Brian Auger's Oblivion Express

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	A Better Land New - LP - LSP 4540 Sealed 1971 Gatefold Original. Saw Cut. “Whereas Brian Auger Had Taken The Lion's Share Of Composing Responsibility On The Deft, Labyrinthine, Jazz-Rock Debut Album By The Oblivion Express, Guitarist Jim Mullen Steps Up To The Plate In A Big Way Here, Writing Or Co-Writing Seven Of A Better Land's Nine Tracks, And Arranging "Marai's Wedding," A Traditional Tune. Auger Wrote Just One, "Tomorrow City," And Co-Wrote Two With Mullen. The Feel And Vibe Of The Record Is Almost A Mirror Image Of Its Predecessor From Earlier In 1971. Mullen Composed On The Guitar, Therefore, The Languid, Sparer Approach To Harmony Is Everywhere Apparent. But It's The Songs Themselves, With Their Lush Use Of Acoustic Guitars, Country Music Melodies, And Early Rock Tropes, Such As On "Dawn Of Another Day," The Band-Inspired "Trouble," And The Ethereal Melody Of "Women Of The Seasons." There Is Also A Pair Of Tracks Here Written With Future AWB Boss Alan Gorrie. The Lilting Jazz In The Lead Is Countered With Infectious Pop Hooks. On The Auger Tunes, "Fill Your Head With Laughter," And "Tomorrow City," R&B Is At Their Hearts. A Better Land Is One Of The More Enduring Pop Records From The Era, With Its Ultra-Sophisticated Compositioning And Arrangement Skills. It's As If The Oblivion Express Wanted To Reveal Themselves As Capable Of Anything, Which, Of Course, They Were. This Is A Fantastic Place To Start Any Brian Auger Collection.” – Thom Jurek, All Music Guide. more
	Brian Auger's Oblivion Express Used - LP - LSP 4462 1971 Original With Shrink Still Intact. “The First Outing By Brian Auger's Jazz-Rock Ensemble The Oblivion Express, First Issued In 1971, Is One Of The Great Masterpieces Of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Auger, Having Just Disbanded His Longtime Band The Trinity In 1970, Still Had Plenty Of Rock And Roll In His System. His Yearning For The Open Frontiers Of Electric Jazz Was Certainly The Driving Force -- In The Same Way That It Was For Miles Davis On A Tribute To Jack Johnson, And Lifetime Was For Tony Williams -- But It Was Anchored In The Visceral Application Of Rock. With Guitarist Jim Mullen, Bassist Barry Dean, And Drummer Robbie Mcintosh, Auger Charted Into The Unknown. This Album Fits Like A Glove, Each Tune Moving Ever Forward Into The Next. From The Opening Knotty, Rhythmic Twists In "Dragon Song," To The Subterranean Counterpoint In "Total Eclipse," To The Band's Theme Song That Closes The Album With Its Pumping Bass And Guitar Interludes, And Auger's Lemmy Kilmister-Like Vocals, Oblivion Express Is A Classic In Its Genre. There Is A Rawness In Passion And Intent Here That Is Balanced By Wondrously Imaginative Arrangements For Rock Band Instrumentation, And An Aesthetic That Is Disciplined And Visionary.” – Thom Jurek, AMG more
	Brian Auger's Oblivion Express New - LP - LSP 4462 Factory Sealed 1971 Original. Top Cover Edge Cat-Scratched., Hence Price. “The First Outing By Brian Auger's Jazz-Rock Ensemble The Oblivion Express, First Issued In 1971, Is One Of The Great Masterpieces Of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Auger, Having Just Disbanded His Longtime Band The Trinity In 1970, Still Had Plenty Of Rock And Roll In His System. His Yearning For The Open Frontiers Of Electric Jazz Was Certainly The Driving Force -- In The Same Way That It Was For Miles Davis On A Tribute To Jack Johnson, And Lifetime Was For Tony Williams -- But It Was Anchored In The Visceral Application Of Rock. With Guitarist Jim Mullen, Bassist Barry Dean, And Drummer Robbie Mcintosh, Auger Charted Into The Unknown. This Album Fits Like A Glove, Each Tune Moving Ever Forward Into The Next. From The Opening Knotty, Rhythmic Twists In "Dragon Song," To The Subterranean Counterpoint In "Total Eclipse," To The Band's Theme Song That Closes The Album With Its Pumping Bass And Guitar Interludes, And Auger's Lemmy Kilmister-Like Vocals, Oblivion Express Is A Classic In Its Genre. There Is A Rawness In Passion And Intent Here That Is Balanced By Wondrously Imaginative Arrangements For Rock Band Instrumentation, And An Aesthetic That Is Disciplined And Visionary.” – Thom Jurek, AMG more
	Closer To It New - LP - APL1-0140 Sealed 1973 Original With "Not For Sale. Demonstration" Gold Stamp On Back Of Cover. Includes The Killer "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend," "Compared To What," "Inner City Blues" And More. One Of The Finest Examples Of Early Jazz Fusion And Almost Impossible To Find Sealed. Very Slight Ring Wear. Two Tiny Corner Dings. more
	Closer To It Used - LP - APL1-0140 1973 Original. Light Ring Wear. Includes The Killer "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend," "Compared To What," "Inner City Blues" And More. One Of The Finest Examples Of Early Jazz Fusion And Almost Impossible To Find Sealed. Very Slight Ring Wear. Two Tiny Corner Dings. more
	Happiness Heartaches New - LP - BS 2981 Sealed 1977 Original. “A Rock Solid Date By The Oblivion Express. Along With Brian Auger's Gigantic Musical Personality, The Set Is Also Driven In Equal Part By Former Miles Davis And Return To Forever Drummer Lenny White, As Well As Percussionist Lennox Laington. Rhythm Is The Key To Groove, And It Is Displayed Here In Overdrive. This Is "Groove Jazz" With Teeth, And A Deeply Funky And Welcome Alternative To The Increasing Presence Of Disco Drum Machines In Jazz Recordings. And Make No Mistake, Happiness Heartaches Is A Jazz Record, A Claim Many Of The Era's Jazzmen Who Were Recording Cannot Hope To Claim, So Complete Was Their Cave In To Disco's Chart Influence. "Spice Island," With Its Languid Vocal Line And Melody, Influenced By Airto And Flora To Be Sure, But Also By Leon Thomas' Solo Recordings, Is A Case In Point. Auger's Contrapuntal Solo Coming As A Tag Off The Vocal And Being Played Foil To By Jack Mills' Guitar Is Simply Sublime. On "Gimme A Funky Beat," The Band Takes The Notion Of Brazilian Carnaval Into Overdrive, With A Rollicking Bassline By Clive Chaman. The Set Ends With A Tour De Force By Auger Entitled "Paging Mr. McCoy," A Keyboard Orgy Propelled By The Rhytmnatist's Percussion Team. It's Full Of Crescendos, Stops, Starts, And Side Passages (Like A Beautiful, Sped-Up Quote From The Theme Of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme") As Well As Regal Overtones.” Thom Jurek, All Music Guide. more
	Happiness Heartaches New - LP - BS 2981 Sealed 1977 Original. Saw Cut. “A Rock Solid Date By The Oblivion Express. Along With Brian Auger's Gigantic Musical Personality, The Set Is Also Driven In Equal Part By Former Miles Davis And Return To Forever Drummer Lenny White, As Well As Percussionist Lennox Laington. Rhythm Is The Key To Groove, And It Is Displayed Here In Overdrive. This Is "Groove Jazz" With Teeth, And A Deeply Funky And Welcome Alternative To The Increasing Presence Of Disco Drum Machines In Jazz Recordings. And Make No Mistake, Happiness Heartaches Is A Jazz Record, A Claim Many Of The Era's Jazzmen Who Were Recording Cannot Hope To Claim, So Complete Was Their Cave In To Disco's Chart Influence. "Spice Island," With Its Languid Vocal Line And Melody, Influenced By Airto And Flora To Be Sure, But Also By Leon Thomas' Solo Recordings, Is A Case In Point. Auger's Contrapuntal Solo Coming As A Tag Off The Vocal And Being Played Foil To By Jack Mills' Guitar Is Simply Sublime. On "Gimme A Funky Beat," The Band Takes The Notion Of Brazilian Carnaval Into Overdrive, With A Rollicking Bassline By Clive Chaman. The Set Ends With A Tour De Force By Auger Entitled "Paging Mr. McCoy," A Keyboard Orgy Propelled By The Rhytmnatist's Percussion Team. It's Full Of Crescendos, Stops, Starts, And Side Passages (Like A Beautiful, Sped-Up Quote From The Theme Of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme") As Well As Regal Overtones.” Thom Jurek, All Music Guide. more
	Live Oblivion Vol. 1 Used - LP - CPL1-0645 1974 Orange Label Original. Recorded Live At The Whisky, Hollywood. more
	Live Oblivion, Vol. 1 New - LP - CPL1-0645 Sealed 1974 Orange Label Original. Recorded Live At The Whisky, Hollywood. Pristine Copy. more
	Live Oblivion, Vol. 2 Used - LP - CPL2-1230 Hard To Find 1974 2LP Gatefold. Both LPs Look Unplayed. Recorded Live At The Whisky, Hollywood. more
	Reinforcements New - LP - APL1-1210 Sealed 1975 Gatefold Original. Saw Cut. The Jazz, Rock, Soul Infusion Sampled In Much Of Popular Music Today. Unable To Confirm Pressing Info. more
	Reinforcements New - LP - APL1-1210 Sealed 1975 Gatefold Original. Gold Promo Stamp On Rear Cover. Small Split At The Top Mouth Where Shrink Was Removed To Place Promo Stamp, Hence Price. “What A Surprise This Album Was To Brian Auger Fans. Leaving Behind The Jimmy Smith-Meets-Santana Groove The Band Had Been Working, Reinforcements Finds The Oblivion Express Veering Onto The Average White Band's Turf. Most Of The Tracks, In Fact, Sound Like They Were Lifted Right Off The First Couple Of AWB Albums. The Music Is Uniformly Strong, But The Change In Direction Unfortunately Did Nothing To Increase The Band's Audience, And May Have Sounded To Some Like A Too-Blatant Attempt At Commercial Acceptance. Auger's Electric Piano And Organ Continue To Dominate The Solo Space, And Provide The Connection To The Band's Earlier Sound. Alex Ligertwood's Soulful Vocals Here Are Stronger Than Any Previous Outing. Although It Is Unlike Any Other Oblivion Express Recording, Reinforcements Provides A Tasty Glimpse Of British Blue-Eyed Soul In The Mid-'70s.” Jim Newsom, AMG. more
	Second Wind Used - LP - LSP 4703 1972 Orange Label Original. 4S/3S Hollywood Stampers. No Deletion Marks, Appears Glossy, Unplayed. “1972 Saw The First Personnel Change In The Oblivion Express When Scot Guitarist And Vocalist Alex Ligertwood Joined The Quartet. Second Wind Was The Band's Third Outing Overall, And The First With Its New Singer. In Typical Fashion, Brian Auger Upped The Creative Ante Once Again. Whereas The Previous Two Albums -- The Self-Titled Debut, And A Better Land -- Had Showcased, Respectively, The Mirroring Jazz And Pop Sides Of The Band, Second Wind Combines Them Regally. With Auger Being Free To Arrange And Play, His Composing Skills Went Through The Roof. In Addition, Ligertwood Added To The Compositional Depth Of The Band, As Evidenced By His Fine Work, "Truth," Which Opens The Album With Its Riff-Oriented Jazz Undercoat And Rockist Sheen. Ligertwood Is An Excellent Rock Vocalist, With His Reedy Middle-Range Voice And Strained Falsetto, He Wrings The Passion From His Lyrics. Auger, Here On B3, Particularly, And On Piano To A Lesser Degree, Is Simply Dazzling On Every Track. The Funky, Jazzy Grooves On This Set Are Indicative Of The Direction Auger Would Mine On All Of His Future Recordings (A Fine Example Of Their Early Fruit Is On The Driven, Deep Funk And Roll Of "Somebody Help Us.") The Centerpiece Of The Album Is The Eddie Harris, Auger, And Ligertwood Composition, "Freedom Jazz Dance," Covered By Everyone From War To The Beastie Boys. Simply Put, This Track Is The Pure Embodiment Of "Groove Jazz." With Its Shimmering Opening Of Elongated Chords Against A Tight, Rhythmic Shuffle, It Leaves Room For Solos, Turnabout Melodic Improvisations, And A Melody That Is As Serpentine As It Is Infectious. Second Wind Is Chunky Grooves, Wondrously Complex Instrumental Interludes, And Inspiring Performances, All Adding Up To A Solid, Adventurous Chapter In Oblivion Express' History.” Thom Jurek, AMG. more
	Straight Ahead Used - LP - APL1-0454 1974 US original Hollywood pressing with original blank die-cut inner. Tiny corner ding. Cartianly "Closer To It" was a tough act to follow, but don't sleep on this one! more
	Straight Ahead New - LP - APL1-0454 Sealed 1974 Orange Label Original. Classic Jazz-Rock Fusion. Pristine Copy. more