OPEN (WITH JULIE DRISCOLL)

BRIAN AUGER (born 1939) has a very long and complicated discography, so let's go right back to the beginning for this London- born Hammond organ maestro and Jazz-Rock legend. Brian Auger formed the soulful British blues band Steampacket in 1965, although they never recorded an official studio album together. He recorded his first solo album "Attention: Brian Auger" in 1965, although the album didn't come to the attention of the record-buying public until its belated release in 1972. The "Open" album followed in 1967, which was billed as a Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger album. His first album as Brian Auger & the Trinity saw release in 1968 under the title "Definitely What" and another album with Julie Driscoll followed in 1969 titled "Jools and Brian". Later that same year, the "Streetnoise" album was released under the banner of Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity, followed by the Brian Auger & the Trinity album "Befour" in 1970, this time without Julie Driscoll. He formed the Jazz-Rock ensemble Brian Auger's Oblivion Express in the early 1970's, releasing a whole string of albums:- "Brian Auger's Oblivion Express" (1970); "A Better Land" (1971); "Second Wind" (1972); "Closer to It" (1973); "Straight Ahead" (1974); "Reinforcements" (1975); "Live Oblivion: Volume 1" (1975); "Live Oblivion: Volume 2" (1976) and "Happiness Heartache" (1977). The two volumes of Brian Auger's Live Oblivion albums are especially recommended. He recorded one further album with Julie Driscoll in 1978, billed as "Brian Auger & Julie Tippetts - Encore", and there were three more albums to come from Brian Auger in the 1980's:- "Search Party (1981); "Here and Now" (1984) and "Keys to the Heart" (with Oblivion Express) (1987). And so, after that long introduction, it's time now to step back in time to swinging 1960's London for the Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger album, "Open", which features the spooky Halloween classic, "Season of the Witch". It's an album literally of two halves, with Side One featuring mostly instrumental Jazz-Rock numbers and Side Two where Julie Driscoll joins the party on vocals.

Opening the album, there are few surprises in store with "In and Out", a fairly routine funky jazz instrumental which'll transport you right back in time to a 1960's mods dance floor of swinging chicks in bright mini-skirts and hip and trendy dudes in flared trousers, flowered shirts and kipper ties. Yes, this groovy number sounds like it could have come straight from an Austin Powers movie. It's fabulous, baby! The second instrumental Jazz number, "Isola Natale", is a reference to Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. The music is pretty laid-back but you can still tap your feet along to the funky rhythm, or you may even feel inclined to get up and dance to it if you're feeling particularly energetic, although this is more like the kind of easy-going cocktail lounge Jazz you can do a gentle hipsway to instead of boogieing on down and shaking your booty to down at the Disco. The third song "Black Cat" is where the album REALLY comes to life and hits you straight between the eyes. It's a storming Jazz rocker with Brian Auger taking lead vocals. This is where Brian Auger gets to display his amazing dexterity on the Hammond organ with some incredible keyboard runs. His fingers literally fly over the keys like lightning on the YouTube video that accompanies this barn-storming song. This song is no timid "Black Cat". No, this is a growling black panther which leaps out at you and grabs your attention right from the first blast from Auger's powerful Hammond organ. We're in suitably mellow mood for the next song, "Lament for Miss Baker", a soft and tender piano piece that's as light and breezy as a zephyr wind. The next song "Goodbye Jungle Telegraph" inevitably features tom-tom jungle drums, which conjures up images of Tarzan swinging from vine to vine shouting "Aaaaaggggghhhhhaaaaa!" - or something like that. The sassy saxophonist sounds like he's having a real blast here with a storming "Go wild in the jungle" sax solo, somehow keeping time with the pounding ape-crazy percussionist.

We get to hear the soulful bluesy voice of Julie Driscoll for the first time on "Tramp", a well-known Soul Blues song which was most famously recorded by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas earlier that same year of 1967. The song has since become a funky Soul Blues standard. The seventh song "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" is a raw and earthy blues number, with Julie Driscoll able to instil the song with all of the soul and powerful emotion of Janis Joplin. Both singers have the same "Don't mess with me" attitude and they also have the ability to sound like they're singing straight from the heart. A stuttering telegram-style tapping of the keyboard keys announces the arrival of our next song, "A Kind of Love In". This is no lovey-dovey ballad though. No, this is an uptempo rocker that barrels along relentlessly at breakneck speed for 150 seconds, which is swiftly followed by another storming Jazz-Rock song, "Break It Up". This song opens to the tolling of wedding bells, although it sounds more like divorce might be looming if the title of this song is anything to go by. This is the first real duet between Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll, with both impassioned singers angrily sounding like a real-life couple who are badly in need of a marriage guidance counsellor. Now comes the real highlight of the album, "Season of the Witch", a song originally co-written and recorded by Scottish songsmith Donovan in 1966 and also famously covered by Vanilla Fudge in 1968 in their own inimitable raucous style. This is spooky bedknobs and broomsticks music to listen to under a full moon on the night of Halloween with a glowing hollowed-out pumpkin for company, although in reality, the song is probably no more scary than a box of Black Magic chocolates.

If you're "Open" to the sound of some storming Hammond organ Rock, then look no further than this impressive debut from Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll. This album is bluesy Jazz-Rock with a heart full of Soul!