Open Web Player
"The GBO was one of the three or four greatest British bands ever. In terms of influence, the GBO was to musicians what the Beatles were to the public." Pete Brown.
"...I also enjoyed Graham Bond, although at the time I didn't realize how profound Bond's music was. But looking back now, I can see it was just as important as the Stones or The Beatles." Ian Anderson (JETHRO TULL), 1970.
I don't think, this far removed from that era, that any of us can truly appreciate the musical power of THE GRAHAM BOND ORGANISATION (sic). This band was a powerhouse on stage-capable of playing jazz or blues/soul, and then exploding into some exciting jazz-rock sounds. A good example is a previously unreleased, jazzy live track (see Disc Four) from 1963, "Wade In The Water", with Bond, Bruce (on double bass), and Baker. Pretty heady, cool sounds for that period. But their two proper albums went nowhere commercially. If you're reading this, chances are you've already heard the GBO albums, know of ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED, and COLOSSEUM. This set is aimed more for the fan who's already familiar with the band's albums, and wants to go a bit deeper into their sound. Fans will recognize many tunes (included are 7 versions of "Wade In The Water") from the band's two proper albums. But this set isn't full of castoffs-far from it. Many of these sides are as good as anything the group released way back when. But the flip side of that for instance (from 1966) is the (admittedly a) demo of "You've Gotta Have Love Babe"-Bond's vocals-ouch! But the 'A'-side Single (Version 2 from 1967) is also included-thankfully a bit better. The last incarnation of the group, with both Dick Heckstall-Smith and Jon Hiseman, couldn't be included (except for 4 tracks) in this set-which is too bad. Hopefully at a later date, all that music will become available too.
First, the packaging. The discs are snapped inside the front and back covers of the hard cover "book". The 43 page booklet is attached inside, and has a nice essay by Pete Brown-poet, lyricist (notably for CREAM), and a recording artist in his own right (PETE BROWN'S BATTERED ORNAMENTS). The booklet is filled with great period photos, news articles, and other items from the period. There's a track by track listing of each tune with pertinent information for each. Many songs are in mono, and some are remastered for stereo. And speaking of sound-overall it's very good. There's no compression to ruin the sound, and there seems to be a bit of warmth to the sound that only helps the music. The only downside is how the discs are packaged, two in the inside front cover, two in the back, using those plastic clips that seem to break if you look at them too long. This seems to be the new way of packaging discs-it's now used by many labels. Too bad. The hardcover "book" slips inside an equally thick slipcase, which has all the tracks listed on the back. All in all, a very classy package.
This collection begins in 1963, with three tracks with Bond, Baker, Bruce, Alexis Korner-guitar, and THE VELVETTES-backing vocals. Also included are several familiar tunes (check the list on the Amazon page), some are Singles, some are from the album "Leapers and Sleepers", with a few tracks previously unreleased. A number of these tunes feature guitarists John McLaughlin and (the late) Big Jim Sullivan. Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin is also here (playing some great jazz guitar that will surprise many fans) on a few tunes, along with the first appearance of Dick Heckstall-Smith.
Disc Two features the best known incarnation of the band-Bond, Bruce, Baker, and Heckstall-Smith. These tracks continue from 1964 into 1965. These tunes, from auditions, Singles, compilation albums ("Rhythm and Blues" and "Blues Now"), a number of previously unreleased tracks, a soundtrack tune from the LP ("Gonks Go Beat"), and many from "The Sound of '65" album. All have been remixed in stereo for this set or are in mono sound.
Disc Three features, from 1965-66, the quartet on the first two tracks, with the next two tunes utilizing vocalist Winston G. (who used to appear at the same gigs as the GBO), with Bond, Baker, and an unidentified band. The rest of the tracks are the quartet, and the songs came from "There's a Bond Between Us", and a Single B-side. This also includes Bond's use of the mellotron-one of the first bands to use this cumbersome, hard to play instrument. The last three tracks feature Bond, Heckststall-Smith, Baker, and Mike Falana on trumpet.
Disc Four continues into 1966, with this same group for the first four tracks. The band then changes to Bond, Heckstall-Smith, Falana, and Jon Hiseman on drums on track five, "Wade In The Water". Tracks 6-8 are a trio of Bond, Heckstall-Smith, and Hiseman. Track 9 (see above) is another version of "Wade In The Water", with Bond, Bruce, and Baker as a trio, before switching back to the usual quartet for the remaining tunes (10-18) which are live tracks from 1964. These recordings are pretty rough going sound-wise, but they do give an atmospheric indication of how good the band was live.
Many people forget (or don't know) that the GBO was one of the first bands to play music that would eventually be labeled jazz-rock. Their "popularity" was based on musical talent-not good looks. They had no real "star", no Eric Clapton, no Jimmy Page, no Steve Winwood, no (name someone) to draw people in. Bond's influence by Charlie Parker on his alto sax playing is telling, and his organ sound was out of the Ray Charles/Jimmy Smith/Booker T. sound. Baker's drumming was from Max Roach, Art Blakey, and African influences. Bruce's style on the bass was out of the jazz area and his own uniqueness, with his harp playing from the blues. McLaughlin was just beginning to formulate his own guitar sound (he was let go for "erratic timekeeping" through Baker's complaints), but he fits the blues/jazz/rock thing pretty well. Heckstall-Smith was a died in the wool jazzer, who also strayed into the blues/soul arena, and combined them when he felt it right.
The GBO never really rose above a hard working club band in the U.K. In America, they were virtually unknown. They combined jazz with the blues and some soul and rock'n'roll music, and mixed everything into their own sound. And now, with this great collection of music, more people will have the chance to go even deeper into the band's sound. Checkout Ginger Baker, singing a song he wrote ("Cold Rain"), or McLaughlin playing some good blues guitar on "Untitled Abbey Road Blues Instrumental". Or Bruce's early, slightly rough sounding harmonica on several tunes. And of course, Bond-playing the organ and his alto sax at the same time, often with Heckstall-Smith's tenor sax.
In stopping this long-but (I think) well deserved-review, I still wonder what it was like to walk into a club and hear this band wailing away. If you consider yourself a fan of British music from the 60's, and you don't know about Graham Bond, you have a gaping hole in your musical library from that era. It's a mystery to me why the band's reissued albums aren't more well known by fans of today. Judging by the number of album reviews, and comments, many people are unfamiliar with the band. Why? Hopefully this collection will become more available, and more fans of that era will check it out.
If you want to learn more about Bond, try and find a copy of Harry Shapiro's book "Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow", which goes into some detail about Bond and his life, or more about Dick Heckstall-Smith, his book (plus a CD of unreleased tracks) "Blowing The Blues". Both give a look into that whole era of music in Britain.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2012
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
A. J. Mcconnachie
Mighty 60s R and B Originators
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2013
Grzegorz Szymczak
Dreams come true - rolled them well Pete
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2012
William T. Luther
Long In The Waiting:Well Worth The Wait
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2013
