I think I’d heard of Jackie Lomax before adding this album to my queue the other night due to his proximity to The Beatles and Apple Records, but didn’t know much else until I took a closer look a moment ago. For his debut album, Lomax seemed to have closely with George Harrison, and even featured all of The Beatles except for John (I think), as well as Eric Clapton and Nicky Hopkins on the debut album, but never quite found the commercial success you might guess it would receive. That said, this particular record was released through Warner Brothers, I think, and was self-produced by Lomax. I’ve never listened to his music before, though, so I’m excited for what is coming. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Give All You’ve Got” has a bit of a false start, but once it really gets going it’s really funky and groovy. The combination of horns with that groovy bass and slick guitars and the background vocals creates a super cool soundscape. It’s something that feels like it continues grooving harder and harder, but in its own time. This electric guitar solo is really wicked the way it swishes around and moves about the soundscape from one side to another. This song is super sweet, I’m very excited for the rest of the album at this point. I’m really digging the subtleties in what’s going on with the guitar. I’m pretty sure Lomax was a guitar player, and so far it seems to be showing.
Oh wow, the slide guitar in the intro to “A Hundred Mountains” with that acoustic guitar, and possibly even a guitar-banjo, really creates a super sweet almost bluegrass country rock feeling in this one. That piano just rollicks around the soundscape while the slide guitar creates some movement in the song. That bass really allows the entire song to stand on it. This song is absolutely sick. Holy smokes, this guitar solo is really selling this song home. I’m ecstatic for the rest of the album. The strumming of the acoustic guitar really gives a sort of rigid structure that the song really sort of builds around. Lomax’s voice really isn’t something to be overlooked either. Great song.
“When I Miss You the Most” has some groovy acoustic and electric guitars, and the bass and drums meld together and creates some super sleek feel in the song. Really awesome. And holy smokes, those vocals are so layered and really add a lot of flavor to the tune. The acoustic guitar seems to be wandering from the left to the right of the soundscape. Dang, I really want to play along with this one – this song just seems so fun. I’m super into Jackie Lomax right now. Oh wow, there’s like some sort of xylophone thing going on in the outro. I’m super into this.
“Or So It Seems” starts out with a bit of a bluesy feel, that really ties together well with that hint of funk that Lomax seems to be going for in the album. This really sounds like a great bluesy rock and roll tune, that almost is a tease for the future days of rock and roll and the coming of hard rock. The mixture of acoustic guitar and instruments like piano with electric guitar and that super groovy bass gives a really awesome feel to the whole mix. The vocals seem to be going in and out of a different dimension at a certain point. Awesome tune.
“Home Is In My Head” starts out with a minor string progression, that is soon joined by bass and some guitars and some vocals to create a somewhat loose feeling little bluesy rock jam. Oh wow, that sound of a cash register just came on and now I’m really thinking a lot of similarities to Pink Floyd with the tone of guitar and the sound of some of the vocal lines. The bridge really lets all the instruments sort of hang out, and then there’s a really awesome, almost experimental in effect, guitar solo that really gets the tune rocking. The drums are really awesome in this one, really filling up just the right space. This song is really sweet. I think there’s some definite psychedelic overtones to it, but the song is easily considered a great blues rock tune at the same time.
Oh wow, “Nothin’ Ever Seems to Go My Way”, has a super neat start to it. Honestly, I’m reminded a lot about Grin and Nils Lofgren. Maybe not exactly in the guitar being played, but definitely in the songwriting and overall feel of the album so far. This is definitely a sweet little blues rock tune, but there’s some strangeness to it in the hammond organ and the other effects and instrumentation, such as the saxophone, and things like the ever changing and evolving soundscape that really satisfies the avid psychedelic music listener. I’m super into this album, and really don’t know how Jackie Lomax seemed to have avoided large commercial success.
“She Took Me Higher” has a super interesting funk rock feel to it with the style and tone of the electric and bass guitars. That bass guitar feels like it’s really swirling the whole mix around, and the horns come into play to really make the song swell and come to a crescendo that seems to continually build and never really let up. I must say, these songs have sounded so different from one another, I’m astounded that the first half of the album is already done playing – time is absolutely flying by right now. This song is so fun to listen to, I want to grab my guitar and play along, but then I won’t be able to properly write about this awesome music. This breakdown at the end of the song absolutely oozes grooviness, and really continues to give more and more. Wow.
“Don’t Do Me No Harm” has a sweet, almost acoustic country feel to it. That bass really has a fullness to it that carries the song, with the drums serving to really accentuate the beats and hold that groove steady. The background vocals really serve that sweetness well and add a whole lot of flavor. I can’t help but hum along to this one, even whistling a couple of times. Every song on this album sounds so fun. Nothing in the song sounds overly repetitious, and definitely feels like it continues to evolve throughout.
“Higher Ground” starts out with a low tremelo effect that is soon joined by some funky grooves from the bass and electric guitar and drums. Oh wow, that organ sounds so bright when it comes on. This song has a really nice forward moving feel to it, I’m super into it. The instruments sound super bright in this one, whether it’s electric guitar or the organ. This is an awesome song. The acoustic guitar strumming creates a reliable percussive effect that really adds a different dimension to the whole rhythm.
“Helluva Woman” has a real nice bop-y, almost country feel to it. The plucks of the acoustic guitar really give a reliable part to the mix that you can just focus and and float away as the rest of the music envelops you. That clapping is absolutely infectious, and so is the piano. Wow, what an absolutely awesome song. I’m already researching if/where I can get this one on vinyl. This definitely has a real Memphis blues feel to it if I have to say something in particular.
“Turning Around” has a real slow, airiness to it that really gives the feeling that the album is coming to a close soon. The name of the song is a very apt description for how the music sounds, as it feels like it’s slowly spinning around the soundscape. I get vague impressions of Tim Buckley on this one as well. This song definitely has a really nice sweetness to it. Wow, this song continues to progress and evolve and really reminds me a bit of The Beatles and particularly, I think, Paul McCartney’s writing style. This bluesy guitar at the end is absolutely delicious; it’s so bright and soft at the same time. Really awesome song.
“You Within Me” sounds like it starts with an intro from a live concert recording for the song, and definitely has a smooth, airy, almost jazz club feel to it. It’s so slow moving, but there’s a lot of feeling packed into the vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. The instrumentation seems relatively straightforward at the start, while the vocal lines seem to get a bit more complex as the song continues. Though the same can be said for the instrumentation, which becomes a bit more complex as the song builds momentum. Definitely a really sweet tune. I think there might have even been some organ for a second. There’s a ton of feeling in this instrumental outro as well. Incredible song.
Wow, this album was absolutely amazing. I’m not sure how exactly Jackie Lomax evaded larger commercial success. I’m not that great a musician necessarily, but this seems to be an awesome album for musicians. Perhaps that was the problem in the first place, musicians appreciated the work of Jackie Lomax more than the general public. I’m not here to speculate on that, however. Regardless, the album itself is an absolutely awesome listen. I think fans of music from the early 70s will likely enjoy it the most, though there seems to be a lot of range to satisfy listeners of all types. Definitely worth checking out, in my opinion, and I’m looking forward to listening to more of Lomax’s work soon. If you do decide to listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A