The Best of Brian Auger's Oblivion Express [Polygram]

• Artist: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
• Rating:
• Release Date: March 19, 1996
• Total Time: 144:16
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Keyboard player Brian Auger's various Oblivion Express lineups between 1971 and 1975 produced timely music reminiscent of such other progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion performers of the time as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and (especially when tenor Alex Ligertwood was singing) Traffic, among others. (Sometimes, the straight jazz influences are overt, as when 1973's "Whenever You're Ready" ends with the main riff of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme.") For a long time after, such groove-oriented music, with Auger's bluesy organ and piano improvisations as its instrumental signature, seemed distinctly dated. But more than two decades later, the group's prowess as a jam band impresses anew on this two-disc, nearly two-and-a-half-hour, 24-track compilation. Featuring such players as drummers Robbie McIntosh and Steve Ferrone (both later of the Average White Band), the Express plays extended funky arrangements of originals and covers by John McLaughlin, Marvin Gaye, and Wes Montgomery, as most tracks run on five minutes or more. Auger maintains a rhythmic drive that reins in the solos and gives the band a strong R&B base, but beyond that the players explore the tunes fully. The set concludes with two post-Express Auger tracks, the later of which, "Sundown," recorded in 1987, has a more pop/rock sound than the other selections. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Dragon Song	John McLaughlin	Brian Auger	(4:26)
On the Road	Brian Auger, Jim Mullen	Brian Auger	(5:24)
Oblivion Express	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(7:45)
Dawn of Another Day	Brian Auger, Jim Mullen	Brian Auger	(4:18)
Marai's Wedding	Traditional	Brian Auger	(4:24)
Fill Your Head With Laughter	Alan Gorrie, Jim Mullen	Brian Auger	(3:50)
Tomorrow City	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(3:31)
Truth	Alex Ligertwood	Brian Auger	(7:42)
Don't Look Away	Barry Dean, Alex Ligertwood, Jim Mullen	Brian Auger	(5:57)
Somebody Help Us	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(6:31)
Freedom Jazz Dance	Eddie Harris	Brian Auger	(5:24)
Second Wind	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(6:36)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Whenever You're Ready	Barry Dean	Brian Auger	(6:19)
Happiness Is Just Around the Bend	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(6:32)
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)	Marvin Gaye	Brian Auger	(4:31)
Voices of Other Times	Brian Auger, Barry Dean	Brian Auger	(5:57)
Straight Ahead	Barry Dean	Brian Auger	(5:05)
Bumpin' on Sunset	Wes Montgomery	Brian Auger	(10:51)
Beginning Again [Live]	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(8:07)
Brain Damage	Alex Ligertwood, Jack Mills	Brian Auger	(8:01)
Thoughts from Afar	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(6:30)
Future Pilot	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(6:41)
Sundown	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(5:42)
Planet Earth Calling	Brian Auger	Brian Auger	(4:12)

Credits

Brian Auger (Organ), Brian Auger (Director), Brian Auger (Keyboards), Brian Auger (Vocals), Brian Auger (Multi Instruments), Brian Auger (Producer), Brian Auger (Harmony Vocals), Brian Auger (Main Performer), Brian Auger (Photography), Clive Chaman (Guitar (Bass)), Dave Crigger (Drums), Barry Dean (Guitar (Bass)), Barry Dean (Harmony Vocals), George Doering (Guitar (Rhythm)), David Dowle (Drums), Steve Ferrone (Drums), Rick Hannah (Guitar), Neil Kernon (Engineer), Ho Young Kim (Guitar), Bill Levenson (Compilation Producer), Alex Ligertwood (Vocals), Alex Ligertwood (Multi Instruments), Godfrey McLean (Drums), Godfrey McLean (Cowbell), Jack Mills (Guitar), Chris Minto (Mastering), Dick Morrissey (Sax (Soprano)), Dick Morrissey (Sax (Tenor)), Jim Mullen (Arranger), Jim Mullen (Multi Instruments), Jim Mullen (Harmony Vocals), Eddie Offord (Engineer), Joseph M. Palmaccio (Mastering), Mike Ross (Engineer), Mike Ross (Remixing), Mirza Al Sharif (Percussion), Mirza Al Sharif (Timbales), Larry Vann (Drums), Phil Carmen (Producer), Phil Carmen (Engineer), Brian Auger's Oblivion Express (Main Performer), Terri Tierney (Production Coordination), Catherine Ladis (Project Assistant), John McDermott (?), John McDermott (Essay), Steve Evans (Bass)