Member:
Phil Jackson
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Phil Jackson)
Date:
7/28/2008
Format:
CD (Album)
I’ve been listening a lot to the latest Esoteric remaster from the classic era of progressive rock and the Deram Nova label and it’s hard to believe that Walrus from 1970 has never seen the light of day in terms of a CD release- until 21st July, 2008 that is!
At the rock end of the jazz-rock spectrum, Walrus took their inspiration initially from the likes of Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago Transit Authority (especially the latter). The opener “Who Can I Trust?” though is more reminiscent of contemporary Island jazz rock outfit If and was sufficiently well thought of by Decca (hoping that another act could emulate the Keef Hartley Band perhaps) to be released as a single.
The second track is a lengthy amalgam of three, the strongest of which is “In the land of darkness the blind man is King” (“Blind Man”) which shows that main songwriter Steve Hawthorn has a good ear for melody with sterling support from a 3 part horn section and John Scate’s expressive, undemonstrative guitar playing, perfect for the band. “Roadside”, the last of the triumvirat has more of a poppy edge with use of Afro percussion, another common feature of many bands of Walrus’s ilk at the time, the most explicit being Osibisa.
Albums like Walrus are a timely reminder of all that was going on at the time in a melting pot of musical experimentation. Bill Hoad’s flute and Hawthorn’s 12 string guitar create a different mood on the ballad “Why?” the b-side of Walrus’s second single (The a-side “Never Let My Body Touch the Ground” is included as a bonus track making this release the definitive Walrus back catalogue).
There are two tracks where a number is bookended by a track which is then reprised at the end. The first of these begins with a more overtly jazz piece “Turning” before the ‘standard fare’ heavy rock 12 bar of “Woman” takes over. “Sunshine Needs Me” (along with the playful album closer “Tomorrow Never Comes”) is the most psychedelic piece recalling Traffic in the flute- pity the vocal is so low in the mix (A young David Hitchcock was the producer). This is aptly followed by a cover of Winwood/ Capaldi/Wood’s “Coloured Rain” featuring a jazz piano solo by Barry Parfitt , a walking bass line by Steve Hawthorn and a drum solo by Roger Harrison (again, a sign of the times!) but missing the vocal and departing too far from the original for my taste.
I suppose when you consider what Blood, Sweat and Tears did with “Smiling Phases”, maybe you can see what Walrus didn’t go on to greater things. Still, their ‘heavy brassy funk’ is well worth a listen and for collectors Walrus is essential.
(ECLEC 2071)
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