Graham Bond with Magick
"We Put Our Magick on You" 1971
CRUD CRUD:
Poor Graham Bond. The man was a musical wizz, though in the US, he is known only by those who turned onto him back in the 1960s or music freaks. And, even then, his name brings to mind his endless appetite for drugs, his devotion to Aleister Crowley (to the point where he was claiming to be the Great Beast's son), his erratic behavior (he was most likely bipolar), and his suicide (underneath the wheels of a train). 'Tis not fair. Graham was an innovator and inventor and one hell of a keyboard player. His Graham Bond Organisation was the rawest of the 60s Brit blues rock groups and their records are well worth looking for. We was a member of Ginger Baker's Air Force. He played with countless greats. In fact, it would take someone like Pete Frame to really do Bond justice or better yet a site dedicated to Bond.
The two songs here come from Bond's neglected We Put Our Magick on You LP, a record he made with the band Magick, featuring his wife Diane Stewart and African percussionist Gaspar Lawal. While all the songs on the album have mystical, magical or Crowleyite lyrical themes to them, there is nothing mystical or trippy about the music. Bond plays hard blues rock and funk. Forbidden Fruit is a raging funk jam as good as any Jimmy McGriff or Booker T. Ajama, sung and written by Gaspar Lawal, does Afro-funk gritty enough to be passed off as Afrobeat. And there are other goodies on this record, but I am gonna let you dig for them.
CRUD CRUD:Poor Graham Bond. The man was a musical wizz, though in the US, he is known only by those who turned onto him back in the 1960s or music freaks. And, even then, his name brings to mind his endless appetite for drugs, his devotion to Aleister Crowley (to the point where he was claiming to be the Great Beast's son), his erratic behavior (he was most likely bipolar), and his suicide (underneath the wheels of a train). 'Tis not fair. Graham was an innovator and inventor and one hell of a keyboard player. His Graham Bond Organisation was the rawest of the 60s Brit blues rock groups and their records are well worth looking for. We was a member of Ginger Baker's Air Force. He played with countless greats. In fact, it would take someone like Pete Frame to really do Bond justice or better yet a site dedicated to Bond.
The two songs here come from Bond's neglected We Put Our Magick on You LP, a record he made with the band Magick, featuring his wife Diane Stewart and African percussionist Gaspar Lawal. While all the songs on the album have mystical, magical or Crowleyite lyrical themes to them, there is nothing mystical or trippy about the music. Bond plays hard blues rock and funk. Forbidden Fruit is a raging funk jam as good as any Jimmy McGriff or Booker T. Ajama, sung and written by Gaspar Lawal, does Afro-funk gritty enough to be passed off as Afrobeat. And there are other goodies on this record, but I am gonna let you dig for them.
posted by Lizardson at 9:42 PM
5 Comments:
GREAT MAGICK ALBUM.THANKS
This cover 'jumped out at me' because I remember seeing it 35 years ago and then not since.
I had been meaning to give it a listen at least. Thanks for providing the opportunity, Sir Lizardson.
I've listened to it now, and its my favourite Graham Bond album. Great playing, great R&B grooves, he rocks like an English Ray Charles. Fantastic.
Wow. I have been looking for this for SO long - thank you very much for sharing it.
I'm also eager to hear the two American 'Pulsar' albums "Love Is The Law"/"Mighty Grahame Bond", if you ever run across them...
Thanks again.
I have no idea how I missed this two years ago...strange things happen...I have literally been looking for this for many years...and have only been hearing it in my head since oh, about 1987.
Seriously. So THANK YOU doesn't seem like enough!
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