Blood, Sweat & Tears

A band that I don't really know at all past recognizing their name. Don't think I can even name one song so I'm calling this one new to me.

First impression - this is like if Creedence tried to play jazz. There are elements to this that I like but it does sound very Creedence-y which is not a good thing for me. I think I like the music but the vocals are where I'm thrown off. Just something about the vocal quality and characteristics and the way the vocal lines are formed puts me off. But there is some great musicianship on this record for sure. Drums in particular are really good. All in all it had some fun parts but wasn't quite my thing 2.5/5

It wasn't bad, but it just got boring.

Really fun blend of rock & jazz

To start, this is an exceptionally well recorded album. Fantastic production and audio quality.

I appreciate the mix of brass and traditional rock instruments. Very cool fusion that reminds me of Chicago, who I also love. There's something about the lead singer's voice that really firmly anchors the music to the time period it's from. I'm not sure if that's because BS&T helped to set the tone of the era or it's just because of the way I think of and originally heard the music.

Blues PT. 2 was sort of a non-sequitur and didn't feel especially relevant to the rest of the album. I enjoyed the song (especially the Cream reference). The vocals done in the style of Janis Joplin were fun too.

3.75

Interesting. Lots of jazz but also vocals and stuff.

+1 for horns. I liked the songs with horns, the non horn songs were pretty bad.

I’ll be honest - I listened to this weeks ago and forgot to rate it. I have zero memory of it beyond that it sucked.

First thoughts were worry this would be instrumental. Thankfully not.
Reviewing the tracks it's mostly covers/reinterpretations.

Its fine, average rock with middling jazz. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

PS Abbey Road lost a Grammy to this. Wild.

I’m at a 5.

When an album just sounds THAT good, is there really that much to say? I’m a little strapped for time, so I won’t write a big soliloquy – this album just rocks. Incredible fidelity for 1968, even if the version on Spotify is probably a remaster of sorts; this is one of the first albums ever recorded on 16-track tape, so it really lends itself to some production tricks and layering that feel pretty damn ahead of the era (and showcasing that people were indeed just limited by the technology back then). They used those 16 tracks about as effectively as you could – the depth in the horns, the percussion (holy SHIT, the percussion), the flutes, the guitars, the harmonicas, the vocals, and pretty much everything here all fits snugly into the soundscape & it all sounds fantastic.

That sound quality wouldn’t necessarily mean jack if the songs themselves weren’t good, but thankfully, these are all REALLY good tracks, or at the very least, they’re so tightly performed that they have a natural charisma that overrides any kind of lyrical cheesiness & or anything else that might feel awkward. David Clayton-Thomas manages to channel the grit of a Bruce Springsteen, the passion of an Aretha Franklin, & the smooth charm of a Stevie Wonder throughout these tracks, and his voice is variable enough to fit all of the genres this goes through, whether it’s funkier, more of a gospel tone, jazzier, or just straight rock & roll. Hell, the album starts & ends with a take on a 19th century Erik Satie piece. The variety is really strong here, and it keeps everything on its toes.

I just enjoyed this a lot; it’s a breezy 45 minutes, and to my ears, I can vaguely hear the case for how this beat out Abbey Road for Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs. I still think Abbey Road is a better album, but this has a charm to it that just feels more casually appealing at times. At the very least, the instrumentals on this thing are a groovy, groovy killer. It’s a 5 for me, and probably a little higher. Very deserving to be on the list.

Prototype for “rock with horns”. Good album

Not bad per se but very unmemorable

Quadruple platinum, what the hell!? I guess this one really isn't for me. They seem accomplished enough at playing, and I like some of the musical bits (notably the brass explosions), but mostly it's just naff. I'm not drawn into any of this. It's incredibly boring.

Edit: I wrote the above before I'd gotten onto the fucking awful, drawn-out drum solo. That's got to be half a star off right there.

It starts with oooh variety and ends with... I'm kind of bored, we get it, you're good at musicking

This is like jazz rock crossed with 60's psychedelic rock. Quite interesting. Not bad at all.

Favorite songs: More and More, Spinning Wheel, And When I Die, Smiling Phases

Least favorite songs: Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie, "Blues, Pt. 2"

4/5

I fell asleep twice.

I just listened to this a mere day-and-a-half ago, yet I already forget what this album contains within it. I was admittedly expecting some amount of soft rock, not dissimilar to Chicago or the Eagles, but with a 60s flair, and I suppose I was sort of right on the Chicago aspect, but more in terms of their debut, rather than their later cheesy ballads. However, while Chicago's debut shines due to its loud big band backing atop surprisingly solid rock tracks and amazing guitar playing, this album comes off more like if the guys over at King Crimson wanted to make music for the Average Joe. Now, credit where credit is due, this is a year before both of those projects, but that doesn't make it worth sitting through. You get a couple solid pop-y tracks right before the tedious closer, Blues - Part II, leading it so the whole album just comes out extremely mediocre. The only thing really to note is that I only truly enjoyed the opener and closer, as I'd forgotten about Gymnopedie, and this was a nice reminder.

So...many...cheesy 60s cliches. The word cheesy kept coming to mind with almost every song. Particularly cheesy: Sometimes in Winter (cheesy music, cheesy lyrics), And When I Die (sounds like a cheesy Broadway track), You've Made Me So Very Happy (oh, so cheesy), and the cheesy horns in Blues Part II during Sunshine of Your Love. Rare exceptions: Spinning Wheel (except for the cheesy last minute, but the verses have a cool funky groove), God Bless the Child (good because the song is good, but there are much better versions out there). More and More was borderline...it has potential, but I think I was just too cheesed out. I hoped the album would get better as I listened a few times, but nope.

I enjoy the earnestness with which the singer does his thing. The music is good. I can never tell if they're lampooning the Elvis/Vegas/Tony Bennett thing or if they're serious?

Nunca los había escuchado. Suenan muy bien. El arranque me ha encantado y también me he guardado su canción más escuchada "Spinning wheel". Interesante conocer este tipo de bandas gracias a esta web.

Wow. Spinning Wheel is ok on is own, I guess, but it is not enough to lift this bloated ponderous mess into anything I ever want to listen to again. Cheesy vocals, often sounds self-important. Then turns to instrumental jazz at the end. It’s a mish mash of styles and sounds I enjoy. Part of me feels like they deserve two stars because there is clearly good musicianship on here. But I really suffered through it, and it was long dragged out enough at the end to annoy me to the point of only giving it one star.