Brian Auger inhabits a unique position within British music. Essentially a highly regarded and talented modern jazz musician, he paid the critical price for crossing over into the pop charts, and eventually migrated to America where he felt his wide-ranging approach would be better understood and appreciated.
Straddling jazz, rhythm & blues, folk, gospel and pop with great aplomb, it may have confused the less open-minded of the time, and may still be causing some confusion all these years later. Brian's stated intention had always been to overlay souland funk rhythms with jazz harmonies and solos and all three of these recording are packed with this very individual approach.
Definitely What! (1968) was Auger's first solo recording and his unique keyboard skills and offbeat humour are apparent throughout. ''George Bruno Money'' illustrates this brilliantly. Brian's Jimmy Smith jazz approach sits alongside that mildly camp Goons-like humour so in vogue at the time. This is the broad-minded musical attitude that really led to fusion or jazz-rock.
Leave your 60s-based prejudices at the door and get a dose of musical free thinking!
by Greg Boraman, 2004
Tracks
1. A Day In The Life (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 5:16
2. George Bruno Money (Brian Auger) - 3:59
3. Far Horizon (Brian Auger) - 5:10
4. John Brown's Body (Traditional) - 3:01
5. Red Beans And Rice (Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper) - 5:43
6. Bumpin' On Sunset (Wes Montgomery) - 4:57
7. If You Live (Mose Allison) - 3:50
8. Definiely What (Brian Auger, Clive Thacker, David Ambrose) - 8:06
9. Misty (Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke) - 1:48
10.Il Gatto Nero (Brian Auger) - 3:08
11.As She Knows (David Ambrose) - 3:35
12.What You Gonna Do (Brian Auger) - 3:22
13.Red Beans And Rice Part 1 (Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper) - 2:11
14.Red Beans And Rice Part 2 (Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper) - 2:48
15.If You Live (Mose Allison) - 5:24
16.Season Of The Witch (Donovan Leitch) - 4:10
17.This Wheel's On Fire (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) - 4:14
18.Save Me (Aretha Franklin, Carolyn Franklin, King Curtis) - 4:08
Musicians
*Brian Auger - Electric Organ, Piano, Electric Piano, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
*Rick Laird - String Bass
*Phil Kinorra - Drums
*Vic Briggs - Guitar
*Ricky Brown “Ricky Fenson” - Bass
*Micky Waller - Drums
*Gary Boyle - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
*Roger Sutton - Bass
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Clive Thacker - Drums
*Dave Ambrose - Bass, Backing Vocals
1970 Brian Auger And The Trinity - Befour (SHM 2013 remaster with extra tracks)
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
1970 Brian Auger's Oblivion Express (2013 Japan SHM edition)
1971 A Better Land (2006 japan remaster)
1972 Second Wind (2006 japan remaster)
1973 Closer To It (2006 japan remaster)
With Julie Driscoll
1967 Open (2013 Japan SHM)
1970 Streetnoise (2014 SHM)
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