js If you are looking for Brian Auger at his best I would stay far away from this album. I'm not sure what went wrong here, but what we have on this album is a collection of terribly bland and unmemorable laid back 70s Southern California soft rock swill. The whole thing sounds suspiciously like an attempt by some record label big-wig to turn Auger and crew into some kind of gravy train.

Each song is full of weak attempts at CSN&Y harmonies that don't work because these guys voices fall flat over and over again. Most of the solos are handled by Jim Mullen, whose guitar playing is mediocre at best, and often as out of tune as the vocals. Brian gets in a couple of solos, but he never really takes off because I am sure the supposed record company leech told him to "keep it mellow". Brian Auger has put out some great jazz/rock albums, but this isn't one of them.

FunkFreak75 Brian's second venture into serious Jazz-Rock Fusion with his Oblivion Express lineup and it represents quite a new era in his artistry in that every single song here is the product of one or more members of the Oblivion Express!

1. "Dawn of Another Day" (4:18) opens exactly like José Féliciano's version of The Doors' "Light My Fire" but then piano, electric bass and vocals enter to give it its own identity. It still feels very founded in and reflective of the idealistic hippie 1960s--with lyrics sounding all flowers and rainbows. A very likable, enjoyable song. I especially like the spaciousness of the song as well as the inventive vamp for the finish. (9/10)

2. "Marai's Wedding" (4:22) two acoustic guitars, one soloing dynamically, the other providing some colorful rhythm guitar support. Piano, bass, and drums joins in after about 30 seconds, establishing a very folk-flavored rock song in the vein of The Band (the music) or perhaps Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (the harmonized choral vocals). This traditional Scottish folk song (originally titled "Mairi's Wedding" not "Marai's") is here re-arranged by Jim Mullen. (8.785/10)

3. "Trouble" (3:12) again I am only hearing The Band when I listen to this song: blues rock foundation with lots of acoustic and twangy Southern fried electric instrumentation. A solid song with more whole-group choral singing, but, despite meaningful words, not my cup of tea. (8.75/10)

4. "Women of the Seasons" (5:00) this one has the sound palette of one of the OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS' prettier songs--like the ones composed by Larry Lee. (8.875/10)

5. "Fill Your Head with Laughter" (3:49) this one sounds like something by RARE EARTH, THREE DOG NIGHT or Don Brewer-singing GRAND FUNK RAILROAD or one of the late 60s' love and positivity Broadway musicals. A nice pop- radio-friendly rock song. (8.875/10)

6. "On Thinking It Over" (5:23) yet another group harmony vocal presented pop song that really is crying out for the same crowds as The Association, Godspell, The Cowsills, Hair, and The Rascals. Nice melodies sending out those positive vibes. (Remember when the USA was a place of hope and optimism for the rest of the world?) (8.75/10)

7. "Tomorrow City" (3:30) the group choral vocal approach is really settling in: they're actually quite good. The melodies and stylings here (including the use of congas) for the first time bear some resemblance to the music presented on their 1974 masterpiece, Straight Ahead, just grounded a lot more in the music and zeitgeist of the 1960s: this is a great song though it is still not jazz much less jazz-rock fusion. (9/10)

8. "All the Time There Is" (3:29) back to the Doors chords and sound palette, the group vocal presentation this time is less harmonized, more multiple voices/tracks presenting the same melody notes. This is a very likable tune with several earworm-like riffs, hooks, and moments--and a Brian Auger electric piano solo (though the e.piano is treated with a kind of odd effect--making it sound more like that of Ray Manzarek's "Riders on the Storm" sound). (9/10)

9. "A Better Land" (5:30) at least they're trying to get back to some jazzier and/or bluesier sounds and stylings here: Brian's first and only time perched behind his organ renders it automatically more likable and interesting. Nice bass play from Barry Dean. (8.875/10)

Total Time 38:33

There is very little on this album to indicate Brian Auger's skill and former-propensity for keyboard-dominated music. As a matter of fact, the appearances of Brian's legendary Hammond organ or smooth electric piano play is something you have to actually look for--actively search!--on this album. I guess the Oblivion Express is truly a collaborative unit with a democratic approach to song-making and this is their final push for the positive/optimistic output of politically- motivated artists like Marvin Gaye and The Band.

B/four stars; a collection of very enjoyable, pop-and-radio-oriented songs that begins to show signs of future Oblivion Express with the material on Side Two. Though this is not the music we generally associate with either Brian Auger or The Oblivion Express, it is still finely-crafted music.

Sean Trane Usually regarded by specialists (and rightly so) as Oblivion Express’ weaker album, A Better Land is not really as bad as one could think of, but it suffers from its predecessor and follow-up album’s proximity. Certainly after their astounding debut album, nobody expected such a calm and bland album as a confirmation (it would come with the aptly-titled Second Wind). A band afraid to sound like they are unable to progress, maybe, but certainly unable to avoid the second album jinx. I’m not sure why they changed their winning formula, but one thing is sure… they reverted to it after this fiasco. I’ll try to be more positive, because this album is really not as bad as all the negativity would have you believe: it’s just different, very different!! Obviously aimed at west coast soft rock, this album might have even scored big time sales-wise had a real obvious hit come out of it. Another reason why this album sounds so different is that Mullen is from far the most active songwriter, dealing with outsider Mackie and Garrie. ABL is not one of Eddie Offord’s better prog productions, to say the least.

One thing that strikes as the needle soothes itself into the groove, is how much calmer this album is as Dawn Of Another Day starts gently building up with Mullen’s nice acoustic guitar and Mc Intosh’s percussive percussion, with our favourite Ogre calmly toying away on his Fender Rhodes. The Mullen-arranged Murai’s Wedding and the following Trouble (obviously Murai’s divorce ;o)) could easily be on any C, S, N, CS, SN, CN or even CSN album. Returning to better waters (or lands if you so wish), Women Of The Seasons still holds that West Coast sound, but Auger’s keys (Fender Rhodes and others) make it closer to Steely Dan realm, The rather dated Fill Your Head with laughter sounds like an early Traffic (Mr Fantasy era), but sticks out for this album. The following Thinking It Over sounds like a “carambolage” (look it up >> it’s a great French word) between Oblivion express, America, Steely Dan, with some space for interplay. Tomorrow City offers some good moments, but has no means to stand out from the rest of the album, even though it’s the only Auger-only composition. After the insipid All The Time There Is, the album ends on the title track, which although it lacks Brian’s usual energy to allow Mullen’s guitar to front the band, is maybe the album’s best moment.

Graced with a gorgeous drawn pastoral artwork (yes, it is railway related if you take time to look enough) ABL would not be a disgrace in Steely Dan’s discography, or even if it was a CSN album, and it would be called America’s masterpiece had it been theirs. I suppose I could sum it up by saying that ABL is a Mullen album, not a Auger album. So with the usual “mise en garde”, I’ll round up to the upper star unit, thus giving a “good but hardly essential (at all)” rating, partly I’ll admit it, to save it from a too low (and unfair) average that it’s bound to gather.