Records from my shelf – Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express

by Doctor B in Album Reviews, Opinion Posts, Reviews

Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express
Closer To It
Original vinyl: RCA APL1-0140
CD Reissue: Fuel 2000 Records

I pulled this record, which I’d found years ago in a bargain bin, off my shelves just the other day and slapped in onto my garage-sale-bought Harman-Kardon turntable. Damn, but I’d forgotten just how flat-out funky this album is! It hails from an era in which the musical roots of first disco and then hip-hop were laid down. And I’ll bet a lot of DJ’s have spun and sampled this very fresh sonic salad! Think Birds of Fire vintage John McLaughlin but with a gentler edge.

The wah-wah guitar and Leslie-fied Hammond organ common to this musical genre are definitely in the mix, but only enough to let you know the intentions of Mr. Auger and company. The music is definitely danceable, but not so much so that you have no choice but to do so; whether you want to shake your booty or park it on the sofa and chill out, The Oblivion Express will deliver!

There are originals here as well as covers, such as Gene McDaniels’ Compared To What and Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues, which gets a high-energy reading which I’m sure Mr. Gaye would have approved of. Give a listen to this flavorful blast from the past and find out why it hit the American Jazz, Rock and R&B charts simultaneously when it first came out!

- Doctor B.

Doctor B. is a DJ at WHRW-FM in Binghamton, NY. Check out his playlists at http://bartlemania.blogspot.com/.