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Fresh-faced and thrown in at the very deep end, replacement Lead Vocalist Jerry Fisher had big shoes to fill on the appropriately titled "New Blood" record. Preceding lungs-man and sometimes songwriter David Clayton-Thomas had left for a solo career after the "B, S & T 4" album in the autumn of 1971.
But common knowledge was showing that the band's heyday/winning streak might already have been over by the time Clayton-Thomas left in 1971. His solo career encompassing 1972 and 1973 on Columbia and RCA Victor Records is dealt with by Beat Goes On/BGO in another 3LPs onto 2CDs set of Remasters from August 2020 (see Barcode 501726121424 for my separate review). But his bid for solo stardom floundered and the big man found himself back with the band that made him for 1976's "More Than Ever" – their ninth studio album for Columbia/CBS and their last to chart Stateside (albeit in the lower reaches of the US Top 200). And that's where this dinky little twofer comes roaring in. Here is the heavy blue...
UK released 16 November 2012 (20 September 2012 in the USA) - "New Blood/No Sweat/More Than Ever" by BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1074 (Barcode 5017261210746) offers 3 Albums Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:
CD1 (62: 40 minutes):
1. Down In The Flood [Side 1]
2. Touch Me
3. Alone
4. Velvet
5. I Can't Move No Mountains [Side 2]
6. Over The Hill
7. So Long Dixie
8. Snow Queen / Maiden Voyage
Tracks 1 to 8 are their fifth studio album "New Blood" - released October 1972 in the USA on Columbia KC 31780 and October 1972 in the UK on CBS Records S 65252. Produced by BOBBY COLOMBY (with Bill Schnee and Joel Sill on Tracks 2 and 4) - it peaked at No. 32 in the USA (didn't chart UK)
10. Save Our Ship
11. Django (An Excerpt)
12. Rosemary
13. Song For John
14. Almost Sorry
Tracks 9 to 14 are Side 1 of their sixth studio album "No Sweat" - released August 1973 in the USA on Columbia KC 32180 and August 1973 in the UK on CBS Records S 65275. Produced by STEVE TYRELL - it peaked at No. 72 in the USA (didn't chart UK)
1. Back Up Against The Wall [Side 2]
2. Hip Pickles
3. My Old Lady
4. Empty Pages
5. Mary Miles
6. Inner Crisis
Tracks 1 to 6 are Side 2 of their sixth studio album "No Sweat" - released August 1973 in the USA on Columbia KC 32180 and August 1973 in the UK on CBS Records S 65275. Produced by STEVE TYRELL - it peaked at No. 72 in the USA (didn't chart UK)
8. I Love You More Than Ever
9. Katy Bell
10. Sweet Sadie the Savior
11. Hollywood [Side 2]
12. You're The One
13. Heavy Blue
14. Saved By The Grace Of Your Love
Tracks 7 to 14 are their ninth studio album "More Than Ever" - released July 1976 in the USA on Columbia PC 34233 and August 1976 in the UK on CBS Records S 81465. Produced by BOB JAMES - it peaked at No. 165 in the USA (didn't chart UK)
Probably sensing the huge changes not just in Soul but Rock brought on by crossover music like Jazz Funk - not only did ace vocalist David Clayton-Thomas return for "More Than Ever" - but the band employed a virtual who's who of sessionmen to Funk-up proceedings. Bob James (played and produced), Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Patti Austin and Gwen Guthrie lent their talents - and bringing up the traditionalist rear were Hugh McCracken on Guitars, Eric Weissberg on Banjo and many more besides.
In 1976, every band was reacting to Funk, Soul and the emerging Disco scene. DC-T came to the party with three in the shape of "They", a co-write with Warren 'Smithy' Smith who heated and Soulified up DC-T's second album on Columbia Records "Tequila Sunrise", a co-write with The Meters and Smithy on "Hollywood" and finally the mellow-nice vibe behind "You're The One" - said by some to have had the input of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
"Katy Bell" is a not entirely successful jazzed-up reinterpretation of an old Stephen Foster song while Patti Austin's "Sweet Sadie The Savior" talks of her heroine making grown men cry and preachers reassessing the meaning of saving souls. But my poison is the instrumental "Heavy Blue" by Larry Willis - a fabulous slice of mid Seventies Boz Scaggs-like Funk without the vocals. I've put this forgotten 'funky funky' nugget on many CD-R compilations highlighting mostly unknown Rock on a Soulful tip. For me, album three, "More Than Ever" (despite that strange label artwork) - saves the day.
What you have here are three-star albums pumped up to a BGO four-star reissue by classy presentation and fab audio. Blood, Sweat & Tears fans will have to own BGOCD1074, while those who like their Rock instrumentals on the Soul/Funky side, might want to check out those hidden nuggets between the shiny new digital grooves...
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