Brian Auger needs to be recognized as one of Britain's very finest Hammond players. His 60s output quite literally propelled swinging London, featuring the soul pipes and strikingly fashionable, made-for-TV looks of Julie Driscoll. Auger and Driscoll, along with fellow R&B devotee, Rod Stewart had backed Long John Baldry in the talent-stuffed yet under-recorded mid-60s revue, Steampacket.
The pair, backed by the punchy, warm Trinity (whose revolving lineup included one-time Animal Vic Briggs, and the able basswork of Dave Ambrose among others) forged the sounds of Blues, Contemporary Jazz, Soul and Folk with memorable covers of current pop numbers to create a compelling, eclectic blend of textures later deemed << fusion. >> Auger's Music from the 60s is carefully arranged and unfailingly well produced with a spacious, open sound and broad, clearly defined tracks that I cannot imagine being recreated using computers.
The overall effect is fresh and timelessly adequate, with a few exceptions - looking over the late 60s period exclusively, some pieces could do well with a slight trim (Looking in the Eye of the World and Vauxhall to Lambeth Bridge tend to drag) while others weren't so convincingly pulled off - but the overall spirit of reverent experimentalism bolstered by the listenable immediacy of Auger's playing created a popular, tasty sound of their own - with a carefree flair sorely lacking in today's super-specialized, introverted scenes.
Auger's B3 always sounds best on vinyl, especially when surrounded by such sympathetic, active backing. Julie's strong, clear vocals shine through the bassy rhythm section on Save Me - very few tracks have this kind of authentic bounce. The long version I played from the Auger compilation "Genesis" - combining parts 1 and 2 from the original split single - is equally a vehicle for the vocal and a showcase for Auger and the Trinity who afford themselves a bit of breathing room to explore the snappy groove.
Julie, or Jools Driscoll, often taken as nothing more than a symbol of the trendier side of the restless 60s, has been painted as a cool, detached, perhaps overly self-aware pillar of style without much depth or resonance but this track especially helps to disprove that superficial notion. In her defense, style is just as much of a factor in many modern music circles as authenticity and, with the emergence of a glut of relentlessly self-promoting yet subliminally indistinct indie-bands - commanding a reasonable amount of skill on your instrument is no longer a necessary asset at all and anyone who can vibrate their vocal cords calls themself a singer..
I have no shame in romanticising the past; I have an analog ear that will forever prefer the musical and production values of the 60s over today's life-sucking digital precision. The combination of the soul and backbeat of modern Black American music with hip UK style proved an explosive combo in the right hands - and, in days gone by, worthy of scraping the top of the charts: Save Me was a #1 French Hit. (For a current example of this kind of blend, I highly recommend checking out The Heavy - an authentic UK retro-soul group who put a fresh twist on this older style - acknowledging what has taken place since the 70s but refusing to compromise their musical integrity.)
Overall, Driscoll & Auger's Save Me is a more than worthy Aretha Franklin cover - her version appears on the 1967 smash hit album "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You", (the same disc that featured Respect.) The best criticism that can be given to a cover is it has a clear reason to exist. Save Me does, taken on it's own as a British twist on Deep Soul, or as a jumping off point for supremely jammin' live performanaces such as this one. This is my kind of rhythm and blues.
