Search - Baker Gurvitz Army :: Elysian Encounter

" Divine Encounter "

Joan B. Montney | Glendale Az USA | 02/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elysian Encounter explores alot of musical bounderies. It is explosive,booming,syncopated,rythmic and dynamic. Thanks in big part to Ginger Bakers fine drumming. You could also describe this music as Inspired,expressive,harmonious and lively. Thanks to some very interesting arrangements from the Gurvitz brothers.

1. Ginger pulls out all the stops with regard to his drumming.

Mr.Ginger Baker is also a Master at tuning his drums.He tunes them very open and melodic {especially his tom toms}.

2. Guitar work is top notch.

3. An enjoyable mix of various music styles are featured.

4. Great musical concept and well thought out by the entire band.

5. Good job with the vocals !!

6. Excellent futuristic album cover art work. Way ahead of its time. My admiration to the unknown artist who created it !!



Song descriptions:

"People"- Powerful drums. A virtual non stop drum solo that Ginger incorporates within the structure of the song. A frenetic ear splitting guitar solo by Adrian Gurvitz {done with taste}

Dynamic ending with full orchestrated keyboard parts. This is a furiously fast syncopated Rocker !!

"The Key"- Ginger lays back a little on this one. His approach is light and crisp. Soulful blues rock lead vocal {so grateful for the woman in his life}. Bass playing is superb.

"Time"- Drum intro featured. Southern Rock flair going on with this one. Intricate Bass and guitar riffs.Nice guitar playing throughout. Voacl harmonys are wonderful.

"Gambler"- Vocals are the centerpiece. Great stereo seperation is accomplished between the lead and harmony vocals. Keyboards are blended in as well. Also, a slide guitar solo.

"The Dream"- Another Southern Rock feel happening. Due in part to the country rock style of guitar picking. Drumming is in the fore front with some creative interplay between the snare and tom toms.

"Remember"- A moving ballad that tends to build to an expressive climax, thanks to the keyboards. Features Gingers trademark steady 4 beat on the hi-hat.

"The Artist"- Ginger Baker gives us his tasteful use of the soft mallets during the verses {very cool} !! Strange interlude and interplay with all the instruments during the middle portion of the song. Nice lead guitar solo.

"The Hustler"- Up tempo Funk Rock feel with some blues rock vocals thrown in. Various counter melodys are precise and articulate which adds to the excitement. The song grows louder towards the ending with some awesome Ginger Baker drum fills.

The album "Elysian Encounter" is a real winner !!



Some Ginger Baker trivia: Ginger Baker, for a time lived in Italy's Tuscany region wher he built a successful olive farming business. He was inducted into the Rock n Roll hall of fame in 1993 along with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce for his role as a member of Cream.

Finally, at 65 yrs. of age Mr.Baker still manages to capture our attention with his driving "yet" flowing drum technique.

The definition of Elysian is: Devine-inspired-paradise-causing happiness."

A gem

Clare Alison Durina | Detroit MI USA | 12/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This record is awesome. After the demise of Blind Faith, Ginger Baker hooked up with the Gurvitz twins to form Baker Gurvitz army. Let me tell you, if you like Cream, you will love this record. It will remind you of Cream in some ways, but Baker Gurvitz Army is definitely a unique band of its own. Actually it will remind you more of Rush than Cream. Placing a little less stress on solos and riffs, Gurvitz puts more emphasis in his playing on chords and textures than Clapton ever did, thus giving the record an entirely different feel. As for Ginger Baker, you can tell as time passed on his drum playing became more creative and intricate and a fan of his in the days of Cream will be impressed hearing his evolution as a drummer. All of this talent, including a strong and melodic singer, makes for a great band. There is not one bad song on this record. Nor do any of the songs on the record fall into a trap of mediocrity or commonality. Every song is dynamic and different. The record ranges from strong percussive tracks like "People" to the beautiful "Dreamer". Take a gamble and buy this record, one of rocks true hidden gems."