Samurai • Samurai (Greenwich, 1971)

In light of the two previous posts, I felt that I had better write about music, lest this becomes an obituary column.

Is there anything more despicable than Jazz Rock? Perhaps Adult Contemporary Western, but for me it's the later that somehow gets under my skin like a case of chem trail Morgellos. These days I find myself listening to bands that insist on using poly rhythms without a clear understanding of how. The results can either be brilliant, like the Hampton Grease Band, or unpleasant like The Web. It is from The Web's demise that Samurai formed. Shone of their terrible vocalist who must have had aspirations to be the next Engelbert Humperdink, the band adopted a Steely Dan / Hot Rats approach. While they don't get anywhere near the complexity of that type playing, the lack of break neck smarty pants musicianship becomes all the more rewarding.

Arrangements are allowed to breathe. The songs don't seemed composed to a state of still born. Best of all, just two tracks break the above five minute barrier. Most bands when they have a lengthy track, seem to forget how to end it. There's usually the pattern of funny time signature, followed by an amateurishly insightful lyric framing solos of epic proportions. Proving that just because you had taken music lessons, that everyone understands how a composition works. It's here that Samurai excel. having come from a pop band aggregation, the idea of song craft is up front. For all of their Prog leanings, you can actually hum a few tunes.

Esoteric Recordings have reissued this, their sole LP, along with the three previous recordings as The Web. Reading in the liner notes that the original vocalist left after the second Web LP, I may at some point buy it. I'd say avoid the first LP, based from the second LP. Yes, his voice is that bad...

Please click on the review title for selected track: Saving It Up For So Long