David Sancious Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Some musicians are content to play one style of music exclusively, but that would never work for someone as eclectic and broad-minded as David Sancious. The keyboardist/guitarist/composer is the type of person who would listen to Chopin one minute and Parliament/Funkadelic the next, and someone that eclectic probably would have been bored to tears if he had not explored different styles of music. Recorded for Arista in 1979 and reissued on CD by One Way in early 2001, Just As I Thought is a major departure from the album that came just before it, True Stories. While that 1978 recording favored vocal-oriented progressive rock, Just As I Thought is primarily an album of instrumental jazz fusion. There are a few non-jazz numbers that feature singer Khabir Ghanni, including the tender pop/rock ballad "Again" and the prog rock offering "Suite (For the End of an Age)." But most of the material is pure 1970s fusion, and Bruce Springsteen fans who still associate Sancious with the E Street Band should know that instrumentals like "Valley of the Shadow" and "Run" have little in common with the Boss but a lot in common with Weather Report, Chick Corea's Return to Forever, and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. With one foot in jazz and the other in pop, rock, and funk, Just As I Thought isn't for bop purists but is recommended to anyone with a taste for 1970s fusion. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When David Sancious left Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band to pursue a solo career in 1975, his admirers tended to assume that his own albums would be Springsteen-like. It was a logical assumption, but an incorrect one. Recorded for Arista in 1978 and reissued on CD by One Way in early 2001, True Stories by Sancious and his group Tone doesn't sound anything like Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ or Born to Run. This album is pure progressive rock, and it has more in common with Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, and early Journey than the Boss. Though True Stories contains a few instrumentals, most of the tunes feature vocalist Alex Ligertwood (of Brian Auger's Oblivion Express fame). A bluesy, gritty belter, Ligertwood has some inspired moments on imaginative tracks like "Sound of Love," "Ever the Same," and "Matter of Time." This is, without question, an ambitious album, although it's a different album from the one Sancious originally had in mind. At first, Sancious envisioned a collection of four suites, but Arista feared that such a project would be ignored by radio. So Sancious made True Stories more radio-friendly, although it was still imaginative and risk-taking. Comparing this album to an LP by Yes, it might be said that the songs are closer to the radio-friendly "Roundabout" than the extended "The Gates of Delirium." Many of the lyrics have a spiritual quality and call for a nicer, more loving world, although Sancious avoids sounding preachy on this consistently appealing CD. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Transformation (The Speed of Love)'
Release Date 1/1/1976
Tracks 4
Label Epic
See Album Tracklist and Review
