A BEAUTY ?1970 ORIG 2xLP ? AIR FORCE ? CREAM ? Traffic ? Blind Faith PROG PSYCH

$

47

               TOP FINAL COLLECTION COPY

                    Ginger Baker's

                     AIR FORCE

                    USA - ATCO RECORDS SD 2 - 703

FINAL  COLLECTION  COPY ... mint clean DOUBLE album

Original 1970 vinyl first pressing issue... (TWO LP SET) in thick gatefold cover ~~ collectible great (great!) first AIR FORCE album featuring no less than key members of TRAFFIC (Steve Winwood, Chris Wood) + Graham Bond & others....a sprawling affair with DYNAMIC layered percussions by the driving CREAM drummer, Ginger Baker

On a purely musical level, Ginger Baker's Air Force was arguably the pinnacle of the legendary drummer's achievements of the 1960's. Even allowing for the many and varied virtues of the Graham Bond Organization, Cream, and Blind Faith, they didn't approach the breadth or ambition that characterized Air Force's sound. Air Force essentially grew out of Ginger Baker's six-month stint with Blind Faith, a super-group that collapsed after generating one album and finishing one tour. Baker persuaded Steve Winwood and Rick Grech, the other members of Blind Faith, to stay on with him. Baker planned to put together a new band that would explore music on a new scale, and in new directions, different from Blind Faith or the Cream—the projected band, christened Air Force, would embrace various styles including prog & psych flourishes. The AIR FORCE Lp was recorded from a remarkable gig at London's Royal Albert Hall at the end of 1969. Baker's initial plan hadn't extended beyond two shows, but the first one was so successful musically and critically, that he began laying bigger plans, including the recording of the Albert Hall show and keeping the band going. By January of 1970, events were starting to break both inside and outside of the band that would have a profound effect on its future. The reviews from Birmingham were so good that the Albert Hall show turned into one of those press events that became the talk of the entire music trade in England and, by extension, America. The fact that the show had been recorded made it even better—there was proof on hand that the press's enthusiasm was justified. Those Albert Hall recordings were extraordinary, Air Force thundering along amid blazing winds, organ, guitar, and bass virtuosity, fiery solos, and extended jams that, for a change, actually went somewhere, while three percussionists who seemingly were busy all the way through played several layers of rhythm. At its best, and the Royal Albert Hall tapes were their best, Air Force's music was like this wonderful huge array of Chinese boxes, each opening to a smaller but more beautifully ornate box inside.

Ginger Baker's Air Force was a double-LP, an extraordinary debut for a band that hadn't yet to play a regularly scheduled concert. Devised with artwork that seemingly reversed the design of the Cream Wheels of Fire double set, the live album reached No. 33 in America and 37 in England, a long way from Cream or Blind Faith's chart-scaling days, but not bad for a group that had only played two gigs. Air Force delivers the goods.

1. • "Da da Man" –7:16
   • Lead vocal by Jeanette Jacobs, organ solo by Stevie Winwood, guitar solo by Denny Laine, solo by Graham Bond.

   • "Early in the Morning" (arranged by Ginger Baker) – 11:13

     • Lead vocals by Ginger Baker & Denny Laine.

   • "Don't Care" (Ginger Baker/Steve Winwood) –12:32

     • Lead vocals by Stevie Winwood & Jeanette Jacobs.

   • "Toad" (Ginger Baker) –12:59

     • Drum solos by Ginger Baker, Remi Kabaka & Phil Seamen.

   • "Aiko Biaye" (Osibisa) – 13:00

     • Lead Vocals by Graham Bond.

   • "Man of Constant Sorrow" (arranged by Denny Laine) –3:50

     • Lead Vocal by Denny Laine, bass guitar by Stevie Winwood, violin by Rick Grech.

   • "Do What You Like" (Ginger Baker) –11:47

     • Lead vocal by Stevie Winwood.
   • "Doin' It" (Ginger Baker) –5:26

CONDITION: The cover: rated: M- The thick gatefold cover is solid; near impossible to find this clean after 47 years, highly wear prone, most copies have wear. Here's a survivor!!  Will provide as a collection copy with no upgrade needed ... has a hard to notice delete mark at lower left, no cut corners, no bends, no writing, and no split seams ... ...

The vinyl: Rated: all 4 sides are full of shine, rated M- TOP COPY ...all 4 sides play smoothly enjoyable... all 4  Atco labels are very clean

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record