Electric Flag
When guitarist Mike Bloomfield left the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1967, he wanted to form a band that combined blues, rock, soul, psychedelia, and jazz into something new. He knew for sure that he wanted a horn section in the band, which he began forming with a couple of friends, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and singer Nick Gravenites. Although the three were all veterans of the Chicago music scene, the group based itself in the San Francisco area. Bloomfield, Goldberg, and Gravenites were in turn bolstered by a rhythm section of bassist Harvey Brooks (who had played on some of Bob Dylan's mid-'60s records) and drummer Buddy Miles; on top of them came a horn section.
Oddly, before even playing any live concerts, Electric Flag recorded the soundtrack for the 1967 psychedelic exploitation movie The Trip, which afforded them the opportunity to experiment with some of their ideas without much pressure. Their live debut was at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (although they didn't make it into the documentary film of the event; they do appear in the bonus footage on the DVD version), but their first proper studio album didn't come out until the spring of 1968.
A Long Time Comin' predated Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago's big-band rock sound, mixing it as they did with jazz-rock but also soul-rock-psychedelia that sometimes (but not always) employed prominent horns. There was enough promise on the album to merit further exploration, but it had hardly been released before the Flag began to droop. Goldberg left, followed shortly by Bloomfield, the most important component of the group's vision. A fragmented band recorded an inferior follow-up, but by 1969 Electric Flag had split up. They did reunite (with Bloomfield) in 1974 for a Jerry Wexler-produced album titled The Band Kept Playing that got little notice. The group went their separate ways once again and only played together one more time at a 2007 concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
Discography
9 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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An American Music Band
Rock - Released by Classic Music Vault on 1 dec. 1968
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Trip (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Originele soundtracks - Released by Sidewalk Records on 1 jul. 1967
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Trip (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Selected Tracks)
Originele soundtracks - Released by Curb Records on 1 jul. 1967
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Electric Flag Live
Rock - Released by Classic Music Vault on 26 jun. 2000
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Small Town Blues
Blues - Released by Synergie OMP on 1 jan. 1983
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Funk Grooves: Best Of
Rock - Released by CLASSIC WORLD ENTERTAINMENT on 26 mrt. 2002
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
My Baby Wants To Test Me
Blues - Released by Margate Copyright on 3 jan. 2009
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Electric Flag Live (Live)
Blues - Released by StarPointe Records on 10 nov. 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo