Record Reviews

BAKERLOO ~ BAKERLOO (EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2468 (Barcode: 5013929456846) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2014 This is a reissue of the only album by the obscure British trio BakerlooFind albums by this artist, which comprised of guitarist Clem ClempsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Terry PooleFind albums by this artist and drummer Keith BakerFind albums by this artist. The original album presented seven tunes, five of which were co-written by Clempson and Toole (and Baker on one of them), one was a blues standard and one was an arrangement of a Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist composition (the same composition was also recorded by Jethro TullFind albums by this artist and released as "Bouree" on their second album "Stand UpFind albums with this title"). This remastered and expanded edition adds five bonus tracks, which are a B-side, a couple of alternate tracks and a couple of previously unreleased tracks. The music is floating somewhere between Blues-Rock and early Progressive Rock, featuring brilliant guitar work by Clempson, who of course was about to join Colosseum soon after Bakerloo disbanded and achieve world fame. The fact that this album was dug up is primarily due to the fact that Clempson plays on it, although with all fairness it is a solid release worth being remembered. The last track on the original album is an extended piece which last for about fifteen minutes, which of course hints as to the Proto-Prog connection of the band and its music. The British Blues Revival produced hundreds of bands similar to Bakerloo in the late 1960s, most of which tried to copy bands which already achieved fame and acclaim, like CreamFind albums by this artist, John MayallFind albums by this artist´s BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist, Fleetwood MacFind albums by this artist, Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist, Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist and many others. Many of these bands never managed to make an album at all, many others recorded one album, like Bakerloo, which disappeared into the vaults of record labels, and are now occasionally rediscovered by reissue labels. Guitar freaks will find this album highly exciting, as Clempson plays much more aggressively and prominently on this album than at any other point of his career, obviously due to the fact that he was the leading voice in this trio and there were no restrictions whatsoever. Some of his neck-breaking / hair-raising solos on this album are completely unrepeatable. Overall this is a great trip down the memory lane and the remastered music sounds superbly fresh and is highly enjoyable, again emphasizing the fact that those were the most productive years in British (and worldwide) music scene, sadly long gone, albeit not forgotten. Highly recommended!

Updated: 21/01/2017Posted: 21/01/2017

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend