140. Blood, Sweat, and Tears — Blood, Sweat, and Tears (1969)

blood sweat tears and six other members too

1. This album is a blast, a jazzy rock and roll album that surprises at every turn. The second album by Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and the first after founding member Al Kooper left, it frequently reminds of everything from James Brown to The Weather Report and Jimmy Smith. The album bursts with soul, rhythm, and blues, a massive tonal shift from the last album we heard.
2. It’s also an album focused largely on covers, a concept that by 1969 feels outdated and frustrating. I want to hear more of what these guys had to offer themselves. Their cover of Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die” rocks, and they took a hell of a chance covering Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child.” Still, the centerpiece of the album is a 12 minute blues suite credited to the band by its name, rather than its members. “Blues, Pt 2” is a total departure from what surrounds it, a virtuoso spread of instrumentation. It’s clear there’s a mess of talent within this band. But sometimes it goes in a direction trying too hard to impress, as with the carnival sounds incorporated into “Spinning Wheel,” sending an otherwise fantastic tune off the rails a bit.
3. I don’t know that I’m going to return to this album frequently; it serves as a perfectly pleasant listen but no earworm. Hints of brilliance that don’t stick. Sadly, the band would lose all credibility in time after a Vegas cabaret run (look: it does sometimes recall Tom Jones). There was something great here. In the moment, listening to it, I really enjoy it. In the context of 1969, it feels like an aberration, an album that exists independent of time, not so much because it’s timeless as that it doesn’t have a place it belongs. Still: give it a shot, and I suspect you won’t be let down.

Next up: former members of The Byrds take a trip with the Flying Burrito Brothers.

One Essential Song:

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