Genre: rock
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Buzzy Linhart Is Music
Company: Kama Sutra
Catalog: KSBS-2042
Year: 1971
Country/State: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: double LP, gatefold sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4817
Price: $20.00
Cost: $1.00
I occasionally go to a community yard sale in my neighborhood and there's a guy who sells records. I always look through what he's selling and usually pick up a couple of interesting items. Well, this was an album that I looked at for at least two years but never purchased. I know I asked the seller what it sounded like on a couple of occasions, but he'd never listened to it and couldn't tell me what it sounded like and since I didn't know much about Linhart I routinely passed on it. Well I finally succumbed to curiosity and I'm here to tell you that for a guy best known for playing vibes this is a surprisingly good rock album.
1971's "Music" was originally released on Artie Kornfeld's Buddah affiliated Eleuthera Records (catalog ELS 3601). Unfortunately the label collapsed after releasing two album (an album by the late Bert Sommer and this one), leaving Buddah/Kama Sutra to pick it up and re-issue it as "Buzzy Linhart Is Music". From a marketing perspective that wasn't exactly great timing since the album came out almost simultaneously with Linhart's solo debut "The Time To Live Is Now". As I said before, for a guy best know for playing vibes, the collection is surprisingly impressive. Linhart had a nice voice that was versatile enough to handle everything from folk-rock to bluesy numbers and even harder-rock oriented material. Starting out with an energetic bluesy cover of long time friend Fred Neil's "That's the Bag I'm In", Linhart and company (with cameos by the likes of David Bromberg and keyboardist Mark Klingman), effortlessly plowed their way through a thoroughly attractive and commercial set of pop and rock numbers. The entire first side is great, with the original 'Talk About A Morning' displaying every ingredient necessary for a top-10 hit. Other highlights included his cover of friend Tim Hardin's Yellow Cab'', the bizarre Indian influenced largely instrumental 'Sing Joy' and the psychedelic closer 'End Song'. Mind you the set isn't perfect. Linhart's penchant for scat singing (or vamping) is nothing less than irritating and he does a lot of it. Elsewhere Kama Sutra released 'Talk About a Morning' b/w 'Kilptrick's Defeat' (Kama Sutra catalog number KS-526) as an instantly forgotten single. Not life changing, but well worth tracking down since you can still find an affordable copy ...
"Buzzy
Linhart Is Music" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) That's The Bag I'm In (Fred Neil) -
2.) You Got A Reputation
3.) Time To Go
4.) Talk About A Morning
(side
2)
1.) If You Love Me (Buzzy
Linhart) - 3:49
2.) Everybody's Got (Buzzy Linhart) - 1:27
3.) Don't You Know (Buzzy Linhart) - 1:38
4.) Mother's Red Light (Buzzy Linhart) 4:22
5.) Kilpatrick's Defeat (Mark Klingman - Gayle) - 4:22
6.) Searchin' (JerryLieber - Mike Stoller) - 5:36
(side 3)
1.) Yellow Cab (Tim Hardin) - 4:27
2.) Willie Jean (Drew) - 10:38
3.) Step Into My Wildest Dreams (Buzzy Linhart) - 5:32
4.) Wish I Could Find (Buzzy Linhart) - 3:18
(side 4)
1.) Sing Joy (Buzzy Linhart) - 18:36
2.)
End Song (Buzzy Linhart) -
3:04