The Baker Gurvitz Army (1974 -Vertigo)

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 (by Ralph Heibutzki).

Tracklisting:
01.Help Me
02.Love Is
03.Memory Lane
04.Inside of Me
05.I Wanna Live Again
06.Mad Jack
07.4 Phil
08.Since Beginning

Baker Gurvitz Army:
*Ginger Baker: drums
*Adrian Gurvitz: guitar, vocals
*Paul Gurvitz: bass guitar, backing vocals

BakerGurvitzArmy...The Baker Gurvitz Army75.mustang.rar