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A product decidedly tailored for all omnivores of British Blues from the "classic" period of the genre. Because it is indeed a true genre, yes, it can and should be discussed. A genre with its distinctive marks, its recognition signs, those I already mentioned when reviewing Chicken Shack. A genre that produced monuments of Blues revival with no ifs, ands, or buts, despite what I read - recently - in the significant "Blues" by Edoardo "Catfish" Fassio. Far be it from me to contest the preparation of a critic so versed in this field; that book (and I say this to those who haven't read it yet) has several merits but also many - and serious - flaws; and the flaws, needless to say, almost all lie in that chapter (one might even say, a mere chapter?) where Fassio deals with white Blues in general, moreover making the gross error of lumping together American and British revival under the same label. And after (rightly) strongly reaffirming the authority of Black Blues in all its expressions, he goes on to make disagreeable statements about Mayall and Clapton, calling the latter "a second-hand technician, careful imitator of others." All in line with the usual pro-Black Blues rhetoric that views the British scene (but also the American scene of the '60s and '70s) as totally derivative and lacking the passion of the Fathers; instead, it overlooks the endless Blues-psychedelia contaminations, the devastating impact of Cream and "power-trio" epigones, neglecting the fact that Hard Rock itself (Page docet) was initially Hard Blues.
In short, a genre often overlooked, the B.B., when it was precisely in England in those years that the groundwork was laid for what Blues would become in the future. Overlooked like many formations such as Stone The Crows, which in terms of originality (indeed) still have much to say, and say it forcefully. Yes indeed, alongside the much more famous "Swinging London," there was also a "Swinging Glasgow," with Scottish bands of significant stature and immense artists. Two examples: Maggie Bell ("Britain's Janis Joplin") and Leslie Harvey, an excellent guitarist brother of a more famous Alex; in other words, the two distinctive characters of this debut formation, on record, in 1970.
Why review "Ode To John Law," the second album, when the first - self-titled - is perhaps even better known (magnificent cover of "Fool On The Hill" and the entire, epic, side of "I Saw America")...? Because it is the second effort, the decisive one: it's easy to make a splash with a debut, not as easy to give such a debut a worthy follow-up. Notable examples teach us: even Hendrix wasn't able, in "Axis," to replicate - "in full" - the absolute perfection of the first work. The Stones (who certainly did not have an "Are You Experienced?" behind them, obvious but worth pointing out) do not disappoint and, a few months later, deliver another masterpiece. Dedicated to the famous economist (a compatriot of the group) who lived between the 17th and 18th centuries, the creator of the eponymous credit "system" which was notoriously unsuccessful. He is the protagonist of the "title-track" (a decidedly sinister, satanic "title-track") capable of recalling, at the start, the organ of Garth Hudson from the Band in "Chest Fever": organs like that, it's sad to say, are no longer heard...
...it's the organ of John McGinnis, while the bass is played by James Dewar (later with Robin Trower) and on drums sits Colin Allen, whom you surely remember with Zoot Money and the Bluesbreakers of "Laurel Canyon." Never a moment of weakness, and these are the records I like; there's a constant, strong tension, and the vibrations perceived are those of a Blues tinged with Soul and Gospel, but also at times acrid, powerful, vigorous, stubbornly "Zeppelin-like". There's a reason: their manager was the same as Zeppelin's, that Peter Grant, already with the Yardbirds and later with Bad Company. The production certainly matters, but what about the pieces on the tracklist...? "Sad Mary" seems written by Page himself, but Bell's vocals make it unique; as does Leslie's guitar in the second part, with that never intrusive wah-wah and those so "greenish" whispers, scratchy, reverberated to instill fear (the same ones heard in "Friend" and "Love," free expressions of electro-psychedelic splendor). And then a deep gospel ballad like "Your Time Is Gonna Come" ("Things Are Getting Better"), and a minor gem like "Mad Dogs & Englishmen"; the title makes me think of an old acquaintance, the music confirms it: the R'n'B rhythm and piano solo seem like those in "Feelin' Alright," but Chris Stainton isn't on the piano, nor is Leon Russell... And then... and then it closes in style: with the minor blues "Danger Zone" (by Percy Mayfield), confirming that Maggie is a formidable vocalist showcasing superlative harmonic passages.
A band always far from success, also struck by a curse: Leslie Harvey will die electrocuted by a microphone short circuit, two years later. Why 5 stars? First: because the album is among my favorites in the genre. Second: because it oozes personality endlessly. Enjoy listening.
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