BRIAN AUGER — Definitely What! (as Brian Auger & The Trinity) (review)

BRIAN AUGER — Definitely What! (as Brian Auger & The Trinity) album cover Album · 1968 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Without their diva Jools, The Trinity was often written away by the pop press, but rockers knew better and this album is their first without her, and provides a good start, but it doesn’t match their awesome follow-up Befour, which to be fair should be called a The Quartety, since the brilliant guitarist Gary Boyle will join them. With a usual-for-then artwork, DF is as usual a good dose of covers and its load of original songs and this was a typical product of Gomelsky (Yardbirds and many more) and one of the last of the Brit R’nB wave

The album is like most other Trinity albums, loaded with brass arrangements that Auger, Ambrose and Thacker are now so used to. Overall I’d say that most of the covers would sound a bit like a made-for-supermarket music if it weren’t for Ogre’s huge “Aurgan” and his tempestuous interventions. Indeed covers of Beatles’ Day In Life, If You Live (a straight blues) or JB’s Body (the standard track) might sound a bit odd and even lame for an uncompromising proghead. But Red Beans is a dynamite rendition; and Wes Montgomery’s Bumping On Sunset is fantastic (will be reworked much later in Oblivion Express) version with excellent but discreet string arrangements.

Among the originals is an Ogre tribute for fellow organist Zoot Money (GB in the title), a slow-building brass-studded Far Horizon with a brilliant Hammond interlude, and the wild lengthy title track. Starting on whistles, than an Ambrose bass solo segueing into flute (guest Swinfield) itself leading into a Thacker drum solo and finally a Auger Hammond augeran solo. The Cd comes with a very lively What you Gonna Do, which doesn’t have the same production sound, but diersn’t deface the album, partly because it’s bloody good.

A correct album, but not standing up to comparison to its successor Befour, DF should wait until you’re sure you want more of Trinity works, and while bound to disappoint a little, DF still has its share of good moments.
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