Reviews (page 7 of 7)
Very unique sound and good songs.
This is one of them albums for me which is so inoffensive it’s difficult to be honest about. It has some decent songs, and they’re obviously talented, but there’s nothing that grabs me. A lot of it passed me by, but to give it credit there were parts that made me listen. This is somewhere between jazz and rock, but not enough of one or the other to be truly interesting for me.
This was a bit all over the place, the church organ made it sound a bit Christian rock sometimes, then it's funk, soul and blues on different tracks. It was nice enough but not sure any of the genres were really worth listening to.
Not quite a 4 overall, some of it was on the boring side. Spinning Wheel, Smiling Phases, and More and More are good. Not a fan of the God Bless The Child cover.
Thought there were a few good jazzy/funk tracks on here but I didn't enjoy the ones that slowed everything right down. Blues Pt. 2 really goes all over the place and I was not a fan of the annoying organ for the first 3mins. Overall okay, wouldn't listen to it again but I did quite enjoy the highlights. Highlights: Smiling Phases More and More Spinning Wheel
I don't really know what this is! Quite good in parts, but with jazzy interludes in songs. Frankly, I've had enough of jazz over the last 3 albums. But, bits of this were actually quite good. I recognised spinning wheel. 2.5 I think. Might've given it more if I wasn't jazzed out
na
Not a huge fan. Im just not a big jazz guy. But does sample some interesting music. Blues pt2 samples cream’s sunshine of your love Also samples throughout: First Gymnopédie
LP
This is odd. Not "bad odd", but odd. At times very strong flower-power vibes with harmonies and strumming and other times veers into freewheeling jazz territory. Conclusion : I didn't hate it.
3.75
Very cool old school album. Would love the vinyl for dad's house
Part of that late 60s/early 70s rock turn towards Americana, BS&T looks to Jazz and Big Band as well as the more expected folk and blues, bringing plenty of horns and (unfortunately) flute and strings into a rock band template. The album is all over the place in terms of genre, but the horns sound good and the bass really does a lot of the heavy lifting giving these songs a bit of energy and momentum lost when the main songwriting instrument is the piano. The extended organ noodling is very boring, but the deeper groove jazzy jams with a trumpet/sax lead did draw me in. It doesn't always work, and when it does it isn't really that good - I'd rather listen to folk rock or jazz rather than both at once.
The first few songs on this album were pleasant and not what I was expecting. Towards the end though it started to get more of that random musical freestyle stuff that is cool but not really something I want to have on for 11-18 minutes at a time...
70'er rock, og så alligevel? også lidt poppet, funket, bigband - et par gode numre indimellem dog
it had good songs to offer but i dont enjoyed this record that much unless from 3 songs
A strange album that can't quite make up its mind of what it wants to be, but gets really good when it goes full jazz.
the usage of the horns makes for a satisfying listen. blood, sweat & tears' self-titled shines when infusing rock and jazz. the song "blues, part ii" exemplifies the fusion beautifully. the eleven minute track even veers toward the progressive genre, and i'm not upset. the usage of other songs in this nearly instrumental track was inspired. that deep, bluesy bass sound of "sunshine of your love" was delightful. i'm honestly disappointed that most of the album contained covers! the songs bs&t covered were not bad, and i am always excited for steve winwood to pop up, but considering what was created with their original sound and three covered songs in "blues, part ii", i expected more from them. still, for what it's worth, an enjoyable listen. 3.5
This album jumped around a lot, genre-wise, in a way that seemed to lack some cohesion. It was still enjoyable, but I would say the lack of conveyed vision muddied it a bit. I will also say that it was, at the very least, a unique listen; nothing else has shown up on this project quite like this album. Jazz mixed with rock is definitely one way that I prefer my jazz, though! I don't feel compelled enough to give this anything beyond an average score. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. Props for the unique stylings, though!
Lot of fun on this album. I'm surprised the genre only says rock because the content feels very prog to me. Definitely will re-listen to this album later.
Some good tracks: "And When I Die", "God Bless The Child" Very listenable.
Very dated some decent songs. Are there any albums made this century on this list?
Mostly ecchhhh. Don’t care for the flute or the brassy parts, which is a lot of it.
Never heard a band like this that fuses jazz and rock so well. Liked almost every single track. Thank you to this list for showing me this album. Rating: 4.8
All over the place but kinda engaging jazz rock (I guess?)
This album won the Album Of The Year Grammy over Abbey Road, which ia is like Forrest Gump beating out Pulp Fiction for the Best Picture Oscar.
Vrolijk jazz-plaatje. Wist niet echt wat te verwachten, maar positief verrast
ranged from an ok listen to "why am I listening to this". weakest of 3s
Not amazing. A bit annoying and just noisy at some points
The vocals are decent but the songwriting is uninspired whilst the music is dull jazz rock. I'd rather play some Brian Auger.
Yeah ok suppose recognise spinning wheel. Not the music to shater your bones but not unpleasant. Must I listen, hmmmmmmm not so sure hombre.
Blood, sweat, tears & shite. Mostly shite.
Good funky pop jazz. A shame it's mostly covers, but I liked it!.
It's an odd album, starts off one way, then goes in the complete opposite direction... it's all over the place! Were there parts that I liked? Yup, some good tunes in there. But as an album, it feels like a mess. 2.5
Oikein mukava ja tästä tuli hyvälle tuulelle. Tykkäsin.
Sekavahko, jäi vähän epäselväks kokonaisuus - oliko sitä? Välillä kyllä toimi ja siinä mielessä tuli kuunneltua kyllä ihan ok
Very few albums can mix jazz and rock well, this isn’t one of them just a bit all over the place
This album was a solid three stars, until Spinning Wheel and You've Made Me So Very Happy, both of which slap in different ways. Also, covering Satie is a move. For a fairly traditional band, they have so much variety, depth and groove. If they ever formed the super group Blood, Sweat, Tears, Earth, Wind and Fire (and Water) it'd be the greatest thing ever.
Some really great tunes but also a bunch of meh filler.
Strange and all over the place with different styles. Some of it sounds good, then all of a sudden, it's something else entirely. It's okay. It works sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes in Winter.
Unglaublich schmissig und abwechslungsreich, ein Banger nach dem anderen. Up Beat Musik, die nicht langweilig wird. Besonders die Bläser werten die Tracks auf.
Cool - Spinning wheel einfach classic. Der Sound generell liegt einfach gut im Ohr. Hübsche Platte. 3,5!
Sehr viel Spaß, wer so vibed muss nicht kohärent sein.
G e i l Spaßiger Genremix, super produziert Nix für den Hintergrund aber megafun zum aktiv hören
An odd one to place. Sometimes I enjoyed their interpolation of music that they're covering and sometimes it totally fell flat. More good than bad. 3/5
This is what people who don't like jazz think jazz sounds like.
Blood, Sweat & Tears is one of the best bands of this productive age of music that combined so many influences. Their debut is also one of their best albums. While you don't really need the Satie variations (so many did them before and after it), the original tracks are amazing. 'Spinning Wheel' is just full of energy and 'You Make Me So Very Happy' too. These songs just want to makes the biggest loner have a big party with his family and friends on a long summer evening.
Only knew the debut album of BST. This is the follow-up and feels more accessible. I thought it was a pretty strong records, vocals are not top but I liked most of the songs and in particular the trumpets.
Quite unbalanced album, containing some nice material.
The first time I listened to this album must have caught me on a bad day, because I feel like I've fallen in love this time. I can do without the Variation tracks, but understand their inclusion. But the energy, swing, and soul on all the other ones are fantastic. Favorite track: Blues, Pt. 2
honestly, really enjoyable. "variations on a theme song" bored me highly, but the rest of the album was great! thank you for giving me some albums that are upbeat and not droning too much, website
Jazz rock has always been a mixed bag for me. There are some cool tunes in here but I feel is inconsistent.
Genre is completely meaningless. Is this funk? Yes. Is it prog rock? Yes. Is it folk? Yes. Blues? Yes. Jazz? Yes. Ska? Also yes. I really don't know what to think about this album - I'd need to listen a few times. There were parts that I really enjoyed (the vocals were great), and parts that I didn't enjoy. I think overall it was pretty good. I'd give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This was pretty nice. Liked all the crossovers with classical music and that Sunshine of Your Love part. + Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie + Sometimes In Winter + And When I Die + God Bless The Child + Spinning Wheel + You've Made Me So Very Happy + Blues, Pt. 2
August 31, 2023 HL: "Spinning Wheel", "...Happy", "Sometimes in Winter", "God Bless the Child"
There's a track that shows they know how to play the piano and jam but the music is very AM sounding psychedelic that didn't age well. This sounds like the soundtrack from an Austin Powers movie.
You wonder who had the idea to create an LP featuring Erik Satie movements with the bluesy, burly voice of David-Clayton Thomas, not to mention the combo of jazz horns and rock, the jazz-worthy piano solo in “Smiling Phases”, the alto solo in “Blues Part 2” and a handful of pop-radio hits. I guess that was one of the great things about the late sixties: you could get a record contract for thinking outside of the box. There is only one original cut on the album and it’s the best one, IMO, David Clayton Thomas’ “Spinning Wheel” but his stellar voice brings life to many of the covers. A 5 all the way but I don’t like the interpolations of other peoples' hits in the lengthy Blues Part 2.
This album is bookended by two unusual pieces, it starts out with a cover of Eric Satie's Gymnopedies and ends with Blues Pt 2. The intro seems really out of place and the outro is very prog and the organ reminds of Keith Emerson of ELP and I like how it gives a nod to Deep Purple at the 8 minute mark. I suspect that they were inserted to show how eclectic they were. The band is very tight particularly Jim Fielder on bass and the Canadian David Clayton Thomas is a strong lead vocalist and is also one of the highlights. The songs in the middle are generally similar sounding though: Brass-Prog-Jazz-Rock with hints of Chicago (the band). I see that the producer David Guercio was also working with Chicago at the time so perhaps that's not a surprise. I do like And when I die, with its nod to Aaron Copland's American Western soundtracks and of course everyone's favs Spinning Wheel and You've made me so very happy are good, but the other songs are not as memorable.
Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie♥
A stylistically weird stew of pop, classical, big band blues and jazz that has its moments but frequently doesn't land anywhere meaningful. From the jump, BS&T wants you to know that yes, this is a serious band that can play all the styles, which is fine. But from there the band just kind of wanders around to nowhere in particular. I can see they're going for a kind of loose and improvisational sound, but much of it comes off as calculated and self-indulgent. The band's strained attempts at playfulness also feel somewhat hokey today. There are several of the band's best known hits on this album, which are interesting enough to listen to. And the classical bits are quite pretty. But mostly this just made me want to go off and listen to CTA, who did the big band sound so much better. Fave Songs: You've Made Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel, More and More, And When I Die, God Bless the Child
It was nice but outside of the one known song I won't be listening to this again.
Great album! Great vocals and accompaniment!
aight
3.5/5
its sounds like parody music, it just makes me think of Vic Reeves singing in a club style. i would expect to see Brian Potter getting Jerry to sing some of these.
The needle combing through the grooves of my mind as I take some mind melting medication is etching a picture of you into my brain. The fear of this not being reality makes me buckle over and shit my insides into a bin. Is it a dream? Is it a nightmare? Is it the ramblings of a man so high on hallucinogens that he can't muster a decent memory? Is Nigel Spackman a real man, or is he just a concept?
RIP Michael Parkinson. Bet he loved this.
2 good tracks
I am a big fan of the Jazz/Rock bands of this era and BST is one of the best
I'm new to Blood, Sweat & Tears and I enjoyed this intro quite a lot! It made for great Monday morning work music. I recognise Spinning Wheel from a few places. I read that they have quite a wild story of shooting to fame and crashing quite hard after about 3 albums. I'd like to listen to those other albums but I can see why this was in the middle of the 3. SUCH a 60s sound, I really enjoy his voice it's lovely. I found this album so inventive and creative, found myself dancing a lot which is great. I also felt like listening went by so quickly which is another great sign, I couldn't find anything but the extended version but didn't even find it too long! Was about to list some highlights but then I'd end up writing the whole thing. Blues Pt. 2 was maybe my fave though. Loved the beginning and ending too. Loved the mix of jazz, blues and rock. The only thing I don't really understand and can't be bothered to figure it out, is the mix of what they've written themselves and what is covered. It seems like there was a lot of changes in the group...
I loved this! So varied. Know nothing about this band but it was delightful. A fun mix of jazz and blues and weirdly orchestral themes? I'm a sucker for brass instruments so I was well up for this
Well that was an absolute belter. Never heard of this band before and had no idea what we were in for but this was great. Blues, funky, rocky , it's got it all!
Good
Ok
Leaves me somewhat cold. If I want to listen to big band jazz I would stick to the giants of the genre. Doesn't reel me in. No denying the talent of the musicianship and the arrangements 3 stars
This album feels confused.It’s nice in some parts but rambling and grating in others.I’m not a huge jazz fan so I guess I was already biased against it but the album itself doesn’t even seem to want to commit to just jazz,branching out into other genres such as rock and funk,which could be considered interesting but unfortunately it’s all just kinda bad?I liked the classical parts.Weirdest part was when the bass line was sunshine of your love by cream for like a minute.
I bet marching band teachers love this album
3 Interesting
Rock organ and horns? Sign me up! What I like is that it sounds natural/folk and experimental/progressive all at the same time.
Awesome horn section; always loved the trombone/bass trombone sound on Spinning Wheel. Variations on a Theme by Erick Satie is so great too. Love the vibe of this early BS&T album.
3.5
Good album with some great tracks. Did feel they were trying to find their sound
Meh
Environment : work Attitude : green tea buzz, optimistic Review : Jazzy with a touch of pop
A firm entry into the Dad Classics genre. Rock and jazz together, you say? I'm there! Literally my only complaint is that Lucretia Macevil isn't on here.
A fun weird one that kept me on my toes.
A little all over the place. Nothing grabbed me. Spinning wheel was aight.
Realized as I started listening to this that it was one of these bands I had in my head as a thing with no clear or examined idea of what they were actually about. Just a disconnected name. If you'd played me the two well-known songs off this LP blind I couldn't have told you who they were by. Anyway pretty odd, maybe. Little too show-tuney quite often for my tastes, but I generally liked it, and an extra point for unabashed wierdness.
3.5
Several songs or at least parts of them sounded familiar. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. I will round up.
Talented people producing dreary music.
Really enjoyed this 🩸 🥵 😭
I liked this
Album 103 of 1001 Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears Rating : 4 / 5 Favorite Track : Spinning Wheel A personal favorite. I really wanted to put a 5 on it, but there are some weaker moments. If I were producing, I would have probably put the songs in a different order so as to grab the listener a little quicker and also cut back on the 12 minute "Blues" track. It could have started and ended a bit stronger. Fun album. Little rock, little jazz. Is it this or is it that? Some good tunes.
It's kind of a jazz rock thing, but definitely more poppy than, say, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I think I like ELP more, but this sounds good and the instrumentation is great.
Wow dude. This is what I'm fucking talking ABOUT. Any hint of cheese that this might possess is instantly negated by the unflagging tightness prevalent across every single track. What an absolute ripper.
Intriguing at times, experimental, but still cohesive, and in the end just average album by Blood, Sweat and Tears. Great compositions in intro and outro parts, few interesting piano solos, great bass line over the course of the album, a part here and there sounded like an awesome jam session. Otherwise, average vocal, and quite boring songs in-between. All in all, average experience.
2.5
Perfect jazz classic 70s for the beach.
Well this is an utterly bonkers album, moving from some awesome funk to I don't know what, passing through rock opera just for funsies in the middle. While I don't particularly object to any one of these genres, the album is just way too much of a mish-mash... As I type we've just launched into some Latin merengue which then dissolves into an organ lament. On first listen it is just tiring. The funk is beautiful. The jazzy stuff is beautiful. Blues part 2 is beautiful. There's so much to love here, but it just doesn't seem to hang together properly as an album. I don't know. Do I want to look past the oversaturation of styles? Lordy, it's a tough choice.
5-
Marvellous
Not my music
I had never listened the an entire B,S & T album and I'm assuming this is their best. It contains some of their classic, well-known tunes I've previously heard on the radio and many songs I hadn't. Overall, the hits really are the best tracks and the rest of the record didn't keep my interest. A range in styles and genres that were fine, but really, a lot of it felt like filler.
Oh hell to the yes. Can't fault this album for variety, energy, or virtuosity. Starts with that cool Gymnopedie cover, then the rock kicks in. Fun fact: the band toured with Jason Paige as their lead singer; he's best known for singing the theme song to Pokémon.
Weird mix between jazz, rock, and folk.
A great singer, a disjointed album. The mood of the album fluctuates so much and never quite lands but the energy and passion is clear.
This reminds me of a cross between 'Chicago', with the jazz rhythms and interludes, and the rock opera stylings of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. Also, the singer sounds a lot like Judas from the 1970 motion picture. Those are both great musicals and although Judas gets a lot of bad press, he does have a cracking set of pipes. So in my book this is a good review. Not a record to be taken seriously, but weirdly enjoyable overall. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Spinning Wheel Date listened: 29/06/23
No idea what to expect going into this one, which is kind of best case. Leads in with a folky little number; sleepy acoustic guitar and some flute melodies. Give way to some trumpets and drums that bleed in production. Goes from calm and sleepy to suddenly jazzy and infused with chaos / distress. Smiling Phases continues the latter half of Variations with a Hammond organ line mixed in with some smoky vocals. Feels sort of like a love child between Steppenwolf and The Guess Who. Digging the jazzy interlude into a piano solo. Feels like improv -- these guys probably jammed live. Kind of let this drift into the background for the next two songs. Sounded fine, but mostly forgettable. And When I Die is a weird number to me; kind of all over the place. It's sort of like polka met broadway in a back alley with southern rock. Not feeling the resulting fusion. It kind of reminds me of a shitty precursor to Karn 9 Evil by ELP. Odd to me that this it (according to Spotify) the third most popular off this album. God Bless the Child is kind of a goofy track as well. It has a southern bluesy vibe that breaks out into a little Latin infused jam before coming back to the bluesy vibe. Its not _bad_ necessarily, but its a weird thing to capture on wax. I had no idea that Spinning Wheel was by BS&T... I think I heard this song as a kid on some singing show (American Idol or similar). I think that the hook is rather catchy and his gravelly vocals contrast nicely with the rest of the brassy production. Composition is weird as hell; weird that this made it to radio. It bounces between brassy pop and white-washed jazz / soul that would be okay to bring home to momma in the late 60s. I'm a soft 2 on this one. There are bits and pieces to like on this album, but in general the compositions are a mess without fully leaning into an eclectic image. I feel like they had the idea to play multiple styles inside of a single playtime and then decided to make an entire album that way. End result is something that just feels messy and disjointed.
I was not expecting peaceful, orchestral music from the get go. Definitely settles more into a jaunty big-room style of music that I love. Some parts remind me of Final Fantasy. This was a very unique album. I really love the genres that it covered. I want to give this one a 4.5, but will settle for a 4.
Crazy unique album that I had no idea where it was going to go after the first song. Really like the jazzy symphony beginning that then turned into sounding like Deep Purple. Then finished off with the absolute banger of Blues pt2. The drum solo and jazz mix was awesome and I think there was even a Cream sample thrown in
Never heard of these guys but oooo this first song is pretty jazzy towards the end. Just realized the first side is all covers besides one song. Jazzy muufuggin covers. Ok I know Spinning Wheel this song fucks. You Make Me So Very Happy is also a jam that I've heard before. WHERE IS BLUES PT. I???? Should be the anthem for Blues games. If jazz and psychedelic music met and had a baby, and meanwhile rock and r&b met and had a baby. By some miracle if those two babies met and fucked, this would be the shit they birthed.
blud songwriting avout love: thank you miss for loving me.. thank you thank you thank you 100x incredible songwriting kynäviekko "Had "Variations on a Theme" and "Blues, Pt. 2" been omitted from the album, it would have felt so much more cohesive. But they're there. And they're awful. And so "Blood, Sweat, & Tears" earns a middle-of-the-road 3 stars." Herra kusipää tyhmyri.. TÄTÄ ALBUMIA EI OLISI LISTALLA ELLEIVÄT NUO KAPPALEET TEKISI TÄSTÄ UNIIKKIA TEOSTA SAATANAN HUO RAN PENIKKA NUO KAPPALEET ANTAVAT TÄLLE ALBUMILLE TÄHDEN NUMERO #2... IHAN RESPECTABLE SCORE ON 2 TÄHTEÄ EIKÖ HERRA YMMÄRRÄ SITÄ HÄH.. enempää ei toki heru souless songs.. "Unfortunately, there aren't enough bright spots to tip the scales into a positive score" objektivistille 3 on hyvä respectable albumi.. ei täällä paskaa olla tultu kuunneltana.. voi kaikille albumeille vitoista heh.. Gaussin käyrästä jos kuulltu heh englanti poika kirjottana lukioko missattu pitkä matikka a-level matikka... .. 3.00 average.. ei ymmärrä ei voe käsittää..
Not convinced by this one. Usually, I'm all for genre mash-ups. This one just doesn't feel like a coherent whole though. It seems more like an automated spotify playlist of pleasant but not noteworthy background listening tracks from different styles.
I dig the vibe.
This was both familiar and new at the same time. Pure songwriting and great musicians.
I always think of BST as a disco group, probably getting mixed up with Earth Wind and Fire. I listened to this in the car with my Dad and it was a nostalgic listen for him, so this was a positive listening experience. They seem like another of the long line of 1968/69 generic country-blues-jazz-psychedelic rock groups that evolved into prog and 70s easy rock.
More like Boring, Boring & Boring if you ask me. I've heard a few of these songs thousands of times on the radio and they never made me want to delve deeper into the band's catalogue. It's just basic rock/jazz fodder for the classic rock machine.
I had really high hopes liking the 3 major hits. It's a mix of rock, funk, jazz, and much more. "And When I Die" has bluegrass, and "Sometimes in Winter" is a classically-infused prog. For innovation, it's highly impressive, coming before most prog and jazz fusion bands like Chicago and King Crimson. It's bright and lush, but the compositions feel rushed and all over the place. Let's look at one song: "God Bless the Child." What the hell is with the transition at the 2-minute mark? It doesn't even sound like the same song. Then a minute later it suddenly turns into a Latin jazz dance craze. Abandons that Latin when the horns break in, then returns to that beginning theme, and having a weird bluesy ending. It's complex and impressive but feels meant for people with short attention spans. They throw all these ideas together and hope it turns out ok. "Sometimes in Winter" feels like it belongs on a prog album like Jethro Tull or Moody Blues but has no right being sandwiched between these high-energy jazz tracks." The only similar tracks are the Erik Satie opener and closer. There are plenty of cool moments I enjoyed, even in the weaker tracks, but most of that is due to the varied instruments that come in and out suddenly. "Blues Pt 2" is an extended jazz jam session that's mostly boring and at times feels like they're messing around with instruments, eventually deciding to become a funk song near the end, but there was some moments that grabbed my attention. On the bright side, none of the songs were forgettable, with each having things that stood out and left an impression. Best songs are the technologically impressive "Spinning Wheel" and the emotional "You've Made Me So Very Happy." The song "Spinning Wheel" shows what they were trying to do but failed with the other songs.
4.25
varied and interesting, doesn't always hit the mark, but does often enough. 3.7
This was so horribly uninspired it's nearly a 1, but at least it's competent... so it's saved, but barely.
Just fine. But some real shining moments in the more orchestral parts.
An incredible group. I’m deeply familiar with two of the singles, the incredible spinning wheel and if I die, which is a song you don’t expect them to do but it’s magnificent. The rest of the album is a strong album. Liked side one in particular. Side two is pretty great though.
Oh lordy that was painful. Shortly after (quite bad experimental track) "Blues Pt 2 " I had to stop..classical attempts are notable for the hellish amateurism. This albums reassures me of my recent conclusions about this list. It's definitely not about the 1001 ***best*** albums. Some parts of the album are so bad they taint the okay parts. Definitely doesn't work for me. I'm starting to think think this list was put together by someone with very wide ranging and obscure tastes which seems to excessively and detrimentally favour uniqueness, curiosity factor or obscurity of the material (perhaps with an exhaustively éducative goal?) over enjoyability or objective quality. The quality/ enjoyment of the last 20 albums has been very inconsistent.
Well death freaks here's an interesting question: who spawned whom, BST or Chicago? Who came up with this model, with the horns and all the pseudo jazz shit? So if you are going to listen to this album before you get the intravenous drip ready, just be prepared for a very strange experience. The covers are odd. From Traffic to Brenda Holloway and everything in between. Was Laura Nyro a four old playmate of Jackson Browne? How was it that he was writing These Days as a toddler while Laura penned And When I Die? With both Laura's tune and Brenda's You Made Me so Very Happy, go and listen to the originals and you won't need this. The best track is the one of two originals, Spinning, David Clayton Thomas's finest moment, and the template for The Commitments. That's it really, it has aged badly...and I mean badly. Not worth wasting that illicit horse your family went and scored for you before you drop off the perch. Put A Hard Day's Night on instead...
In 1969, I turned 19 &, still living at home, also held the first backyard party where I invited everyone I knew. I seem to remember that this album was a large part of the soundtrack to that bash. I’s copped a lot of criticism over the years for being too mainstream, particularly when compared to the band’s debut album. I just played them back-to-back & the fact is they are both great but totally different. The debut album was half written by Al Kooper, who was essentially the band’s creator, but also highlighted a bunch of songwriters who had yet to make their mark as performers - Nillson, Randy Newman, Tim Buckley. Then Al left the band & his somewhat weak vocal was replaced by David Clayton-Thomas. You could not get 2 more different voices. But the thing I’m forever grateful for are the song choices the band took on the second lp. They introduced me to such great music - I had never heard of Erik Satie. The opening cover of a Satie variation is a piece of music I’ve heard so often over the years, but this was where I heard it first. I had never heard Billie Holiday, let alone God Bless The Child. I’d never heard Laura Nyro’s And When I Die. I’d never heard the Motown classic, You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. Not to say that there wasn’t great original material here as well - especially Spinning Wheel - covered by so many artists over the years. Anyone whose ever had a child in a school choir in the last 50 years knows that song. You can hear the band’s live set from Woodstock (1969) on youtube. I do love this record.
While I might admire Al Kooper's vision to fuse rock and jazz (particularly big band jazz), he had left the building by this second LP, and BST were on their way to becoming a harbinger of everything that is loathsome about over-engineered 70s jazz-inflected rock music. According to the wikipedia page, the band has had more than 165 members over the years, and the band has essentially become as franchise instead of a band. In his lengthy contemporary review, Jon Landau of Rolling Stone dismissed the album, writing; "The listener responds to the illusion that he is hearing something new when in fact he is hearing mediocre rock, OK jazz, etc., thrown together in a contrived and purposeless way." I could not agree more. Spinning Wheel is pretty great song, but everything else on this album is just awful. Of the covers, there is a not a single song where the BST version has anything to offer compared to earlier versions. God Bless the Child made me vomit into my mouth a little bit. Blues Pt. 2 is an appalling pastiche of blues riffs and posturing. The more I listen to this, the more I dislike it. Very recently, I purchased (for $2) a Taiwanese bootleg pressing of BST Greatest Hits from 1972. It has five tracks drawn from this self-titled album. It is worth $2 just for Spinning Wheel and Lucretia McEvil, but the rest of the album probably needs to go on skip. Or in the skip.
I was familiar with the song "Spinning Wheel" before this album came up on my list. I enjoyed the varied styles that this band devised for the album. Pretty cool.
Enjoyed
Not my taste in music was just kinda there reminds me of a wedding I went too
Decent classic rock album.
Honestly didn't enjoy this as much as I expected to, and it had all the ingredients that would go into an album that I would absolutely love. It was still quite good, and I'm not even sure entirely what was missing for me. Just one of those things where it didn't fully connect for me
Good mix of sounds coming together as one.
Interesting and refreshing music but ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression
The compositions - really, the whole composition - has a thrown-together quality that is hard to shake, even with the deft early piano and late fades. It also works, in the way good live jazz recordings can. This isn't that, near as can tell: Plenty of artifice. But it's Canadian artifice in service of something compelling.
Blood, Sweat & Tears is the second album by the American jazz rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears. It was commercially successful, being certified quadruple platinum in the US and winning the Album of the Year Grammy in 1970. Fun fact: this was one of the first albums to be released with 16-track recordings - allowing better mixing and overdubbing. The music on this album was more popular in general, because the songs weren't as adventurous as the first album. This made some critics state that the album is mediocre while being more accessible to listeners. I enjoyed this album for its "mediocre" rock which I felt had a jazzy, country spin to it. My favorite tracks were the first and last because these are adaptations of Erik Satie classical movements which are amazing on their own.
1968 is never a cause for celebration here, cover doesn't give anything away. Beatles-esque nonsense? Ok no it's definitely American, like a jazzy take on the pop music of the time? Not too bad, but got boring and became background noise after a while. 3/5.
Decent bluesy rock. Most of it kind of drifts on by without making much of an impression though. 5/10
Rock
TRes bon, je ne connaissais que de nom et j'ai été époustouflé surtout pour l'année. Je réécoute certainement. un 5
Some weird cross between dad rock and...
Taking the fact that it's from 1968 into consideration, this was relatively enjoyable. It did get a bit bland and repetitive after a while, though. I was hesitating between 2 and 3, but I'll give this a benevolent 3 to average it out a bit, as my group is taking the piss with rating this a 1
La banda que millor va saber fusionar jazz i rock. Com a mínim en la seva versió més complexa, ja que Steely Dan li va donar un toc comercial i melòdic que B,S&T mai van assolir. Aquest segon disc excel.leix per les versions que fa de clàssics de Traffic, Billie Holiday, Laura Nyro i, sobretot del 'You've Made Me So Very Happy' de Brenda Holloway. A més, una intro i outro obviables, i alguns temes propis interessants, inclós una jam de jazz rock de gairebé 12 minuts
Good fun and some good tunes
Jammin' all over the place
I’m very confused it kinda sounds like the music from the legend of Zelda gone wild
It was pleasant enough, but unremarkable.
I just found this really middle of the road to be honest 3/5.
Meh. Not really into this, but also didn't actively hate it.
A bit too eclectic and not enough hooks. Still a good listen but not one I’m yearning to return to.
I thought it was going to break into Jesus Christ Superstar at every moment. Musical
Not a fan of this one, uninteresting soft rock songs made worse with schmaltzy orchestration and incessant jazz solos.
I forgot about this album! I do really enjoy it. But the secret they won’t tell you is that they are a jazz group masquerading as a 60s rock act.
This album was a mess and not very listenable.
Vad i fan rökte de på när de gav denna album of the year de va semi ass 1-2
Lovely atmosphere, sounded great listening to it in the morning. Just the right balance of technicality and emotion
Not my bag at all
Uff, esta vez no estaba de ánimo para esto
pretty cool album. I didn't know some, but I knew a few by heart (Spinning Wheel, You've Made Me So Very Happy)
Disco sesentero con canciones tranquilas y relajadas. Instrumentalmente, con predominio de instrumentos de viento. En ocasiones, un tanto psicodélico
Fun but all over the place
- Never heard of Blood, Sweat & Tears before - Enjoyed it, a good mix of different genres - Got a bit repetitive towards the end - Fav songs: Smiling Phases, More and More, Sometimes in Winter
Great band, good rhythm section and horn arrangements. I really like the singers voice- reminds me of something but I can’t place it. The music has a lot of cool transitions and was not predictable. Kind of theatrical, and proggy but soulful too. I feel like they succeeded in recording something different.
Pretty insane. This was definitely the most interesting record we’ve had in a while. I wouldn’t necessarily come back to this record but it’s so well done I feel like it deserves a high score. The conception, arrangements and production are top tier and the band and singer all sound great.
I have listened to this twice because I can’t decide if it’s brilliant or awful. It’s so so strange. I am going to give it a 4 because I’ve thought more about this than most things we have listened to.
3/5 This was the Jazziest Rock I've ever heard. I didn't like the beginning tracks, but I did like the songs I knew. It felt like it started off as one album, but ended as a completely different one. It definitely had levels which some albums don't, but it also felt all over the place. I will probably only ever listen to one song off it again.
I found this to be weird. It started out with classical music but then evolved into some kind of mess. Erratic and scattered album, not fully horrific but not to my taste.
its a fun, schlocky classic rock meets 60s game show music album. the vocals are strong and vibrant. mellow meets energetic, abounding energy, fuck the extra live tracks. you wont be disappointed or overwhelmed. lifts its head from the run of the mill by a tiny margin.
Technically a jazz album, but Blood Sweat & Tears spice it up with elements of rock and folk plus a robust brass section. They’re not reinventing the wheel, though there’s a pleasant time to be had regardless.
well, that was a thing. this album was so schizophrenic and all over the place that once you kind of got into a song, it took a weird left turn. and it was like that with most of the songs. depending on where you were at in the album, you could get: what sounded like game show theme music; random harmonica; random wooden blocks played that imitated a galloping horse; a lead singer, who at times sounded to me like he was doing a bad impression of tom jones; and a random callback of the cream song “sunshine of your love” during an almost twelve minute instrumental. to be honest, the only song that i particularly cared for was “spinning wheel”, which i really dig. everything else to me sounded terrible and non cohesive. i just don’t get it. i guess the song that i enjoyed the most was the last song, because then i knew this album was almost over.
This was not what I expected. It did not meet expectations. One of them sounds like Tom Jones. Another one sounds pretty. Another one sounds rock. I dunno. There are some good songs, but it's just a mixed bag. I don't like the gospel sound. It's still a technically good album, I just don't really like it.
When I first saw this album was next up I rolled my eyes. Don’t know much about BS&T but I didn’t have high hopes. I gotta say, I really liked a few of these songs. And When I Die had a movie soundtrack feel vibe to it. Like that one slot. Spinning Wheel was the only song I was familiar with and it’s solid, but goofy. More and More was another great one. I’ll take that drum/organ solo over jazzy stuff any day. Smiling Phases is just….fun. Until it got jazzy. I’m just not digging the jazzy. A couple of boring songs, a couple of jazz songs that I’ll skip in a heartbeat in future listenings, too. You’ve Made Me So Happy is half good/half gross. It ends with Blues #2 which is just jazz and just not my thing. Overall, I half dig this, half hate it, lol. So it gets a 3. The good parts get a 4, the bad parts get a 1. Overall, 3 from me, dawg.
Klinkt origineel en vernieuwend, goed geproduceerd, totaal onverwacht deze. Niet alle nummers waren even sterk.
Honestly couldn’t have told you what they sounded like before listening. Not my favourite but worth a go.
Some amount of nostalgia listening to this - I think my dad must have had an album of theirs. But my overarching feeling about all of this is that they're just trying to hard to be awesome and clever. The lead singer's vocal style is the inescapable emblem of that attitude. I want to like it because of the skill and musicianship but I can't get past that other stuff.
This sounds like the soundtrack to a musical that was written for Tom Jones to star in.
Kinda confusing listen. Start with a classical rendition of Erik Satie then we go into Jazz Rock? Why? Just start on "Smiling Phases". Is it a "Aha, gotcha!" moment where the listener expects more classical-type music due to the instruments? Didn't work for me, but maybe cause it's not 1968 anymore.
This album reminds me of Chicago's sound and I am not sure who came first. There is a variety of sounds on this album and it feels pretty unfocused.
verta ja hikeä ja kyyneliä ja pissaa ja paskaa ja räkää ja mutaa ja kuraa ja spermaa ja sylkeä ja liejua ja mömmöä ja sohjoa ja hyytelöä ja mätää ja mömmöä ja visvaa ja smegmaa ja likaa ja tököttiä ja limaa ja tahmaa ja mönjää ja loskaa ja blues pt 2
the sound itself is great, but the album is sooo all over the place that it's not as enjoyable to listen to as it would be otherwise. also just not crazy about the guy's voice in general
This was all over the place and relatively unremarkable, but it was solid and I enjoyed it for what is was. It also put me in my feels because Gymnopedie No. 1 is on the Barnard playlist I made my senior year of high school so that I could envision myself walking through Morningside Heights to my Women in Revolutions class, headscarf in hair and matcha latte in hand, as I listen to the Velvet Underground through wired headphones. Oh what could have been.
Another band I never knew existed until this album popped up on my screen, but I'm happy they do exist. There's some real crap in here, I'll be real with you. But if you ignore the 12 minutes of Blues, Pt. 2 then it's a very solid album. You've Made Me So Very Happy is one of my new favorite songs, the vocals are actually a very interesting gravelly sound that fits with the jazzy orchestra sound behind. The surprise factor always helps with the rating in these cases, and I'm eager to come back to the album at a later time.
This one was all over the place, I think I liked 2 songs maybe? 3 tops? The fact that I can't remember sums up my opinion. I'd give it a 1 but thanks to M.I.A. my standard for a one has plummeted.
This is one of the those 3's that I'll play non-stop for days, addicted to it. It'll remain a 3, but this sucker took me for a ride. What a great album.
I was reading up on this album, and it apparently beat Abbey Road for the Grammy in 1970?! I'm not even the biggest Abbey Road fan, but that's a snub and a crime. This album is really weird. Starts with a cover of a classical piece, then goes into a Traffic cover, there's an 11 minute full-on jazz jam and it all ends with another classical piece. Overall an interesting enough listen, but definitely not my kind of music.
5/10 I liked it a lot at first (the horn arrangements are cool!) but after awhile it started to sound really…gimmicky I guess?
7/10. Kinda jazzy, kinda rocky, kinda enjoyable. Played an obscure Donald Fagen song I hadn't heard on the Spotify mix afterwards, so that's a plus.
This is such a weird album. Wikipedia categorizes it as jazz-rock but I feel most songs aren’t the intersection of the two genres but instead different sections that alternate between classic rock and jazzy horn solos. More jazz and rock than jazz-rock. And the album is bookended by variations on a classical piece. In the end, a decently fun listen. 7/10
Extremely unfocused, but when they decide to have fun, it's a blast. Best track: You've Made Me So Very Happy
ima dobrih stvari, ngl
This type of jazz rock is really not my thing. Not a fan of this album, it just feels very dated and cheesy. I was real surprised to see that the album won the Grammy for Album of the Year and went quadruple platinum. It's telling to me that this album was so successful at the time but was never recommended by anyone when I was growing up as a big music fan, especially compared to lots of other classic rock that maybe didn't have this same mainstream success. I've definitely heard some of these songs in pop culture but would never come back to listen to this album. Constant decisions that just don't work for me. Standout Tracks: N/A
really good and cool with the mix of genres
A couple great songs that I knew but most songs were just "too 70s" for me. Which is odd because I love the 70s
This one's a bit of a mess but enjoyable overall, I think. It sure seems like the band wasn't sure what kind of band they wanted to be so the album bounces from genre to genre, never settling into a groove. Is it rock? Is it proto-disco? Is it pre-funk? Is it big band? Is it lounge-lizard soft pop? I really couldn't tell you. There are a few bright spots. Jim Fielder, the bassist does some serious work on this whole album. That fella is a BEAST and single-handedly carries several of these tracks. And, obviously, "Spinning Wheel" is a jam. But it's also the single most coherent track on the album. Which is saying something because that song is kinda wild. Unfortunately, there aren't enough bright spots to tip the scales into a positive score. I have to dock the album a star for the weird instrumental tracks that really don't fit. Had "Variations on a Theme" and "Blues, Pt. 2" been omitted from the album, it would have felt so much more cohesive. But they're there. And they're awful. And so "Blood, Sweat, & Tears" earns a middle-of-the-road 3 stars.
The time in the late 60's where the jazz audience, the cool soul frogs, the blues birds and the hippies all came together and listened to a very stoned David Clayton-Thomas. Because there are so many styles on this album and it jumps from compact jumpy songs to long experimental instrumentals, the album does have a somewhat ambivalent character. But there's something for everyone to be found on this album.
Jazz rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Really varied album, lot of jazz elements, good lyrics, bluesy, great fills. A surprisingly great listen. It’s my kind of all over the place.
Past it (and Spinning Wheel isn't enough to save the day)
A few decent moments, but mostly just silly, badly-done genre mashing
With their original bandleader Al Kooper gone, heralding an near-constant revolving door of line-ups, the nine-piece Blood, Sweat & Tears make an ambitious, confounding album that barely holds itself together. Restless, convoluted and virtuosic, it's certainly a fun listen but also a frustrating one at times. Many of the songs here are covers, and so a main draw of "Blood, Sweat & Tears" is hearing them interpreted by a large brass ensemble and a group of very talented session musicians. Sometimes this works well: the rocking cover of Traffic's "Smiling Phases", or a concise and reasonably faithful rendition of "You've Made Me So Very Happy." However, other times it's a little bit hackneyed. Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie" is a lovely piece in its own right, and I'm not sure how much I needed to hear it on classical guitar and flute, bookending the album. Later, an incredibly bombastic "Sunshine for Your Love" and "Spoonful" both make appearances in the yawning "Blues, Pt. II", while Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" is extended with an aimless jazz-rock jam crowbarred into the middle. Covers don't usually bother me, but in this instance I end up with a nagging suspicion the band had to rely on other artists' work before sprucing them up with their technical chops and passing it off as an "improvement". This comes across most of all on "And When I Die", a beautiful song which I'd never heard before. The original recording by Laura Nyro (she wrote it at 16!) is profound, moving and already displays impressive musicianship. This one gets a little lost in showing off, as the band butcher it into a hokey Broadway cabaret tune with baffling tempo changes and pregnant pauses. All style and no substance, foreshadowing Yes's treatment of Simon and Garfunkel's "America". With principal songwriter Al Kooper gone, the originals are also a mixed bag, and it's perhaps telling that they weren't the biggest hits of the album. However, while "Sometimes In Winter" is maudlin and distracted, I did enjoy "More and More" and "Spinning Wheel": both good fun, with tremendous use of the brass section. For all my quibbles on the song selections and treatments, I really can't fault the performances here: they're all very strong, particularly the rhythm section who contend with changes all over the map. Bobby Colombey's jazz-influenced drumming patterns and Jim Fielder's all-over-the-place-in-the-best-way bass are two of the record's strongest assets, and of course the brass section gives the band a signature sound to set them apart from many of their peers. David Clayton-Thomas's searing lead vocals give some much-appreciated bite. Overall this is a good listen, if a bit uneven: the arrangements are so dense and complex that they will likely grow on me more with time, and I wouldn't be opposed to hearing it again.
Some good moments but overall not something I'd be looking to listen to again
Much needed vibrs after all the rock albums
It’s an ok album as a whole. My mother lists the band as one she liked in her youth. I knew Spinning Wheels beforehand, but I never listened I to this or any of their albums.
👍🏻 6.5/10 qsy
Pretty good. Some radio rock staples but overall it's just not something I could find myself reqply getting into.
Nice 60s jazz and r&b and folk rock.
The album has a 60s psychedelic touch to it that can be very interesting, but also can be dragged out at times.
Good mix of jazz and proper 60s r&B. Heavy on the horn section.
Rätt trist alltså
Det svänger egentligen rätt bra om några låtar men har sjukt svårt för sån här jazz-rock-fusion. Chicago-vibbar.
No good
Não funcionou para mim a fusão da psicodelia baseada no progressivo com o jazz. Sou como forçado especialmente o uso dos metais e algo que parecia improvisação forçada.
satie