Baker Gurvitz Army

by Baker Gurvitz Army

Overview

Ginger Baker's mid-'70s profile took another unexpected turn following Cream's blues-rock blood and thunder and his Afro-beat matchups with Fela Kuti. He formed this straight-ahead power trio with the guitar- and bass-playing brother team of Adrian and Paul Gurvitz, who'd briefly lit up the '60s U.K. charts as Gun (of "Race With the Devil" fame). Such a step might have seemed subversively normal for Baker, but he and the brothers had an undeniable chemistry; not surprisingly, their debut album is a self-assured, aggressive affair. "Help Me" and "I Wanna Live Again" are punchy and succinct; so are the hard-driving instrumentals "Love Is" and its funkier cousin, "Phil 4." The band leavens their hard-hitting delivery with subtle orchestration and piano; the latter instrument works to haunting effect on the introspective "Memory Lane." There's some engaging humor, too; "Mad Jack"'s lyrics about a reckless outback race are silly, but kitschy fun. The only real clinker is "Since Beginning," which is bogged down from self-consciously "meaningful" lyrics and meandering delivery; its eight minutes could have benefited from judicious pruning. Naturally, no Ginger Baker album could pass without some drum solos, but they're tastefully done. He's very much a team player here, in contrast to infamous stick-bashing marathons like "Toad." That said, this album's a strong, decisive statement, and if hard rock's what you crave, you won't be disappointed. ~ Ralph Heibutzki

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2024
Label:	Not Now Uk
UPC:	5060384460178
Rank:	102018

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Baker Gurvitz Army   Primary Artist
Rosetta Hightower   Vocals
Ginger Baker   Vibraphone,Percussion,Vocals,Drums
Adrian Gurvitz   Vocals,Guitar
Liza Strike   Vocals
Madeline Bell   Vocals
Barry St. John   Vocals
Paul Gurvitz   Vocals,Bass
John Mitchell   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Anton Matthews   Engineer
Ginger Baker   Producer,Composer
Adrian Gurvitz   Producer,Composer
Martyn Ford   Orchestration
Baker Gurvitz Army   Arranger
Paul Gurvitz   Producer
Ulf Marquardt   Liner Notes
Cyrano   Engineer