Over the years I have massed a large music collection. Although the genre definitely leans toward blues/ rock there is a good representation of pop.  Occasionally, I will highlight some of my gems from the collection in these posts.

Today’s Album – Blues Image by Blues Image

Founded in Florida in 1966 this bands first album was released on Atco records in 1969.  It did not sell well and I picked up a copy from the bargain  bin in 1970.

I was not expecting anything spectacular, the album did not break 100 on the billboard album chart and had no hits.   What a sweet find though, the music simply blew me away.  From jazzy blues to rockin out I found all the tracks strongly appealing.

“Lazy Day Blues ” was a particular standout for me but there are no filler tracks on this album.  Although the All Music Guide rating is only 3.5 stars out of 5 this is a case where I am out of sync with the critics.   The album gets a 5 from me.

There is a really fresh infusion of latin rythms, sharp lyrics (for the time period) and mellow vocals.  The is a blues rock band copying many English blues rockers of the time but with a musical twist.

The band had a breakout hit on their second album “Ride Captain Ride” which lyrically was very much in tune with the youth culture of late 1969 and early 1970.

Sadly though, this terrific group of musicians was a one hit wonder and following personal changes and a lackluster third album faded away to the oldies circut.

If you can find a copy or download it digitally (and it might be hard to do) I strongly recommend giving this album a spin.