Baker Gurvitz Army - The Collection (2002)

English Prog-Rock group.
Former The Gun and Three Man Army members Paul and Adrian Gurvitz joined forces with ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker in 1974.
Active until 1976.

Four years after assembling Ginger Baker's Air Force, Baker returned from Africa and formed a new project with Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz, calling themselves the Baker Gurvitz Army. This new venture let Baker utilize his jazz and rock drum style under his very own discretion and direction, with the flamboyancy of the brothers Gurvitz taking care of all the guitar intricacies. The band made three albums, hiring a vocalist and a keyboard player for their last two, but after 1976's Hearts on Fire album, the group disbanded, leaving behind some rather spirited and fervent jazz-rock pieces. The Collection is a well-chosen 16-track assortment from all three albums which offers up a quick but satisfying trip through the band's most solid tracks. "Love Is" is a raucous ride with Baker at his boisterous best, accompanied by some fiery heavy metal guitar work, while "Hearts on Fire" is bathed in a hard-edged blues sound with another fine example of Baker's desire to accentuate all things percussive. Even bluesier is "Mad Jack," this time taking on a Southern rock sound via the concurrent twang of the electric guitar and the boogie-woogie rhythm. "Flying in and out of Stardom" is Hendrix-like in every aspect, from the slipperiness of the vocals to the slow melt of the guitar's chords, while "The Hustler" gets down and dirty with some polished blues-rock meandering. Basic rock & roll ingredients make "My Mind Is Healing," "Mystery," and "Remember" attractive enough inclusions to this set, rounding out an all-you-need compendium of this short-lived trio. Although all three of the Ginger Baker's Army albums carry some weight, this collection is the most convenient way to sum up their overall sound.