The End Of Blood, Sweat, & Tears?

[GA Russell]

1) I saw Clayton-Thomas and BST in 1985 in suburban Atlanta. He sounded terrific! His voice was lower than on the records. None of the band members had been on any of the records to my knowledge.

2) One of my favorite albums is a BST album done for ABC call Brand New Day. It has Don't Explain on it. I don't think it has ever been released on CD.

3) I have the in-concert CD with Larry Willis. It's called Live & Improvised. It was a double CD released by Columbia Legacy. I got it in 1991, and I think it hadn't been out long then.

[SGUD missile]

The only "old" horn bands that still sound up to par are EW&F and TofP ..

heard 'em both withing the last year ..and they BOTH burn just like the 70s were still here!!!

[chris olivarez]

After the second album I lost interest in BS&T.

[JSngry]

3 was pretty horrid, but 4 was very nice.

After that, all bets are off.

[Dave James]

Anyone out there remember The Sons of Champlin? They had some pretty serviceable horn arrangements in some of their stuff. Another of the many Bay Area bands like In Cold Blood, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks or Pacific Gas & Electric that had some serious chops but still flew under the radar for most of their careers.

One quick plug for Chicago, but when they were known Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA. Their first album, the one with I'm A Man and 25 or 6 to 4, flat out smoked. After that, not even worth listening to, at least IMO.

Up over and out.

[TedR]

Except on BST 3 there is a song called "Something's Coming On", a Joe Cocker tune I believe. It has a sudden tenor sax/walking bass break that, at the time i thought screwed up the song. But that break is what got me listening to jazz. I still think it sounds good.

I also have a soft spot for Chicago Transit Authority (the first album). It blasted me out of my Herb Alpert and the Tijuanu Brass rut.

[chris olivarez]

Anyone out there remember The Sons of Champlin? They had some pretty serviceable horn arrangements in some of their stuff. Another of the many Bay Area bands like In Cold Blood, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks or Pacific Gas & Electric that had some serious chops but still flew under the radar for most of their careers.

One quick plug for Chicago, but when they were known Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA. Their first album, the one with I'm A Man and 25 or 6 to 4, flat out smoked. After that, not even worth listening to, at least IMO.

Up over and out.

Dave the Sons of Champlin have been actively recording in the last few years plus some of their stuff has been reissued I think I'll check it out.

I saw Chicago when they were CTA at the Arizona State Fair for 50 cents. Paid the same price for Deep Purple at the fair-YOW!!!!

[SGUD missile]

Anyone out there remember The Sons of Champlin? They had some pretty serviceable horn arrangements in some of their stuff. Another of the many Bay Area bands like In Cold Blood, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks or Pacific Gas & Electric that had some serious chops but still flew under the radar for most of their careers.

Sspeaking of seminal horn bands:

Dreams :..Breckers +Sanborn + Barry Rogers + Don Grolnik etc ..

and then there was Ten Wheel Drive ..and Chase ..

[chris olivarez]

Anyone  out there remember The Sons of Champlin?  They had some pretty serviceable  horn arrangements in some of their stuff.  Another of the many Bay Area bands like In Cold Blood, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks or Pacific Gas & Electric that had some serious chops but still flew under the radar for most of their careers.

Sspeaking of seminal horn bands:

Dreams :..Breckers +Sanborn + Barry Rogers + Don Grolnik etc ..

and then there was Ten Wheel Drive ..and Chase ..

Yes indeed.

[Ron S]

I went to see B,S, & T in 1975 at the legendary (notorious?) Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ. There was hardly anyone in the place (a large room similar to those in the big Vegas hotels). David Clayton Thomas sang ONE SONG, and then left the stage. The band then made the excuse that he had a sore throat and couldn't continue to sing, and they then performed maybe 3 or 4 more songs without him before ending the show. The few of us in the audience felt supremely jipped, and had the feeling that David and the band were just disgusted at the poor turnout. So, even by 1975, they were already on the skids.

[GA Russell]

I forgot to mention last month that David Clayton-Thomas and Blood, Sweat & Tears were touring with Orleans (remember them?), and they visited Raleigh about four weeks ago.

I heard the advertisement for the show on the radio.

[medjuck]

thanks got. bst is the worst band ever. they make even CHICAGO look like the beatles. even frank zappa used to make fun of them all the time in his shows

I interviewed Zappa in a green room his band was sharing with BST. He had just heard CTA and was very excited that there were two other bands using horns. He was telling the BST guys about CTA and joked that the two other bands should do a gig with the Mothers and they'd all get on stage together to have a really big band with lots of horns.

[mikeweil]

They should have added The Flock - now that was a wild bunch! I could live without any BS&T or Chicago album, but would keep The Flock ... they were much closer to Zappa than the other two.

[JSngry]

I forgot to mention last month that David Clayton-Thomas and Blood, Sweat & Tears were touring with Orleans (remember them?), and they visited Raleigh about four weeks ago.

So...they (BS&T) have reformed again?

Oh my yes - they're booked for the whole year!

http://www.bloodsweatandtears.com/tour.html

3 DOG IS BETTER THAN BST

...IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN CHUCK NEGRON 'BROKE' HIS PENIS BECAUSE HE DID SO MANY CHICKS ON THE ROAD

From: http://www.bloodsweatandtears.com/bio.html

What’s on tap for 2009?

More shows all over the world and some package shows with our good friend Chuck Negron.

[Ted O'Reilly]

The current band is sans what I think was its signature voice, David Clayton Thomas. He is currently trying to convince people he's a jazz singer. He isn't.

[GA Russell]

Thanks Ted! I guess I shouldn't have assumed.

PS - I don't see the Raleigh date listed on Jim's link. Maybe the show was cancelled.

Edited September 18, 2010 by GA Russell

[mikeweil]

The current band is sans what I think was its signature voice, David Clayton Thomas.  He is currently trying to convince people he's a jazz singer.  He isn't.

The one thing I never liked about BS&T was the singers - except for founder Al Kooper, because he didn't take himself so damn serious.

[marcello]

They should have added The Flock - now that was a wild bunch! I could live without any BS&T or Chicago album, but would keep The Flock ... they were much closer to Zappa than the other two.

I saw The Flock once. I don't remember a singer, though.

Jerry Goodman on violin.

[Alexander]

I like the first (Al Kooper) BST album quite a lot. I also like the self-titled second album (the one where Clayton Thomas took over as lead vocalist). In many ways, the second album is more jazz influenced than the first. You just have to listen to the WHOLE album, and not just the three or four singles that got played to death on oldies radio.

[GA Russell]

I had the one with Go Down Gamblin' on it from 1971. Was that #3 or #4?

[JSngry]

# 4.

Produced by Don Heckman, of all people!

And imo, it had by far and away the most interesting arrangements and concepts of the first group of DCT-fronted albums.

[felser]

Quick couple of thoughts:

1 - I really like the first two Chicago albums and the first two BST albums, especially the first one by each.

2 - England had some great horn bands. My favorite was If, with Dick Morrissey and an excellent guitarist named Terry Smith. They made some fine albums. I also really liked another one, more obscure, called The Greatest Show On Earth.

3 - It was a wonderful time with jazz and rock and pop mixing together seeking something new. Columbia marketing Soft Machine III as a pop album was incredible in retrospect.

[Teasing the Korean]

Every version of "Spinning Wheel" is brilliant EXCEPT for the version by the dreaded BS&T.

There is something very subversive about "rock" music being played by aging easy listening/jazz artists that sweaty hippies can never achieve.

Screw BS&T. I want to hear Peggy Lee's version.

[GA Russell]

Thanks, Jim!

[Stereojack]

Every version of "Spinning Wheel" is brilliant EXCEPT for the version by the dreaded BS&T.

There is something very subversive about "rock" music being played by aging easy listening/jazz artists that sweaty hippies can never achieve.

Screw BS&T. I want to hear Peggy Lee's version.

Except that the song was written by David Clayton Thomas.