BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS — Blood, Sweat & Tears Greatest Hits (review)

BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS — Blood, Sweat & Tears Greatest Hits album cover Boxset / Compilation · 1972 · Pop/Art Song/Folk Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
js
On this greatest hits collection BS&T displays a broad knowledge of pop-jazz over several decades and seems to be influenced more by Hart/Rogers than Lennon/McCartney. Their strong point is their inventive use of a small brass/woodwind section that is cleverly arranged and thouroughly integrated into every tune. As a sort of lounge pop jazz band BS&T may work OK, but they were marketed at that time as part of the growing jazz-rock movement. Unfortunately, to a lot of rockers they have always sounded like your parent's rock band. There is something about their flashy slick horn arrangements that conjures up images of swingin cats who work the Vegas scene when they aren't with Doc Severinson on Carson's Tonight Show. For example, dig this lyric; 'you always showed me that, lovin you is where it's at' ... groovy. In contrast, other rock bands with horn sections, such as early Chicago or Edgar Winter's White Trash, had just as much rock edge as the more guitar dominated bands of their era. I think the other problem with BS&T is vocalist David Clayton-Thomas. David is obviously a way better singer than your average bluesy shouter, but his style has more in common with Tom Jones than most rock singers.

There are two excellent tunes on this album that stand out from the others. 'Go Down Gamblin' really rocks and is reminiscent of some of Buddy Miles' better material. The other song worth mentioning is 'Sometimes in Winter', a beautiful ballad with a very original melody and arrangement. BS&T's small orchestra approach really works well on this one.

This isn't a bad album, but if you want to hear some better rock with horns try Chicago's first album, Earth Wind and Fire's futuristic jazz/RnB on 'Gratitude', or almost any of Billy Cobham's early albums (ironically enough, many of Cobham's records feature ex-BS&T trumpeter Randy Breacker) now that's where it's at.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Izumi Kimura / Barry Guy / Gerry Hemingway : Six Hands Open As One Avant-Garde Jazz
IZUMI KIMURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Raging Bulgakov Avant-Garde Jazz
SIMON NABATOV
Buy this album from MMA partners
New Start Fusion
TOM KENNEDY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Love Songs Live Avant-Garde Jazz
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Data 21st Century Modern
MATTHEW SHIPP
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 18 hours ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 1 day ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 2 days ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 3 days ago
T-SQUARE 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert & Tour 2023 @Zepp Nagoya ?CLIMAX?
T-SQUARE
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed