The Baker Gurvitz Army - The Baker Gurvitz Army (1974 UK)

Los hermanos Gurvitz regresan tras Three Man Army con nueva banda. A destacar la interpretacion de Ginger Baker en los platos.


Artist: Baker-Gurvitz Army

Album: The Baker Gurvitz Army

Release Date: 1974

Label: Janus









Biography by William Ruhlmann


The Baker Gurvitz Army was a British rock group formed in late 1974 by drummer Ginger

Baker, formerly of Cream, and brothers Adrian (guitar) and Paul Gurvitz (bass), formerly

of Gun. The band was filled out by vocalist Snips and keyboard player Peter Lemer. They

released three albums between 1974 and 1976, the most successful of which was their

self-titled debut, which charted in the U.K. and the U.S.


Review by Ralph Heibutzki


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.



TrackList


1. Help Me 4:34

2. Love Is 2:47

3. Memory Lane 4:46

4. Inside of Me 5:33

5. I Wanna Live 4:22

6. Mad Jack 7:54

7. 4 Phil 4:25

8. Since Beginning 8:05


LOOK FOR: BAKER