BBM (Bruce-Baker-Moore) "Around the Next Dream" 1994***

My first thought upon hearing of the formation of BBM was, I guess, the same as everybody else's: that it was an attempt to revive the glory days of Cream, the 60's power trio formed by Bruce, Baker and Clapton, and that Clapton's unavailability due to his successful solo career drove the other two to search for a suitable substitute - and who better than Gary Moore, who had recently abandoned metal and reinvented himself as an electric blues guitarist following in Clapton's footsteps? In truth, it had apparently started life during sessions for a new solo Gary Moore album with Jack Bruce initially engaged as a co-writer. As time progressed, it became more and more a Cream-type album containing a number of songs that fitted Bruce's voice better than Moore's. At that point, Bruce mentioned Baker as a possible drummer. The three of them (Bruce, Baker and Moore) had recently played together really well at an all-star concert marking Bruce's 50th anniversary, but Bruce and Baker had a notoriously bad working relationship in the past. In the end the sessions went smoothly, with the erstwhile Cream members only intermittently displaying a kind of sibling rivalry rather than true enmity. So, rather than being a Cream reunion with Moore substituting Clapton, this is more of a Gary Moore & guests affair. Of course, such illustrious musicians could never be demoted to Moore's backing band so it had to be an egalitarian band thing. IMO equal billing is fair to Bruce -especially since he's handling most of the vocals- but Baker's contribution seems to be rather slight: he has only one shared writing credit and, while his drumming is spot-on, he often seems to be going through the motions. That becomes more evident in the straight "electric blues" numbers: there's nothing wrong with "Can’t Fool the Blues", "High Cost of Loving" and "I Wonder Why (Are You So Mean to Me?)" - but they could have come out of any Gary Moore solo album of the 90's or 00's. Opener "Waiting in the Wings" is a "White Room" soundalike, and "City Of Gold" another, bluesier, Cream-like number. They're probably sequenced first to appease those who came hoping for a Cream reunion and to reassure listeners that yes, Moore can ably substitute Clapton if he so wishes. Both feature Bruce on lead vocal, while the aforementioned pure blues numbers featured Moore. "Where in the World" is the album's lead single, which is strange because it's the only song not featuring Baker but a session drummer - so it's BM instead of BBM. An excellent ballad nevertheless, featuring both singers, with lyrical guitar playing instead of the more bombastic on other songs here. "Glory Days" is another highlight, a perfect mix of prog and hard rock. Even Baker's playing is as adventurous as it used to be. The momentum continues into "Why Does Love (Have to Go Wrong?)", a 9 minute prog-rocker that brings the best out of everyone: beautiful vocal from Bruce, amazing drumming, fantastic guitar. An absolutely killer track! Compared to that, "Naked Flame" has a paint-by-numbers feel: just a typical Gary Moore ballad - beautiful, but he's done it before again and again. At least closer "Wrong Side of Town" (another ballad written by Moore) has a retro sensibility reminiscent of the great jazz songbooks, and a suitably fragile vocal by Bruce. The album cover is a striking image of the battered and wrinkled Baker in a black overcoat and angel wings, smoking a cigarette. I quite like it, even if the smoking angel idea isn't that original, having been used before by the likes of Van Halen and Black Sabbath. Around the Next Dream did decently commercially, even if it didn't match the success of Moore's previous releases. But the chemistry wasn't there, and the band soon disintegrated. Moore went from playing Clapton to playing Peter Green on next year's Blues For Greeny, while Bruce and Baker went back into making low-key jazz records. In the end this is an underrated album, perhaps burdened by the inevitable Cream comparisons - as if any classic rockers could match their 60's heyday, 25 years later! Clapton, Baker and Bruce finally reunited for a last concert released on DVD and CD in 2005 - if they hadn't, this CD would make for a fine postscript to the Cream story. Only a postscript, mind you. Decent, but not standing up to comparison with the canonical Cream LPs.

**** for Waiting in the Wings, City of Gold, Where in the World, Glory Days, Why Does Love (Have to Go Wrong?)

*** for Can’t Fool the Blues, High Cost of Loving, Naked Flame, I Wonder Why (Are You So Mean to Me?), Wrong Side of Town

Gary Moore "Blues For Greeny" 1995****

Back in 1990, Gary Moore's move from hard rock to blues must have seemed rather daring and uncommercial but it paid off, giving him his best selling album and re-popularizing the entire genre. At the height of his popularity, he made another risky decision: to record a tribute to semi-forgotten British Blues legend Peter Green. Green, who passed earlier this year, had appeared, aged 20, out of nowhere to replace the -also very young but already legendary- Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Blues Breakers. He later left to form Fleetwood Mac, but disappeared suddenly after an ominous incident that sparked his decent into mental illness (a story I recounted in a previous post). He would later make a low-key return to music but was still "missing in action" in '95 when Moore decided to record a whole album to remind the world what an excellent guitarist and songwriter he was. I didn't buy it at the time, as I was too familiar with the originals and couldn't see how he could possibly give them new life. I was, as it turns out, both right and wrong: Moore's versions often stay too close to the originals - some, like the Latin-tinged mid-tempo "I Loved Another Woman" are almost carbon copies. But it is a marvelous thing, and a testament to Moore's virtuosity, to hear those sweet guitar tones once again. Anyone can play fast or loud, but to wring such emotion out of the guitar is the sign of a true master. It helps, of course, that we're listening to the very same guitar - not just the same model, but the same instrument: Clapton had played a Les Paul in The Blues Breakers, and Green bought himself another Les Paul when he got his position in the band, but it was an older model with a thicker neck. To get a similar sustain to Clapton's, he removed the neck pickup and then screwed it on backwards, resulting in a very characteristic sound. During his dark years, Green sold his guitar to Moore, who plays it to great effect here. It would be passed on to some rich collectors, eventually finding its way to the hands of Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and while it's dubious that he can emulate Green's style as successfully as Moore, it's nice to think that this guitar can still enchant big audiences on records and onstage. Back to the album, one thing that surprised me was that Moore went straight for the blues tunes, eschewing some of Green's more famous compositions like the mellow psychedelia of "Black Magic Woman" and "Man Of The World" or the heavier "Oh Well" and "Green Manalishi". The lesser known tracks he chose are recreated lovingly and respectfully, without resorting to Moore's usual louder and more distorted electric blues style - though some songs like "Drifting" and "Looking for Somebody" do sport longer and "rockier" solos. The horns on the lively "If You Be My Baby" and excellent ballad "Love That Burns", and the strings on the emotive "Need Your Love So Bad" add some extra instrumental touches when necessary, while Moore's playing on "The Supernatural" is reminiscent of his own "Parisienne Walkways" - which goes to show that Green has always been one of his bigger influences. "Showbiz Blues" serves as a showcase for his skills on slide guitar, while finally this reissue closes with a trio of acoustic songs that, while good, are not up to the same level as the album proper. The only downside is that, if you are already familiar with the originals, there's not much new here. I am, and any time I want to listen to these tunes I'll be going back to the original versions. But that's a minor complaint, since the end result is utterly enjoyable, playing is excellent, and Moore's fame is sure to introduce these songs to new audiences. P.S. I got this album as part of a budget 5CD boxset (see above), which I can easily recommend, as it's cheap and of high quality:3 of the other albums are arguably even better than this, and all 5 of them are presented in the newest remastering and include bonus tracks. I will review each album separately, in time.

**** for Merry Go Round, I Loved Another Woman, Need Your Love So Bad, The Supernatural, Driftin', Love That Burns, Looking For Somebody

*** for If You Be My Baby, Long Grey Mare, The Same Way, Showbiz Blues, World Keeps On Turnin' (Acoustic), Same Way (Acoustic), Stop Messin' Around (Acoustic) 

Various Artists "From Clarksdale to Heaven - Remembering John Lee Hooker" 2002***

Born in Mississippi in 1917, John Lee Hooker was around almost as long as the blues itself, devising a new urban blues boogie style, scoring his first hits in the 40's and experiencing a late career rebirth with 1989's "The Healer" that lasted until his death in 2001. These late records were full of guests from the blues and rock world, lining up to play the blues with one of the last original pioneers of the genre. Many of them are also featured here to pay tribute to the master bluesman and help raise money for a charity in his name. The result is entertaining but uneven, as it often happens with such tribute albums. Although most of the songs are J.L.Hooker originals, the end result mostly reflects the players themselves. A bit of the old DNA is in evidence in the opening soulful performance of "I Want to Hug You", sung by his daughter Zakiya backed by Johnnie Johnson & Bobby Murray. The classic "I'm in the Mood" is given a generic hard rock treatment by Jack Bruce and Gary Moore (now both also sadly deceased). Not bad, but I much prefer their slow take on "Serve Me Right to Suffer". Yes, it does sound like any other Gary Moore ballad, albeit a very good one. In any case, neither song sounds anything like the original. "Bad Like Jesse James" (by Vince Converse backed by Leo Lyons and Ric Lee from Ten Years After) comes somewhat closer. "Baby Lee" and "Little Wheel" are even more faithful, played with gusto by 60's veterans Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) and Andy Fairweather-Low (Amen Corner and, more recently, Roger Waters' band). The acoustic "Ground Hog Blues" also sports a quite original feel, not surprisingly since T.S. McPhee (from The Groundhogs) has played with Hooker since the 60's and was one of the first people to introduce him to British audiences. Colosseum's Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax adds a welcome jazz twist. On "I'm Leaving" they rock harder, as they're joined by Humbie Pie guitarist extraordinaire Clem Clempson. Jeff Beck offers his guitar pyrotechnics to the Hooker-like boogie "Hobo Blues" and the traditional gospel "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor adds workmanlike boogie "This Is Hip" and Peter Green takes on "Crawlin' King Snake", one of Hooker's most famous tunes. Of all the superstar guitarists involved in this project, Green was (in his Fleetwood Mac days) once the greatest. Inspired by religion (and drugs) he took a break in 1970 and never completely returned. His folk-blues guitar playing here is beautiful but very different and inferior to his old style, while his vocals sound like they're from beyond the grave. The remaining two tracks are the most intriguing as they come from half-finished J.L.Hooker projects: Greggs Eggs' blues-soul "The Business" (vocals by Suzanne Sterling) was destined for the next Hooker CD but never recorded by him due to his death and "Red House" features the great man himself backed by Booker T. Jones on organ and Randy California (from Spirit) on guitar. It was supposed to appear on a Jimi Hendrix tribute album and it's typical late-period J.L.Hooker, a nice slow jam with his trademark mumbling vocals. Not an extraordinary find, but a fine epitaph nevertheless.

**** for I Want to Hug You (Zakiya Hooker & Johnnie Johnson), Baby Lee (Gary Brooker & Andy Fairweather-Low), I'm Leaving (T.S. Mcphee, Dick Heckstall-Smith & Clem Clempson), Serves Me Right to Suffer (Gary Moore), Red House (John Lee Hooker & Booker T & Randy California)

*** for I'm in the Mood (Jack Bruce & Gary Moore), Bad Like Jesse James (Leo Lyons, Ric Lee, Vince Converse), Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Jeff Beck), Ground Hog Blues (T.S. McPhee & Dick Heckstall-Smith), This Is Hip (Mick Taylor), Little Wheel (Gary Brooker & Andy Fairweather-Low), Crawlin' King Snake (Peter Green), The Business (Greggs Eggs), Hobo Blues (Jeff Beck)

Jack Bruce "The Collector's Edition" 1986-1995(orig) 1996(comp)****

It's been six months to the day since Jack Bruce passed away. I started blogging a few weeks afterwards and didn't commemorate him at the time, but this anniversary is as good an opportunity as any. Despite a long career spanning rock, blues, jazz, progressive and metal, he was only ever mentioned in relation with Cream, the 60's supergroup he created with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. I'll try to rectify that by presenting a latter-day compilation focused on his output for the German CMP label (1986-1995). It opens with two superb tracks from "Somethin Els", in which he's reunited with Cream alumni Pete Brown (lyrics) and Eric Clapton (trombone - just kidding! Guitar, of course). "Waiting on a Word" is a breezy number with trademark blues guitar while "Ships in the Night" a nice, romantic piano-led duet with Maggie Reilly until halfway through...when Clapton unleashes a Pink Floyd-ish solo and the song really takes off. "Childsong", the 3rd track from "Somethin Els" doesn't feature any guitar at all - it's all about acoustic bass and saxophone and reminds me of Robert Wyatt's jazz-prog fusion or the mellower moments of Van Der Graaf Generator. The songs from the "Monkjack" album ("Folksong", "Time Repairs" and blues classic "Third Degree") tread similar territory, jazzy ballads with piano at the forefront. Bruce's singing throughout is excellent but rather understated. New experimental versions of Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" and Bruce's "Politician" and "Rope Ladder to the Moon" come from a collaborative effort with Mark Nauseef - a jazz drummer with a rock past (Elf/Ian Gillan Band/Thin Lizzy) - and Serb guitarist Miroslav Tadić. Which brings us to the live recordings from the "Cities of the Heart" album. They're all quite powerful readings of solo and Cream material and feature stellar musicians: Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson on proggy "Theme for an Imaginary Western" and blues "Sitting On Top of the World", Ginger Baker drumming on "Top of the World" and "NSU" and Gary Moore dispensing heavy metal solos on  "Life On Earth"and "NSU". Taken as a whole, this CD is a testament to Bruce's skill (on vocals, bass and piano) and versatility. A dive into his back catalogue will reward you with a number of rare gems scattered throughout his discography - not to mention the Cream albums, which are of course essential listening. 

**** for Waiting on a Word, Ships in the Night, Theme for an Imaginary Western, Life On Earth, Childsong 

*** for Sitting On Top of the World, NSU, Folksong, The Wind Cries Mary, Rope Ladder to the Moon, Time Repairs, Third Degree 

** for Politician, Colotomix II