Showing posts with label hard rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hard rock. Show all posts

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Jeff Sturges and Universe


And now for something completely different! I have ripped and posted just about all of my postpunk rarities (i.e. out of print and not already served up on another blog), so for the time being I'm going to take a side journey into other odds and ends that fall outside of the stylistic tone of this blog to date. The first such oddity is the 1971 album by Jeff Sturges and Universe, a hard-rock big band recorded live at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Sturges is the arranger and conductor; the mammoth band he assembled comprised:
  • Trumpets: Bobby Shew (lead), Tommy Porrello, Jon Murakami, Rich Cooper, Derek Watkins
  • Trombones: Jim Trimble (lead), Bill Booth, Dan Trinter, Stan Nishamura (bass trombone)
  • Saxes: Archie Wheeler, Burt Esterman, Don Menza, John Phillips, Gary Freyman
  • French Horns: Art Maebe, Dick Perissi, Aubrey Bouck, Ralph Pollock
  • Lead Guitar: Dean Parks
  • Bass: Dennis Kelly, Don Baldwin
  • Organ, Electric Piano: Hal Stesch
  • Percussion: Roger Rampton
  • Congas, Bongos: Mike Lewis
  • Drums: Jimmy Manone

That's eighteen horns, mostly playing full blast; this record is anything but subtle. Apart from one Sturges original, all the tracks are covers, the most recognizable today being Mountain's "Mississippi Queen"; "bombastic" hardly begins to describe it. The full track list is:

  1. Junior Saw It Happen (Jim Pulte via the Steve Miller Band)
  2. Sin's a Good Man's Brother (Grand Funk Railroad)
  3. Never In My Life (Mountain)
  4. Clown (The Flock)
  5. Rice Pudding (Jeff Beck)
  6. Mississippi Queen (Mountain)
  7. Acid West (Sturges)
  8. Keep On Burnin' (credited to Ryan/Devers, Berwill Publishing... ???)

I can't find any information on whatever happened to Jeff Sturges after this, but if you like to rock out with horns turned up to eleven, he left a nice artifact for you to enjoy. My vinyl copy is in pretty sad shape, and while I did run a click removal on the whole recording, there is still noticeable surface noise. But for now it's the best (i.e. only) rip available, and hey, surface noise adds character! If someone puts up a better one, I will gladly redirect to that one. For now, get the vinyl rip here or here.