BAKERLOO

BAKERLOO (previously known as The Bakerloo Blues Line) were a Proto-Prog fossil first discovered in Staffordshire, England in 1968. The band were a short-lived power trio of Blues-Rock musicians in similar style to the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Clapton/Baker/Bruce trio of Cream. Bakerloo's one and only self-titled album emerged like a progosaurus rex from the sleepy town of Tamworth in the heart of England in 1969. It's time now to head on down to the Bakerloo Line station and get onboard the tube-train, ready to begin our musical journey together.

The first stop on our musical tour is the curiously-titled "Big Bear Ffolly", a fairly typical heavy Blues-Rock excursion into the realms of Cream and other heavy British blues bands of the late-1960's era, so there are no real surprises in store here. The same goes for "Bring It On Home", a dirty-low-down, plodding bluesy harmonica number, that sounds a long way off the beaten track from the London Bakerloo Line. This bluesy Louisiana Swamp Rock sounds like it could have emerged straight out of the Missippippi Delta. We're not going anywhere with our next stop on the journey because we're "Drivin' Bachwards". That's no spelling mistake or typo error in the song title, because this is a Jazzy instrumental inspired by Mr. J.S. Bach no less, so you can expect to hear some very familiar-sounding classical motifs in this free-style jazzy jam session, demonstrating that Bakerloo have more diverse musical strings to their bow than just back-to-basics British blues. The fourth stop on our tour is "Last Blues", so it'll come as no surprise that this seven-minute-long piece is another (lower case) moody blues number. The music begins as a slow lament, but the band really crank up into high gear at the midway point for a full-blown psychedelic acid trip in true Jimi Hendrix style. Even more surprising is when the song returns to a sedate leisurely pace for the conclusion, so it's really a three-piece suite. Bakerloo are proving to be far more versatile than first appeared. The next song "Gang Bang" sounds rather rude, but it's really all about percussion, because the fired-up drummer bangs away manically on his kit here as if his pants are on fire, featuring an almost obligatory very long and very impressive drum solo in the style of legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

There are just two tracks on Side Two and the first seven minute song "This Worried Feeling" is very reminiscent of the early blues of Eric Clapton and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. It's a real raw and earthy, S--L--O--W plodding blues number, but don't let that put you off, because there's a truly awesome virtuoso performance to enjoy from the talented blue guitar player. If you don't know the song, If you can't put the words to the tune, Tell the rhyme from the reason, What should it matter, To the fool or the dreamer? ..... but that's another moody blue guitar song altogether. And so, we've arrived at the final terminus on the Bakerloo Line with the 15-minute-long "Son of Moonshine", a spirited wild ride along the illegal U.S. moonshine trail, featuring a manic outburst of heavy guitar riffing in an all-out psychedelic freak-out to take you to flower-power hippy heaven and back again.

If you're in the mood for some heavy British Blues-Rock, then get onboard the Bakerloo Line. It's going to be a wild ride, so fasten your seat belts and hold on tight to your dreams.