Genre: rock
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Is This What You Want?
Company: Apple
Catalog: ST-3354
Year: 1969
Country/State: Wallsey, Merseyside, UK
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: original insert
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4250
Price: $35.00
Cost: $15.00
Jackie Lomax is an interesting character. In many ways he's the perfect example of a rock journeyman. He's certainly talented and over some four plus decades he's accumulated a rather substantial recording catalog (both as a solo act and as a member of numerous bands). He has a host of admirers (mostly inside the music business) and he's occasionally come very close to enjoying popular and commercial success. Still, the emphasis is on close ...
By the time Lomax was in his teens he'd been in a number of bands, including handling rhythm guitar for Dee and the Dynamites and starting in 1962 playing bass and handling lead vocals for the Liverpool-based The Undertakers. The Undertakers lasted until 1964 at which point Lomax briefly moved to the States before returning to England where he and former Undertakers alumni Bugs Pemberton formed the R&B-oriented The Lost Souls. The Souls caught the attention of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, quickly metamorphosing into the cleverly-titled Lomax Alliance. Unfortunately with Epstein's untimely death the Alliance lost its chief supporter and quickly collapsed. Lomax returned the States, but within a returned to England again when George Harrison expressed interest in working with him.
By 1969 Lomax was already a seasoned musical veteran which makes it slightly ironic that today he's largely known as the first act signed by The Beatles to their fledgling Apple Records label.
Produced by Harrison, 1969's "Is This What You Want?" is at best a mixed success. As you'd suspect, working with The Beatles was both an honor and a risk. In this instance most of the media attention surrounding the LP went to the set's one non-original - Harrison's "Sour Sea Milk". To be honest, the rocker wasn't all that impressive (nice little Harrison solo), but then neither were most of Lomax's 11 songs. Musically the set was divided into up tempo pieces such as "Speak To Me" and "How Can You Say Goodbye" that bore a passing resemblance to Harrison's work with Bonnie and Delaney. To us the album's biggest surprise here is Lomax's voice. Quite an impressive R&B-styled vocalist with The Undertakers and The Lomax Alliance, here his performances frequently sound fragile and strained. Lomax's vocal limitations are particularly noticeable on blue-eyed soul performances such as the title track (which recalls The Beatles own "Come Together") and the ballad "Fall Inside Your Eyes". On the latter he's pushed hard to simply stay in tune. Elsewhere the set was notable for boasting one of the year's more impressive supporting casts. Besides Harrison, the LP sported cameos from Eric Clapton, Nicky Hopkins, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman. Not a bad assortment of friends and supporters.
"Is This What You Want" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Speak To Me Now (Jackie Lomax) -
2.) Is This What You Want? (Jackie Lomax) -
3.) How Can You Say Goodbye (Jackie Lomax) -
4.) Sunset (Jackie Lomax) -
5.) Sour Milk Sea (George Harrison) -
6.) Fall Inside Your Eyes (Jackie Lomax) -
(side 2)
1.) Little Yellow Pill (Jackie Lomax) -
2.) Take My Word (Jackie Lomax) -
3.) The Eagle Laughs At You (Jackie Lomax) -
4.) Baby You're a Lover (Jackie Lomax) -
5.) You Got Me Thinking (Jackie Lomax) -
6.) I Just Don't Know (Jackie Lomax) -
