js You would expect the music on "Live Oblivian Volume 1" to be better than Volume 2, but actually it is the other way around. As usual this album shows off the amazing high energy jazz/rock/RnB keyboard playing of Brian Auger. Brian rocks harder than most jazzers, and is a little jazzier than most rockers, this makes him sort of a misiing link between the worlds of Jimmy Smith and Jon Lord. Unfortunately this album does not contain his best material from this era. The album opens with "Beginning Again" which shows the bands main strengths, Stephen Ferrone's kinetic drumming pushing Brian's fast licks over a very unpretentious RnB/jazz groove. Brian has great keyboard sounds on this album, pure analog B3 and Fender Rhodes with a bit of distortion and occaisonal tape echo. After that scorching opener things bog down a bit on "Don't Look Away", which features their weak spot, the vocals of Alex Ligertwood.

Side 2 starts with Wes Montgomery's "Bumpin on Sunset". Wes's original is a great peice of smart urban groove, but Auger's version seems a little slow on this album. To make matters worse, Alex starts improvising vocals about how Wes "found himself". The song does get in one nice B3 solo before it grinds to a halt. The album closer, "Truth", has the band back playing their trademark high energy two chord vamps, but the arrangement is too choppy and relies too much on the lead guitar playing of Jack Mills. Jack is OK, but no match for Auger.

This album has its moments, but if you want to hear this band at their best, get "Live Oblivian Volume 2".

Sean Trane Yet another change into the Express’ line-up, with percussionist Laington having left and allowing space for the returning Ligertwood on vocals and supposedly percussion. If memory serves, their next release would also be a live album with the same artwork (strongly inspired from CTI and SA) but in pink colour. Why they didn’t issue a double live album is beyond me, especially knowing they were the rage around. Blue or Pink colours sounds like a maternity) but in either case, the flavour is the one of a group that seems completely lost

After an overstretched jam of Beginning Again bringing nothing new, but at least showing a little energy, the group takes up Don’t Look Away (from Second Wind), where guitarist Mills gets to strut his stuff and finally compare favourably to his predecessor Mullen. Again the track is overstaying its welcome by at least three minutes, but I suppose this kind of funk arrangement and live settings allowed for inflated duration times. The flipside holds another two lengthy tracks, including an almost definitive version of Bumping On Sunset (also obligatory given that the gig was on Sunset strip in LA), vastly livelier than the soporific SA studio version. Last up is Truth, which sounds a little too inspired from Situation from the Jeff Beck Group’s Rough & Ready album, bassist Clive Chaman being the obvious link here. In either case, beit from the track’s name or the actual songwriting, attributing it to Ligertwood is a little dodgy in my eyes.

Oddly enough, despite Ligertwood’s presence on vocals, all Santana hints are gone in this live recording. If Alex would join up Santana, it wouldn’t up until 79’s Marathon and he is definitely not a good percussionist: he’s almost absent (or inaudible) bar a few diddles on Sunset. While I wouldn’t call this album useless at all, I’d rather have seen it as a double (rather than two singles), which would’ve still not made it essential, but at least more desirable to own.