"New Blood/No Sweat/More Than Ever" by BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS – October 1972, August 1973 and July 1976 Fifth, Sixth and Ninth Studio Albums on Columbia Records USA and CBS Records UK – featuring Jerry Fisher, David Clayton-Thomas, Steve Katz, Larry Willis, Jim Fielder, Bobby Colomby and guests Bob James, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken, Eris Weissberg, Patti Austin, Gwen Guthrie, Paul Buckmaster and more (November 2012 UK Beat Goes On Reissue – 3LPs onto 2CDs – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Heavy Blue..."

What you get here is studio album's five, six and nine from the once mighty Blood, Sweat & Tears - 1972, 1973 and 1976 on Columbia records USA and CBS Records in the UK. 

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. 

The big-throated and charismatic Spinning Wheel Canadian Clayton-Thomas had steered the American band through two Number 1 LPs - "Blood, Sweat & Tears" in 1969 and "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" in 1970. Their next "B, S & T 4" achieved a very healthy Number 10 peak on the US LP charts after release in July 1971. Along with the Al Kooper based debut "Child Is Father To The Man" in 1968 (peaked at a more modest No. 47, but still hugely influential) - these were all groundbreaking genre-hopping Rock-Soul and Jazz-Rock albums (with Prog elements thrown in) and were hugely popular just about everywhere. 

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)

9. Roller Coaster [Side 1]
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) 

CD2 (58:48 minutes):
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) 

7. They [Side 1]
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)

The outer card slipcase is always a classy touch with these BGO reissues and with loads of inner sleeves, lyric inserts, band photos and huge amounts of session details - it's hardly surprising that repro'ing all that original artwork has made the booklet a chunky 24-page affair. The new liner notes from Mojo and Record Collector contributor CHARLES WARING does a typically in-depth job on all three records - while the ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters (licensed from Sony) sound amazing - clean, clear and full of musicianship detail. The problems however start when you begin the listen. 

Fisher was a good vocalist; but he was definitely no David Clayton-Thomas and song after song suffers from dull workmanlike delivery. But worse is the lack of actual tunes to like. As "New Blood" opens with an immaculate Brass-arranged-intro to their cover of Dylan's "Down In The Flood" - Steve Katz just about livens proceedings up with his Harmonica playing. But when you get to the Tony Randazzo and Victoria Pile song "Touch Me" or the dreadful "Velvet" sung by Jeff Kent (who hasn't got a voice) and the LP's faults start to become obvious. Despite the gorgeous Production values, despite the impressive playing of Georg Wadenius on Guitar or Dave Bargeron on Trombones or Lon Marini, Jr. on his fleet of Saxophones – few songs genuinely move you or even have hit-single potential. 

Blood, Sweat and Tears go Funk with a capitol Unk for "Alone" – but they chuck away that upbeat moment with dreck like the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill ballad "So Long Dixie" - a boring mope steeped in cheesy bourbon images. They try to go ever so slightly Prog on the eleven-minute double cover version that ends the album - Carole King with The City and her "Snow Queen" segueing into Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage". But it just bores and if you know the Goffin/King original of "Snow Queen" from The City's lone album "Now That Everything's Been Said" (1969 on Ode Records, 2015 Light In The Attic Records CD reissue - see my review) - then you will realise just how badly they hammed up a gorgeous tune.

LP number two employs String arranger supreme Paul Buckmaster and some big names in Backing Vocalists (Valerie Simpson, Maeretha Stewart) – but again my ears go to the instrumentals like "Django (An Excerpt)" with Larry Willis or "Song For John" with Lou Marini, Jr. and his beautiful sax solo to (a) get away from the lifeless vocals and hammy lyrics and (b) to be genuinely excited. "Almost Sorry" starts out as a ballad before ripping into a defiantly funky groove where the band we once loved actually sound like they are on to something – unlike the rest of the album. 

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...