Record Reviews
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  | BRIAN AUGER ~ AUGER INCORPORATED
SOUL BANK 009 (Barcode: 4062548057089) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion
Recorded: 1965 - 2000 Released: 2023
This is a collection album by the great British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Brian AugerFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents twenty-five tracks, which span Auger’s entire career and include rarities and previously unreleased material. The tracks are presented in chronological order and include some early Jazz acoustic piano material, The SteampacketFind albums by this artist, The TrinityFind albums by this artist, Oblivion ExpressFind albums by this artist and more recent solo material.
I have been a faithful admirer of Auger since the mid-1960s, when I first heard him play live, and my fascination never weakened throughout the years. I closely followed his career and fanatically obtained every recording he took part in, including the reissues of his albums, which periodically appeared on the market since the concept of reissues was born. I have always considered him as one of the most talented and inventive musicians, with a chameleonic ability to sound just right in every musical environment. His Hammond work is absolutely second to none and his revolutionary recordings with Julie Driscoll rank among the best music ever created on this planet. Therefore, the music on these two CDs is absolutely divine and it is a great pleasure to listen to this collection, even if I consider collections as a bad idea in principle.
Having said all that, the history of Auger’s material being repeatedly reissued by different labels over time presents a grim picture is mismanagement and market misunderstanding, of which this album is a classic example.
I am sure that the true fans would prefer a single CD collection of previously unissued material than a mixture of released (which everybody owns already) and unreleased material. From the production / discographical point of view this collection is a disaster, since there is absolutely no information as to the recording dates and lineups of the individual tracks, no information as to where the previously released tracks originate from, etc. In short this is one gigantic blunder.
So, my dear Brian, you should really be more careful before you approve releases like this one, as they damage your reputation rather than pay a tribute you really deserve.
Overall, this is a collection full of great music, but suffering from unforgivable production blunders, which don’t hurt the music per se, but seriously question the purpose of it all. Love you anyway ;) and hope for some new music coming our way!
| | Updated: 10/09/2023Posted: 10/09/2023 | CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | BRIAN AUGER ~ LANGUAGE OF THE HEART
GHOSTOWN (Barcode: 885767215412) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion
Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012
This is an album by British (resident in California) keyboardist / composer / bandleader Brian AugerFind albums by this artist produced and recorded with the American duo TeaFind albums by this artist (guitarist Franck BalloffetFind albums by this artist and percussionist / keyboardist Phil BunchFind albums by this artist). Several other musicians also participate on the album. The album presents seven original compositions, all co-credited to Auger and Tea.
Auger, as anybody reading my reviews already knows, has been my absolutely favorite Hammond organ player since I first heard him in London exactly fifty years ago and still is today. Nobody, and I mean nobody, managed to come even close to his exquisite feel and the ability to achieve a perfect cross-genre (before cross-genre was invented) mixture of Pop / Jazz / Soul / Groove, which he perfected while playing with his TrinityFind albums by this artist and Julie DriscollFind albums by this artist and later with the Oblivion ExpressFind albums by this artist.
Listening to this album is like taking the time machine trip five decades back and listening to Auger swirl around the Hammond, with precisely the same feel and sound I remember hearing in London clubs and later on the early albums. The compositions are all also perfectly in the same mold, which simply could not make me (and many of Auger´s faithful followers) more happy.
All the musicians taking part in the recording do a great job and except for the vocals, which I could do without (but which are definitely of secondary importance), the music comes together perfectly. Although I usually say that nobody does music like that anymore, obviously Auger is the notable exception to the rule.
Overall this is just an absolutely perfect Brian Auger album, which finds him doing what he does best – playing his Hammond like nobody else can do. In contrast to other "revival" efforts by many musicians who go back to the 1960s, which are mostly sad and pitiful, Auger manages simply to be himself here, carefree and obviously happy, which clearly projects through the music, which again is as timeless as it always was.
Thank you Brian for the gift of music over the years!
| | Updated: 26/07/2019Posted: 26/07/2019 | CD-R 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | BRIAN AUGER / OBLIVION EXPRESS ~ SECOND WIND (EXPANDED EDITION)
CASTLE 1100 (Barcode: 5050749411006) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2005
3rd album by Brian AugerFind albums by this artist’s group Oblivion ExpressFind albums by this artist. It features a new vocalist, Alex LigertwoodFind albums by this artist, who lasted only for this one album and was undoubtedly the best the group ever had. Stylistically this albums serves as a bridge between the Jazz / Rock roots Auger pioneered for many years towards a more soulful oriented material, modeled after Les McCannFind albums by this artist and Eddie HarrisFind albums by this artist (his “Freedom Jazz Dance” gets a lovely treatment here). This was the first album to get the group to a much wider audience, including even charted in the US. It’s no secret that Auger has been one of my favorite keyboard players since the mid-1960s and I enjoy each and every one of his recordings to this very day. Apparently I am not alone in this position as Auger’s reissues seem to do extremely well, and rightly so. Highly recommended.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
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