Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
Closer To It!

THE REVIEW

Brian Auger (born 1939) is the best Hammond organ player one could imagine. His musical history is deeply rooted in the creative and formative London scene of the sixties: he was there from the very beginning of that prolific movement, making music with people like John McLaughlin, Rod Stewart, and Julie Driscoll among others, jamming with Jimi Hendrix, gradually setting aside the piano in favor of that double electromechanical keyboard designed for churches and parishes but adopted by all worthy recording studios, and hauled with considerable effort onto stages around the world. The Hammond is an instrument that holds no secrets for Brian, so when it's played with competence, class, and... it is also timeless, in the sense that it still evokes unparalleled pleasures in listening compared to any other electronic device for keyboardists.

The main feature of this album, dated 1973 and chronologically the fourth in the substantial series of works released under this band name, is however dominated by the electric piano, the Fender Rhodes, so noisy and difficult to amplify, yet with an invaluable round and harmonic timbre. The syncopated opening riff of “Happiness Is Just Round The Bend” is epochal, as is the walking bass that keeps the rhythm rolling smoothly. There is a nod to the fashion of the time represented by the repeated minimoog and mellotron pads embellishing and counterpointing the melody, but they could have been dispensed with, and in fact, in the live rendition of this track, which is a staple in his concerts, every trace of them has disappeared. The final solo by the inspired London pianist, especially over the rhythmic breaks near the end of the piece, is priceless.

Another strong moment of the album is represented by the extended “Compared To What”. Here Auger's jazzy rock is adorned with funk and blues, the stop-and-go movements and the more pronounced and bluesy melody make this track less smooth and universally accessible than the other, but it is still, as always, good jazz music, in its most approachable form, contaminated by rock and pop, thanks to a sensibility that Auger developed, as mentioned earlier, from the early sixties, collaborating with blues and rhythm&blues singers, and being a protagonist of the London beat scene and the birth on site of the best pop of all time, in contact with the Beatles, Stones, Who, Procol Harum, and company.

The rest of the record features other tracks of sober and delightful jazz rock. In these, Brian relies for the last time on his not exceptional voice to interpret his songs: for the next album, he will enlist the collaboration of the excellent Scottish singer Alex Ligertwood (who years later will end up with Santana). Currently, his daughter Savannah takes on the task of reinterpreting the repertoire in the numerous concerts that this distinguished organist and his Oblivion Express quartet still perform around the world.