dreadpirateroberts 'Things We Like' isn't an album to fault on the merits of its individual players or performances, so much as at a compositional level. Jack Bruce's supporting cast (two of whom he'd played with in the 'Graham Bond Organisation') work through a mix of post bop, free jazz and fusion in a sparse setting. Jack's choice of double bass is a fit for his style of playing and Heckstall-Smith keeps his phrasing fairly abstract throughout. Hiseman plays quite free and McLaughlin employs an almost gentle 1960s, rock-fuzz tone to his mostly supporting guitar.

My main concern with the record is that the pieces don't always hold together as well as I'd like. Sometimes they meander between unaccompanied solos followed by patches of ensemble playing ('Statues' for instance) or don't quite fulfill their promise (the Mel Torme cover 'Born to Be Blue' or 'Ballad for Arthur'). My other gripe with the album is the mix, it doesn't seem to suit all the material, as the more fusion-based pieces don't benefit from splitting the instruments between channels.

There are songs that do bring Bruce's cast together in a more convincing manner, like 'HCKHH Blues' , 'Over the Cliff' and the title track especially, where they bop gets a little harder and the chaotic bursts of energy are employed to fine effect.

Part of me finds two stars too harsh, but I do think this will be of interest mostly to collectors, of either Jack or John. It has its moments but the album as a whole isn't as realised as it could be. For the curious.

snobb The second Jack Bruce album is a strange fruit in his discography. After the success of his debut, "Things We Like" sounded obviously out of place, and its in a style he never returned to in his solo albums. There is none of his usual rock or blues related music to be found here - only post-bop mixed with free jazz in the form of long improvs with fusion flavor!

No mystery here though - the material for all of this album comes from the summer of 1968 when Jack Bruce (still being a Cream member) recorded some his compositions with his ex-collegues from the Graham Bond Organisation - John McLaughlin (guitar), Jon Hiseman (drums) and Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax). The result is a collection of quite unfocused compositions, musically similar to Surman/McLaughlin's "Where Fortune Smiles" album, released the same year.

Not a great release, this album is a really interesting example of a very early Jack Bruce (and John McLaughlin) musical experiment and their roots in 60s jazz. Jon Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith's musicianship is of great quality and possibly the album's weakest point is the raw and unfinished compositions.

This could be recommended for every serious Bruce/McLaughlin fan, but far not the release for casual Jack Bruce blues-rock fan.

Sean Trane Under that typical jazzy album title, you’ll the ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce’s second solo album. If you think that JB and jazz don’t really mix, you’re in a for a bit of a surprise, as Jack first came to prominence with Graham Bond’s ORGANization, and JB and GB (Ginger) used to joke the Cream was a jazz band, and that they never told Clapton so. More than the Cream connection, here, we’re getting the Colosseum (Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman replaced JB and GB in Bond’s band) and we’re heavily in a standard jazz affair – which might be very strange, since JB was also involved with McL in Tony Williams’ Lifetime, which was much more “fusiony”. Actually, TWL was recorded prior to JB’s first official solo album, but the present is indeed his first try (recorded in Aug 68)… but only found release almost two years afterwards.

So, the quartet’s line-up might have hinted you as an all-star JR/F group, but we’re quite distant from that realm. Six of the seven tracks are Bruce composition (he plays only stand-up bass on TWL), and the lone medley Sam Enchanted Dick (sic…) is more or less in the same sonic template of the rest of the album. Indeed, we’re dealing with a fairly competent late-50’s or early-60’s boppy jazz that will raise your eyebrows, mostly because that’s about the last thing you’d expect from these dudes. Were they out to prove something to the old-guard of jazzers? Maybe so, but personally, I find that, outside McL and to a lesser extent DHS, this is the kind of stuff that lacks a certain credibility from the “rock-related” crowds. Don’t expect much of McL’s fiery guitar histrionics (he does get the odd spot here and there, but nothing of the sort of Devotion or Mahavishnu), because he’s relatively low-key. DHS’ gets more sunshine, but it’s clearly JB’s show – and to that same extent, drummer Hiseman gets to pull his wild cards out on the table. You’ll find the odd inspiration in JB’s jazz writing. The more modern-sounding track of the album? HCKHH Blues, without a doubt.

So, if not familiar with TWL, I’d strongly suggest that you lend an earshot (not even very attentive) before investing in the album, because the line-up (written out on the front cover) can (and will) induce into error. Is it a good standard jazz album?? Maybe so, but given the déjà-entendu sonics (save McL’s electric interventions), it certainly sounds like a waste of talent at the time… I’d have loved to hear these guys let it all hang out in the wild JF/F affair.