Brian Auger's Oblivion Express – Happiness Heartaches (1977)


 

Artist: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express

Title: Happiness Heartaches

Label: Warner Bros.

Format: LP

Catalog Number: BS 2981

Year of Release: 1977

Country and Year of Edition: US 1977 Jacksonville Pressing

Sell Price: $5.90

Sell Date: 11/12/24

Condition: VG+/VG

Discogs Last Sold: 10/26/24 NM/VG+ $10.00

Low: $1.80 VG/G

Median: $6.30

Average: $6.45

High: $15.96 NM/NM

Current low price: $0.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 73

Have/Want: 1263/131

Where Sold: Martinsburg, WV

Time It Took To Sell:  3 years

Where and When Bought: Facebook $3 lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B-

Sad To See It Go: No

Brian Auger's last US charting studio record on the Billboard 200 (#127 peak Feb 1977 on a 5 week run) was more of an R&B spiked vocal record for his Warner Brothers debut after having bigger fusion records for RCA.  Percussionist Lenny White played a major role on this album. "God Bless Lenny White for his Assistance and Cooperation in the making of this album" read the back credits.  The guy was drummer on Miles Davis Bitches Brew at 19 years old for chrissakes.  Auger is a little older than Lenny, but matched in generation on keyboards and session work, so this pairing is a meeting of the fusion rock minds.

Initially, when I heard the the album a few years back, I was a little disappointed, thinking it was somewhere on the sub-Steely Dan slick R&B side of things.  Scottish rhythm guitarist Alex Ligertwood had the vocal duties on this record. He went on to bigger commercial success handling vocals for Santana from 1979-1985 and sporadically beyond, singing on hits like "Hold On" and "Winning" from that era.  When you listen to Happiness Heartaches a few times you start to hone in on the keys and drums, as you should.  Or, at least, I did.  When you take a deeper dive for a few listens and focus on the music, you realize this isn't hit machine stuff at all.

I can't say the big instrumental tour de force "Paging Mr. McCoy" that closes the record is all of the sudden the best track on the album.  It is, however, a player for Auger to be featured loud and proud.  For me, the second side opener "Never Gonna Come Down" is what gets the balance right between Auger and voice.

I say go earlier for prime Brian Auger unless what I'm describing perks your ears.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Image
  Artist:  Bob Dylan Title: Blood On The Tracks Label: Columbia Format: SACD Cat: CH 90323 Year of Release: 1975 Country and Year of Edition: US 2003 SACD Promo sticker over barcode Sell Price: $12.20 VG+/VG+ 7/15/24 Discogs Last Sold: 7/7/24 NM/VG+ $8.99 Low: $3.00 Median: $11.63 Average: $12.38 High: $27.00 Current low price: $1.99 F/G+, $9.98 VG/VG+ Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 27 Have/Want: 334/242 Where Sold: Ypsilanti, MI Time it took to sell: 11 years Where and When Purchased: promo Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+ Sad To See It Go: No "I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form..." "And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn..." Bob's public precursor to his own divorce has taken a strange turn in the public narrative over the years, whether reflecting domestic tranquility or turbulence.   Beyonc é  might tell you she flips pancakes or boils an egg to Blood On The Tracks on a Sunday morning.  Jakob Dylan might rail that these lyri
Read more

The Byrds-Live At The Fillmore-February 1969 (2000)

Image
  Artist: The Byrds Title: Live At The Fillmore February 1969 Label: Columbia/Legacy Format: CD Cat #: CK 65910 Year of Release: 2000 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 2000 Listed Condition VG+/VG+: hole punch in UPC Sell Date: 5/6/24 Sell Price:$3.75 Discogs Last Sold: 4/25/24 $7.87 VG/VG Low: $1.75 Median: $4.24 Average: $4.28 High: $7.87 Current low price: $2.50 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 30 Have/Want: 524/45 Where Sold:Charlotte, NC Time it took to sell: 12 years Where and When Bought: early aughts not sure where in NYC Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A- Sad To See It Go: No One of those releases that looks great on a shelf, but it took me 24 years after buying it to get around to paying any attention to this excellent live recording.  I guess that means I should force myself to read David Fricke's liner notes as well.  Sweetheart Of The Rodeo came out August 30, 1968 only 8 months after The Notorious Byrd Brothers and Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde came out a week before these show
Read more

Bob Dylan-Bob Dylan (1962)

Image
  Artist: Bob Dylan Title: Bob Dylan Label: Columbia Format: LP Cat #: PC 8579 Year of Release: 1962 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1970's reissue Listed Condition VG/VG+ Sell Date: 5/2/24 Sell Price:$8.93 Discogs Last Sold: 3/5/24 NM/VG+ $9.00 Low: $3.98 M/VG+ Median: $12.49 Average: $12.81 High: $24.99 M/NM Current low price: $12.00 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 16 Have/Want: 285/176 Where Sold: Minneapolis, MN Time it took to sell: 9 years Where and When Bought: Worcester used That's Entertainment mid 80's Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A Sad To See It Go: No "You're No Good!" the 3 year old Reverse Collector proclaimed to his mother.  "David! That's an awful thing to say!  Go to your room!"  I was just saying what was on the cover of the Bob Dylan song list on the album I had.  I was a fluent reader by age 3, as opposed to simply memorizing text my parents read to me when I was 2.  I understood the concept of "Good" and "Ba
Read more