The Baker Gurvitz Army

The Baker Gurvitz Army - The Collection - 1999 - Receiver

A great compilation by the brilliant 70s British band, BGA. Ginger Baker, the legendary ex-Cream drummer and brothers Paul and Adrian Gurvitz of Gary Moore's Gun really lay it down here, and the album is a lesson in how jazz and blues rock should be played. Although the band were together for only three or four years, they played some of the best British seventies rock, and sixteen of their best compositions are on this album. This is outstanding jazz/blues rock with a touch of that unique seventies English prog. rock sound. Buy their superb "Live in Derby 75 " album Find info. on the "Baker, Bruce, & Moore" album @ BB&M There is a wonderful Cream compilation album, "Cream Gold" @ CREAMGOLD which epitomises all that was great about early British blues rock. For more music like this, check out Mick Abrahams' powerful "All Said And Done" album @ MABR/ASAD

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Love Is - Baker Gurvitz Army
2 Hearts on Fire - Baker Gurvitz Army
3 Inside of Me - Baker Gurvitz Army
4 People - Baker Gurvitz Army, Baker, Gurvitz
5 I Wanna Live Again - Baker Gurvitz Army, Baker, Gurvitz
6 Mad Jack - Baker Gurvitz Army, Baker, Gurvitz
7 Tracks of My Life - Baker Gurvitz Army
8 Flying in and Out of Stardom - Baker Gurvitz Army
9 Mystery - Snips
10 The Key - Baker, Baker Gurvitz Army
11 The Dreamer - Baker Gurvitz Army
12 The Hustler - Baker, Gurvitz, Gurvitz
13 The Mind Is Healing - Baker Gurvitz Army
14 Thirsty for the Blues - Baker Gurvitz Army
15 Remember - Baker Gurvitz Army, Baker, Gurvitz
16 Time - Baker Gurvitz Army

BAND

The Baker Gurvitz Army: Ginger Baker, Paul Gurvitz, Adrian Gurvitz [Both the Gurvitz brothers played with Gary Moore's great Gun band]
Mr. Snips (vocals) [ ex-The Sharks ], and Peter Lemer (keyboards) [ex-Seventh Wave ]

REVIEW

Four years after assembling Ginger Baker's Air Force, Baker returned from Africa and formed a new project with Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz, calling themselves the Baker Gurvitz Army. This new venture let Baker utilize his jazz and rock drum style under his very own discretion and direction, with the flamboyancy of the brothers Gurvitz taking care of all the guitar intricacies. The band made three albums, hiring a vocalist and a keyboard player for their last two, but after 1976's Hearts on Fire album, the group disbanded, leaving behind some rather spirited and fervent jazz-rock pieces. The Collection is a well-chosen 16-track assortment from all three albums which offers up a quick but satisfying trip through the band's most solid tracks. "Love Is" is a raucous ride with Baker at his boisterous best, accompanied by some fiery heavy metal guitar work, while "Hearts on Fire" is bathed in a hard-edged blues sound with another fine example of Baker's desire to accentuate all things percussive. Even bluesier is "Mad Jack," this time taking on a Southern rock sound via the concurrent twang of the electric guitar and the boogie-woogie rhythm. "Flying in and out of Stardom" is Hendrix-like in every aspect, from the slipperiness of the vocals to the slow melt of the guitar's chords, while "The Hustler" gets down and dirty with some polished blues-rock meandering. Basic rock & roll ingredients make "My Mind Is Healing," "Mystery," and "Remember" attractive enough inclusions to this set, rounding out an all-you-need compendium of this short-lived trio. Although all three of the Ginger Baker's Army albums carry some weight, this collection is the most convenient way to sum up their overall sound. © Mike DeGagne, allmusic.com