The final collaboration between singer
Julie Driscoll (by that time dubbed as "The Face" by the British music weeklies) and
Brian Auger's
Trinity was 1969's
Streetnoise -- it was an association that had begun in 1966 with
Steampacket, a band that also featured
Rod Stewart and
Long John Baldry. As a parting of the ways, however, it was
Trinity's finest moment. A double album featuring 16 tracks, more than half with vocals by
Driscoll, the rest absolutely burning instrumentals by
Trinity. (
Auger on keyboards and vocals,
Driscoll on acoustic guitar,
Clive Thacker on drums, and
Dave Ambrose on bass and guitars.)
"Tropic of Capricorn," an instrumental
Auger original, kicks off in high gear. It's a knotty
prog rock number that contains elements of Memphis
R&B. it sounds better than it reads; it twists and turns around a minor key figure that explodes into solid, funky grit with
Thacker double timing the band.
Driscoll enters next with
"Czechoslovakia," a wide-open
modal tune that hints at the kinds of music she would explore in the very near future on her debut
1969 and later, with future husband
Keith Tippett. Broken melody lines and drones are the framework for
Driscoll to climb over and soar above, and she does without faltering before she slides into the traditional
gospel tune,
"Take Me to the Water." And this is how this record moves, from roiling
progressive rock instrumentals and
art songs, done
rock style, to inspired readings of the hits of the day such as
"Light My Fire," "Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)" from
Hair, and one of most stirring readings ever of
Laura Nyro's
"Save the Country" that closes the album.
"Indian Rope Man," is a burning, organ-driven churner that fuses
Stax/
Volt R&B funkiness with
psychedelic rock and
jazz syncopation.
Driscoll's vocal is over the top; she's deep into the body of the tune and wrings from it every ounce of emotion from it.
Auger's organ solo is a barnburner; reeling in the high register, he finds the turnarounds and offers his own counterpoint in the middle and lower one with fat chords. The rhythm section keeps the groove, funking it up one side and moving it out to the ledge until the coda. Another steaming rocker is
"Ellis Island," with it's dueling Fender Rhodes and organ lines. it may be the finest instrumental on the album.
"Looking in the Eye of the World" features
Driscoll in rare form, singing in her voice's lower register accompanied only by
Auger's piano on a
blues moan worthy of
Nina Simone.
Streetnoise was a record that may have been informed by its era, but it certainly isn't stuck there, especially in the 21st century. The music sounds as fresh and exciting as the day it was recorded. This is a must-have package for anyone interested in the development of
Auger's music that was to change immediately with the invention of the
Oblivion Express, and also for those interested in
Driscoll's brave, innovative, and fascinating career as an improviser, who discovered entirely new ways of using the human voice.
Streetnoise is brilliant. ~ Thom Jurek
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