to when I was a kid.

That was really expressive and reminded me of vivid memories

It was playing in the background the whole time, and to be honest, I barely noticed it. I don't know, this album is just kind of lifeless? It doesn't suck—I don't hate it—but there's also almost nothing to love. It has a couple of pretty good moments, but overall is pretty empty.

I thought this was fine. Perhaps too over the top for me. 4/10.

Did not really like this one. Pretty endless and repetitive - although I'm sure it was influential. 2.5

Eh

A band that I don't really know at all past recognizing their name. Don't think I can even name one song so I'm calling this one new to me. First impression - this is like if Creedence tried to play jazz. There are elements to this that I like but it does sound very Creedence-y which is not a good thing for me. I think I like the music but the vocals are where I'm thrown off. Just something about the vocal quality and characteristics and the way the vocal lines are formed puts me off. But there is some great musicianship on this record for sure. Drums in particular are really good. All in all it had some fun parts but wasn't quite my thing 2.5/5

fun but not something id listen to again

I kind of liked this band. The vocals were unique and strong. The instruments were well played and had some variety.

Good type of quirkiness

I quite liked this. Fun little composition for an album, some blues, jazz, and rock all mixed together. Also really liked lead guy's voice. Overall very pleasant and I think I would listen to it again. Didn't knock my socks off but still very good.

I remember listening to several of these tracks with my parents. enjoyed the blend of sounds & instruments. bit of fusion of styles. I wouldn't seek it out again, but enjoyed it.

Kind of interesting, lots of variety anyway.

Jazz-rock mix žanras man nėra itin artimas, tačiau albume labai patiko variantion on the theme by erik satie: first movement. Pačios grupės pavadinimas ankščiau buvo girdėtas kažkur, tačiau jų muzika ši kart buvo pirmas kartas. Galbūt tam tikru momentu kitokioje aplinkoje (ne vasaros dienos metu) klausyčiau dar kartą.

dawno nie bylo jazzowych akcentow na liscie, wiec jazzowe rokowanie to mila odmiana, krazek z 68 drugi i najlepiej przyjety komercyjnie album od blood, sweat & tears, wiekszosc utworow poza blues pt.2 trzymaja sie radiowych standardow 4 minut, refrenow i chwytliwosci, no i tematyki romantycznej milosci, co chyba najbardziej mi przeszkadzalo podczas sluchania, na nocne sluchowisko pod gwiazdami o wiele lepiej sprawdzilby sie ten album jako czysty intrumental, a troche tutaj grajkow bylo, bo orginalny sklad mial 8 czlonkow, tutaj z panem claytonem na wokalu, dopiero po tym albumie jakies potezne roszady byly w bandzie, ciekawe w ktora strone poszli muzycznie, bo pelny sklad jazzowy z smyczkami, klarnetami, trabami, tamburynami, a z drugiej strony kawalki na ktorych ciezko pomiescic taka muzyke, na plejke dodam and when i die, ktory ma klimat celebracji umierania na niebiesko

al inicio pensaba que seria un album de country pero me ha sorprendido. Mezcla distintos estilos, pasando por varios tipicos de la epoca pero a la vez me soreprende por donde salen algunas veces.

It wasn't bad, but it just got boring.

I swear there ain't no heaven, and I pray there ain't no hell

A good album, I enjoyed the music style. I liked Variations On A Theme and And When I Die the most.

You've Made Me So Very Happy Is a great song to scream sing

Not my normal kind of thing, but I did like it. Saxophone and funky bass are always good things.

06/07/2025 It was okay. Long albums tend to put me off.

Enjoyed this more than I expected. It was a ride and felt like being at a really creative concert.

A classic!

What is this album supposed to be? I never figured it out.

No me ha gustado

The rating feels a bit harsh - This isn't a bad album necessarily. There's nothing wrong with it musically, it can be catchy. I found it incredibly boring though. Now, granted that this was '68, maybe the genres this is playing in weren't as developed as what I'm more familiar with - Especially the jazz and funk influences. But that's a generous assumption on my part, and I'm not sure that's true. It just feels really basic. It would be a fine album as background music in the extreme periphery of whatever I'm doing, but listening to it directly felt like a whole lot of nothing. Lets take for example the album 'The Kids & Me' by Billy Preston. This was 6 years later and it feels like the mid-70's, but it has a much better handle at how to make music like this sound fun and engaging. That's not a terribly complex either, its feel-good pop music. But I hard time accepting that just 6 years later there was some radical re-imagining of how music like this was made. And even if that was true, there is plenty of more engaging music from the 50's and 60's this could have drawn influence from. I guess to my ears it sounds like protestant kids trying to get in on some genres that they really don't understand, and through proximity of their own tepidity, due in fact to how watered down the music is, this made it a bigger hit in American pop culture where mainstream listeners already shared the same sensibilities.

Very relaxing album with some unique sounds.

Really fun blend of rock & jazz

Good stuff

The whole time I was listening I was thinking this is what it would sound like if Eric Clapton created a jazz band. Then the last song had a quick little Clapton riff in it and I felt completely validated.

With the exception of the instrumental numbers I really liked this album. Again it was a band that I knew mostly just name and major hit, Spinning Wheel, but I found I really enjoyed the others as well.

This was cool. I have heard of Blood, Sweat and Tears, but never really listened to them. Definitely have never listened to a full album. There was a lot to unpack here. Jazz, blues, etc... I liked it overall.

Look, I can kinda understand why people really love this album, and if I squint and turn my head and maybe lay down sideways I can maybe see how it’s good. But it has some of the absolute worst production values known to man, with everything so thinned out as to be unlistenable. The music is pure technique and zero soul, with absolutely no punch or drive whatsoever. As someone in the artist notes put, this is a band that can’t decide if they’re an ultra pretentious pop band with horns or a jazz section masquerading in pop circles, and that’s it’s biggest failure. It’s not the worst album because the music is incredible on point. But when everyone coming after you improves on your sound, maybe your sound isn’t very good.

such a weird blend of influences i kept questioning who this was for. then the saloon organ solo came in & i realized the answer was no one. sunshine of your love interpolation im gonna kill myself

Pretty good album, some of it was real bad tho

To start, this is an exceptionally well recorded album. Fantastic production and audio quality. I appreciate the mix of brass and traditional rock instruments. Very cool fusion that reminds me of Chicago, who I also love. There's something about the lead singer's voice that really firmly anchors the music to the time period it's from. I'm not sure if that's because BS&T helped to set the tone of the era or it's just because of the way I think of and originally heard the music. Blues PT. 2 was sort of a non-sequitur and didn't feel especially relevant to the rest of the album. I enjoyed the song (especially the Cream reference). The vocals done in the style of Janis Joplin were fun too. 3.75

Very cool, great variety of instruments and sounds.

Good.

This was incredible! Loved it!

Very middle-of-the-road record to my ears. There are some nice progressive and jazzy ideas here and there, but as a whole, the music just isn’t compelling enough for me, and at times, I found it downright annoying. A good example is the Laura Nyro cover, "And When I Die". How did they take such a beautiful song and turn it into this? Their rendition of "God Bless the Child" is nice enough, though. I must be missing something with this one, but the only positive I got from listening was that the playing was pretty solid throughout. Still, I have no intention of revisiting it. 2.5/5

Alright I guess the best song was that Erik Satie shit

This album was either being excellent or shit, so I’m not quite sure what to give it. It was shit a good bit more though

Fun but yeah

I didn't think I knew who this was, then I listened and realized I knew a few songs off this album. Not sure where I heard them. This album has some fun upbeat songs and some more slower almost ballads. It's a fun album overall. I'd suggest it to folks if they want a 60's album.

I can appreciate this albums variation in styles and genres with the different instruments, very jazzy in some places with sax and organ, very rick and roll in some, funky as well, especially in spinning wheel which basically showcased all of this. I did feel like it wasn’t very focussed as a result but i guess it’s messy in a good way. The variation on the theme from Erik Satie was really cool to both start and end the album with as well and actually one of my favourite parts of the album. I thought the lyrics overall weren’t really all great however as they were very surface level and generic but for 1968 this does feel musically ahead of its time at least. Sone of the eongs I wasn’t a fan of, mostly the slow love focussed ones like you’ve made me so very happy and god bless the child although i can appreciate the organ in both. Blues part 2 was quite decent and had a very clear reference to sunshine of your love which was cool i guess. Favourites: the two variations as mentioned, smiling phases and soinning wheel. Overall, 6/10.

This album was really catchy although there were a couple of tracks I didn’t like. Bluesy/jazzy/country/pop. Rating: 4

Fed! Ret unikt

Tung moderne blues -- fed!

Interesting. Lots of jazz but also vocals and stuff.

god jazzrock fusion. Vandt åbenbart over abbey road som album of the year? TEksterne handler om livets op og nedture.

2.5/5

Some mindless filler, some absolute bangers. A mixed bag. All over the shop in tone, often within the same song. At times sounds like a super theatrical late 60s jazz-rock musical. ‘Spinning Wheel’ is obviously the centrepiece here, but ‘More And More’, ‘And When I Die’, ‘God Bless The Child’ and ‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy’ are also highlights. Despite its unevenness, this is still a worthy addition to the 1,001.

This was musical whiplash. Chaotic changing of genre with almost every track. This did not feel like a cohesive album to me. It’s not *bad* but it’s certainly bizarre

The first song I thought this was some experimental classic band, then switch to some 60’s prog rock then switched to some Christian rock, then almost alt country then some bluesy song then to some free-form jazz jam band. Way too many directions. I would have given it one star but I somewhat liked "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Spinning Wheel" and not sure about "And When I Die". Don’t need to hear this again.

Good

It's a bit of a mess. The changing of genres comes out of the blue and quickly. Bits of rock, funk, jazz, big band lounge, prog. It's all over the place and some genres sound better than others from the band. It's a mix that sometimes works and sometimes not. I quite like the little jazzy bits, some twinkling piano and quick light drumming which doesn't overstay it's welcome. The 60's rock is where they shine though. The bass player kills it on every track. 'And When I Die' has this slow almost oompa sounding start that picks up as it goes to an abrupt end to start back at the beginning again. 'You've Made Me So Very Happy' is easily the biggest earworm on the album. You'll be gleefully singing that chorus all day. It's a great, cheerful track that puts a smile on your face. The penultimate track 'Blues, Pt. 2' is a 12 minute proggy, jazzy, soul wank fest with long drum solo which let's it down overall in my opinion. Also the first and last track is a beautiful piece of classical music. I add this in case I come back to the review and forget how nice it is and want to listen again. It's a bit hit and miss, but quite a fun album that I wouldn't be mad if it came on randomly.

Spinning wheel most listened to for good reason

Were they a Jazz band trying to pass as a pop rock outfit, or were they a rock band with horns? The world may never know. Entertaining enough stuff though.

Teško je ocijeniti ovako nekonzistentan album. Na vrhuncu je izuzetan fusion, na dnu je yeeeehaaaaw. Doslovno ne znam šta da mislim o cjelokupnom paketu.

smiling phases TOPP.

Too jazzy for me. But not bad.

Bluesy. Something different, probably wouldn’t listen to their other stuff but I’d imagine if I’d been brought up on it I’d like it more. Reminds me other music I like that’s known to me from a young age.

Hmm - I think I like this. After a couple of listens, I feel intrigued to put this on at other occasions in the future

Great sound!

The kind of album the best high school band director in the Midwest conference would make. My band has been working up Satie's Gymnopedies so the opening was a surprise. Not sure it's a great surprise, partic the goofy Zappa-via-Sousa 2nd part, but a surprise. I have read that this album is one of the first big pop albums recorded on a 16-track tape machine, giving them uncharted layering territory to explore, but they could have ranged farther. David Clayton-Thomas delivers the goods as the Husky Voice of the 70s To Come on the hits, but then the other vocalist only serves to make this album sound like well-crafted and anonymous easy listening. "And When I Die" is much jauntier than I remember, making me wonder if another version polluted the oldies radio of my upbringing.

The Erik Satie opener/closer is nice, “Smiling Phases” sounds like a musical number and “Sometimes in Winter” just sounds dated, like the guy serenading the coeds on the staircase in Animal House before John Belushi snatches his guitar and smashes it to bits. “Spinning Wheel” is a good song that brings the group’s jazz chops to the fore. There is some good stuff here but overall it sounds a little show tune-y, thanks in part to the singer, who sounds a little like Tom Jones.

I had already seen the recent doc about this band that suggested that the band agreeing to tour the communist bloc as a State department deal for allowing their Canadian lead singer to stay in the us was the thing that killed the band. Other than the hits that was all I knew of BST. I will say they are like a hipper better Chicago, but I'm still suspicious of an LP that only has 2 originals and bookends with Eric fucking satie.

An amazing album? No. But not a bad album. It's a perfectly nice listen. Not something I'd purposefully grab off the shelf, but not something I'd turn off if someone else put it on.

It's a shame you can't give a 2.5 to albums, cause this isn't a 3 but it is far from a 2. This is also like a B-list "Chicago" in my opinion, even though they released music before them. Regardless with the hits and seeing myself enjoy this album the more I listen to it. I'll say 3/5

Eclectic or what? So many styles… I knew some of these songs but not their origins so it was interesting to find out. You make me do very happy - stunning track! And Soinning wheel - classic! Not sure if I’d ever choose to spin this as an album but I do love a lot of these songs in their own right.

This was really solid. Hard to pin down in terms of classification — had classical, jazz, rock, swing. Somehow this isn't an album or a band I'm going to reach for to play because I'm in the mood to hear them, but when they're playing, there's lots of things to key in on that are pretty captivating.

They're obviously talented, but for whatever reason, these guys never resonated with me.

+1 for horns. I liked the songs with horns, the non horn songs were pretty bad.

that was literally fine. i didn’t mind it at all. shout-out erik satie…

i just hated that for no reason 2.5

# Album Name: blood, sweat & tears # Artist: blood, sweat & tears # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Very weird. Lots of different styles with a sprinkle of a few good songs. # Top Tunes: Spinning wheel / So very happy / when i die / Variations # Would I listen to it again? Only the songs listed

1960s jazzy. Medium for my taste. I dont like very much but i dont hate as well.

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting but this album wasn’t it. And I think that’s ok. It was a blend of a few different kinds of music. Definitely rock n roll but with very obvious jazz and blues elements.

Sounds like a serene, faraway land. Tinkering. Trumpets. Grand entrance. Jazz? Upbeat. Life is what you make it. Fun. Groovy. New York. Piano. Mr. Big. Cheeky. Very playful and charismatic. Instrumental. Montage. Trumpets! Chores, definitely. *Clapping*. Again, very enchanting. Warm voice. Storytelling supremacy. Blues. Little Big Planet soundtrack. Lively, again. Husky voice. Guns 'N' Roses inspiration. Travellers. ELECTRIC GUITAR! I can see how this album, especially the song More and More, has influenced 80s rock acts. We're going country. I love the switch-ups. Drawing influence from Walk the Line. And When I Die is probably my favourite. Added to my playlist. Reminding me of 500 Miles. Death thematised. Jazz bar. Reference to the Bible, religion thematised. Mama may have sounds like Mama Mayhem. Crescendo? OH. Instrumental break. Movielike. Is that the sax? Festin. Whiskey and BBQ sauce. Country. I appreciate the trumpets (?) framing the song. What goes up must come down - lesson for life. Spinning wheel analogy. Pony, highway, riverside. Allusions to the American dream? What does the latter mean for this album? Bridge Bar recommendation? Contrast between flutes and trumpets. Whistle vs. brass instrument. Cruise. Futuristic. Asserting. City! Love thematised. Adoring, idolising. Wedding song? Major New York vibes. What is that sound? Ugh. Proclaiming introduction. Baseball, yep. Gratitude. Longest song up next. Organ? Showing off. Halloween. Unsettling. Contrast to the warmth of the previous tracks. Theme park. Oh, hello. The instruments have really shined all throughout this album. Drums into jazz. YES. Wine and dinner. Washing the dishes. Music playing. Diversity and a playfulness. For the sake of music. Crime, detective. Tom & Jerry. Fright. You are every girl I've ever known. Torture. Desperate.

Great album, bluesy.

Really balanced album I should reach for more often.

FINAL REVIEW A very jazzy rock album with strong songwriting, but after the initial listen, it started to lose some of its shine. The twelve-minute blues (mostly) instrumental probably didn't help either. 3/5. NOTES 11:12 pm - i've heard this name before, but i know absolutely nothing about them. the album cover is kind of funny, though, with the obviously pastedon heads. i expect this to either have typical seventies classic rock sound, or a folk one. 1:34 am - i'm having, uh, technical issues with the website, but fuck it, i want to listen to the album at least once before bed. anyways, this is waaaaaayyyyyy more prog than i was expecting, but i like it. 1:49 am - i really like this a lot!!! it jumps around genre a lot, but it doesn't feel disjointed at all. it has an overall very jazzy sound that i like. 2:00 am - there is a twelve minute blues/jazz instrumental at the end of this album. very very prog lmao. it's good, though, even though it isn't normally my thing. 2:06 am - okay this long ass track a) does have vocals about nine minutes in, and b) i can't do this. it's not like i'm anti-long songs, but this is a long song in a genre that i don't normally like, so it's not working for me. i still enjoy the rest of the album, though. 2:13 am - okay so aside from the second to last track, i really liked it!! the rest of the album moved at a good pace, had pretty melodies and interesting instrumentation. the last track was just meandering to me, though, like too much, though i can see how someone who likes this genre more would enjoy it. i'd give this a 3/5 after my first listen. 7/5 10:29 am - doing my second listen through rn 7/5 11:13 am - i feel like i liked it less the second listen through, though there were some good songs. i think it's one of those that i think is well-done, but its not a genre i am particularly interested in. still, i'm going to give it a 3/5

Big heavy thumping clumsy rock n’roll n’all that jazz. Once I’d finished the record – or, really, once it had finished with me – I remembered the Satie at the top and had a genuine chuckle. It’s a bit of very well done fun (though I might have had a cringe at some of the vocal intonations). Che-yeah! 2.5.

The thing about jazz rock is it's not as good as straight jazz or rock. This isn't too bad, as it seems to lean more on the jazzy soul side of jazz rock, but there are only a few songs I really would want to listen to again.

If you like horns and flute and classic piano in your music, there's a timeless beauty in this one. Plus, I will never discount the fact that my 8th grade gf was so, so, happy when I gave the album to her for her birthday.

I’ll be honest - I listened to this weeks ago and forgot to rate it. I have zero memory of it beyond that it sucked.

Great couple of hits!!

Starts slow, great through the end

Quite an average listen, with nothing really capturing the attention nor really offending much. A middle-of-the-road 2.5/5 which will be bumped to 3 due to the lack of offence.

I found the album fine to listen to but it didn't really move me in any way, shape or form. I thought it was quite a safe blend of jazz/rock without any real standout moments. Pretty bland overall. 2.5/5

First thoughts were worry this would be instrumental. Thankfully not. Reviewing the tracks it's mostly covers/reinterpretations. Its fine, average rock with middling jazz. 2.5/5. Raising to 3. PS Abbey Road lost a Grammy to this. Wild.

Fine

Hyfsat fonkigt. Saknas lite blod, svett och tårar

So many classics on this album bookends with Satie, glorious!

Great album

Fav: God Bless The Child Least Fav: And When I Die Jazz rock was not what I expected, thought this would be a proper country rock album. Even with the classical music covers I think it’s alright in spite of it being all over the place

Not fussed

2.75

Det var et sjovt lyt fordi det er så meget i alle retninger, der var den ene sang som jeg kendte i forvejen, men har ingen anelse om hvorfor jeg har hørt jazz rock før. 🤷

Syret, jazzet, rocket og fed vokal. Til tider rammer det ret godt.

Hey, not as bad as a post Al Kooper outing coulda been, and this is just so well known now with Spinning Wheel et al. Prefer.Little Milton's More and More. Some nice jazzy touches, but fairly MOR US stodge all up.

Funky, jazzy, fun rock with some bluesy elements. Thoroughly enjoyed "And When I Die" and "God Bless the Child". Didn't realise that I knew "Spinning Wheel".

Lot more jazzy than I was expecting. It was fine. Surprised to see they won a Grammy for best album back in the day.

5/10 - kind of boring but not horrible

Is this like the origin of jazz fusion or something? Don’t really love that genre but this was a good album. Very unique. A lot of different stuff going on

This was my parent's thing, they seemed to mention the band often but I don't really remember hearing them at home. I have never listened to this album or even their best of collection - but everyone knows "Spinning Wheel" which still gets a decent amount of airplay today & "You've Made Me So Very Happy". It hasn't aged all that well, it sounds older than 1968 to me ("Sometimes In Winter" for example). First thing I noticed was that a few of the songs should have been 3+ minutes but rang in at over 5 minutes ("Smiling Phases", "God Bless The Child") and that the horns were out in front of the vocal (poor mix). This is more jazzy than rock 'n rolly. I went into this hoping to learn something about a band I've been hearing about for 40 years but I was disappointed from start to finish. This doesn't hold up well and I can't imagine how it made this list; it's not cutting edge even for 1968, it has two hits, the band isn't a name mentioned in the halls of Rock & Roll, zero influence from what I know, by most accounts they're a two hit wonder. Not worthy. Disappointingly, 2 stars is all I can muster up for this album. I didn't enjoy the experience and can't determine why it made the Top 1001.

I like the horns that keep popping up but otherwise I think the album is boring.

Nice soft jazzy album 7/10

Love this album. For my money, BST is better than Chicago. So much fun.

There are a range of tracks here, from boring to very catchy. They are talented but put together a jumble of genres and types here that totally lack cohesion. Spinning Whell remains a favorite of mine and was a bright point. 3

Surprisingly good...

A mixed bag of jazz rock, pop, country blues, gospel and hippy dippy nonsense. Spinning Wheel is the standout track.

ya like jazz?

It was fine I guess.

First song - where do I know this from? As an album this is a bit all over the place, but really enjoyed in places.

It’s fine. It’s a bit of a mess but it’s fine. Blues pt 2 was way too long

Standout Songs: Smiling Phases More and More And When I Die You've Made Me So Very Happy Very fun, jazzy album. Absolutely love the singer’s voice. Makes me want to look into more of their music.

i do really love this album. i was introduced to it as a teenager and i think it really is a great fusion of late 60s-ish rock and jazz. especially the middle of the album is my favorite with 'spinning wheel,' 'and when i die,' and 'god bless the child' but you can't really go wrong with any of this, even the more classical stuff. the band is pretty tight and although this feels pretty mundane by modern standards, this album was a fairly big trailblazer. i especially love david clayton-thomas' gruff and strong vocals. one of the most underrated singers in rock history.

Enjoy the jazz elements, but then full on pop when the vocals are present and sounds like two different bands. Can feel really cheesy and bland in the pop elements, but then the instruments can bring such variation and skill. Enjoy the uptick in tempo and groove for songs like ‘More and More’. More of a rock/big band edge, rather than pop. More of the jazz, more of the upbeat tempo, more of the technicality and less of the pop and smooth, slow meh stuff please. Did not know this was the ‘Spinning Wheel’ band! AMAZING jam at the end (Blues Pt.2) too. Some amazing features on this album, some yawn. (3.5)

Great mash up of styles, musicians, and song writers. Fun music.

I feel like there's a time where I woulda focused this entire review around some incredulity at the fact that this record won Album Of The Year over The Beatles' ABBEY ROAD. "I mean, are you for real? These guys, who're absolute no names these days, got the win instead the **greatest Beatles album**? And my favorite one, too, not to mention!" And to be 100, it's not like after listening to this album I'm any less kinda "Huh?" at that fact, but, y'know, it's the GRAMMYs. They've been making dumb decisions for years, and this is far from being an egregious example of that. It's not even like this album's bad; it's just... Not what I woulda picked! And, yeah, about the album. To be honest, given how much their first album has been propped up by Rolling Stone on their 500 list, I didn't even know they had... Any other albums! But they do, it turns out! And it's... Fine. Fine stuff. It's perfectly good jazzy rock with summa that fine ol' 60's white soul. It's just, for a band whose first album is supposed to be **so great**, I think I may have expected more out of this second one? It's weird. There are some lively as hell tracks on here, and this band can sure as hell play like it ain't nobody's business. This is a tight group. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" is a monster of a blue-eyed soul track. And yet, despite itself, I just can't get myself too excited over any of it. I promise you, it's not the ABBEY ROAD thing getting at me. There's just some mental block I can't get past to enjoy this 100%. Maybe it's just that for as much praise as I can toss on the band performance wise, I'm not really wowed by any of the songs besides "You've Made Me So Very Happy". I guess there's also the opener and closer, for being these nice, peaceful little things, but as for the other songs... Not much doin' for me, I don't think. Especially not "Blues - Part II" — I mean, you call this **blues**? I'm no purist here, but besides a snippet of "Sunshine Of Your Love", I'd hardly recognize any of this as blues. Mostly it's just kinda spacey and boring. I'unno. I feel like it's all a pretty nice sound — again, I hardly think the album's bad — but what they **do** with it... Ehhh. Just wish I could be more into it, honestly. As it stands, though... Yeah, I really can't say why this won over ABBEY ROAD. Maybe it's something to do with "the deeper complexities in the music?" I'unno. Me, I'll just chalk it up to the GRAMMYs being the GRAMMYs again.

Fucking hell, this is some good ass rock. Feels like Chicago, but it predates their first album by a year. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. When an album just sounds THAT good, is there really that much to say? I’m a little strapped for time, so I won’t write a big soliloquy – this album just rocks. Incredible fidelity for 1968, even if the version on Spotify is probably a remaster of sorts; this is one of the first albums ever recorded on 16-track tape, so it really lends itself to some production tricks and layering that feel pretty damn ahead of the era (and showcasing that people were indeed just limited by the technology back then). They used those 16 tracks about as effectively as you could – the depth in the horns, the percussion (holy SHIT, the percussion), the flutes, the guitars, the harmonicas, the vocals, and pretty much everything here all fits snugly into the soundscape & it all sounds fantastic. That sound quality wouldn’t necessarily mean jack if the songs themselves weren’t good, but thankfully, these are all REALLY good tracks, or at the very least, they’re so tightly performed that they have a natural charisma that overrides any kind of lyrical cheesiness & or anything else that might feel awkward. David Clayton-Thomas manages to channel the grit of a Bruce Springsteen, the passion of an Aretha Franklin, & the smooth charm of a Stevie Wonder throughout these tracks, and his voice is variable enough to fit all of the genres this goes through, whether it’s funkier, more of a gospel tone, jazzier, or just straight rock & roll. Hell, the album starts & ends with a take on a 19th century Erik Satie piece. The variety is really strong here, and it keeps everything on its toes. I just enjoyed this a lot; it’s a breezy 45 minutes, and to my ears, I can vaguely hear the case for how this beat out Abbey Road for Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs. I still think Abbey Road is a better album, but this has a charm to it that just feels more casually appealing at times. At the very least, the instrumentals on this thing are a groovy, groovy killer. It’s a 5 for me, and probably a little higher. Very deserving to be on the list.

*Combination of typical Blood, Sweat, and Tears (which I like), and some weird horns. Horns were too much throughout. *Fave Songs: Smiling Phases (Track #2) and Sometimes in Winter (Track #3) *Started off loud, then some good songs, then alternated between loud and good. *You Make Me So Very Happy was track #7. *Tried to put this on in the background while I was working. Some was good and melodic, some was just too loud/shouty and not my cup of tea. Weird combo. RATING - 6/10 based on personal taste.

Points for variety and great bass lines, but I don't think I'll be returning to this often

I'm just not really sure what that was

Far too long but didn't mind it

Very weird, not what I expected, but it really grew on me throughout.

Kind of in the middle of two genres, it's fine

Sooo good!!!!

Prototype for “rock with horns”. Good album

Awful

2,5

it's pleasant, and I enjoyed Smiling Phases and Spinning Wheel. the jazz-rock fusion is cool

Didn't care for this one.

Variations on a Theme... - 3/5 Smiling Phases - 3/5 Sometimes in Winter - 4/5 More and More - 3/5 And When I Die - 3/5 God Bless the Child - 4/5 Spinning Wheel - 5/5 You've Made Me So Very Happy - 5/5 Blues, Pt. 2 - 4/5 Variation on a Theme... - no rating (too short) Average score: 3.8/5 (rounding up) instrumentation on this album in general was impressive. similar to what i've seen a few others mention, it's a little disorientating how many genres the group was playing around with here. are they prog rock? jazz? funk? it's a little much at times regardless, it was a fun listen and i'm glad i gave it a spin. on a less rigid rating scale, this would probably get 3.5 stars rather than 4. i don't think this is my new favorite album or anything, but i'd come back to a handful of tracks again

This album makes me [ba-da-bamp-bump-ba] very happy. The horns! David Clayton Thomas's voice! Plus Erik Satie, what? If it were possible to wear out CDs, I would have worn out my copy of this album when I discovered it as a university music student in the early 90s.

So all over the place in such a great way.

Weird but really interesting record, I think it's more something I find interesting for how the jazz parts play off the rock parts and how well recorded a lot of it is than the whole of the album. I'm not like wow'd by it but I found it more enjoyable than I would otherwise.

Bad

Bumping this a star cuz side B honestly slaps

4 maybe 5

Das Album wurde überwiegend in den CBS Studios in New York City aufgenommen. Die Band stammt aus den Vereinigten Staaten und setzt sich aus Musikern zusammen, die verschiedene musikalische Hintergründe mitbringen, darunter Jazz, Rock und klassische Musik. Bekannte Titel wie „Spinning Wheel“, „You've Made Me So Very Happy“ und „And When I Die“ zeigen den charakteristischen Stil der Gruppe, der sich durch komplexe Bläser-Arrangements und eine Mischung aus Soul, Rock und Jazz-Elementen auszeichnet. Diese Stücke spiegeln das zentrale musikalische Konzept der Band wider: die Verbindung populärer Songstrukturen mit improvisatorischen und orchestralen Elementen. Das Album bewegt sich im Spannungsfeld zwischen Rock, Jazzrock und Popmusik und zählt zu den Werken, die diesen hybriden Stil Ende der 1960er Jahre einem breiteren Publikum zugänglich machten. Insgesamt handelt es sich um eine Produktion, die stilistisch zwischen eingängigen Songs und anspruchsvoll arrangierten Passagen vermittelt und die musikalischen Ambitionen der Band nachvollziehbar macht.

Not bad per se but very unmemorable

They go deeper than I thought from just hearing the hits over the years. I feel like this has to be the blueprint for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.