Andrew Stiller wrote:
On Aug 2, 2008, at 3:45 PM, John Howell wrote:
BS&T ... debuted in November '67, reformed in their best-known
configuration with David Clayton-Thomas in '69, and have bumbled along
to the present day like so many other bands, with constant changes in
personnel and concept.
The 1976 _Encyclopedia of Rock_ is not kind. It says, in part,
"Commercial success grew by leaps and bounds, as did charges of
pretentiousness. By 1970, most of the group's original audience was
gone, replaced by the sort of man who picks his mood music by scanning
the _Playboy_ Jazz and Pop poll." It does, though, give them credit for
being "one of the first rock bands with a full horn section," and
therefore "one of the most influential groups ever."
One of the original thinks that Kooper did when he built the original
BS&T was to have a rhythm section made up of rockers, with a horn
section made up of jazz players. That added significantly to the unique
sound of the band. But bands with horn sections were nothing new even
then - it was just that *successful* bands with horn sections were rare.
BS&T, Chicago, and the Tower of Power all came from about the same
time, all from different directions, and all from backgrounds with a
rich heritage in horn bands.
Yah, BS&T got very commercial, but not as commercial as Chicago. They
also changed over the entire band several times, not usually for the
better. Just goes to show what happens when you lose sight of the
original goals, IMO.
cd
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