Chicapah As a young man finally breaking free from the cozy but stifling nest of mom and dad's house, striking out on my own in the bohemian college town of Denton, Texas in 1970, I was ever open and eager to experience music that would expand my safe horizons and dismantle my preconceptions. Having been intrigued by hearing their head-turning version of "Light My Fire" on FM radio, I came across this double LP in the cutout bin in the NTSU student union building's campus store and grabbed it up (the stunning Ralph Steadman cover art was worth the price alone) without hesitation. It turned out to be the perfect soundtrack for that phase of my life and I nearly wore the grooves down through the vinyl. Over four decades later the incredible performances captured on this album still have the power to shock and awe the adventurous listener. What keeps this recording from being a bonafide "masterpiece" is the fact that it would have benefited greatly from some discreet editing and been pared down to a single disc. But this was released at the end of the "anything goes" sixties and restraint was not necessarily a virtue in those heady times. "Tropic of Capricorn" is a jazzy tune written by Brian "Auge" Auger that demonstrates right off the bat one of the main reasons to love this band. The Hammond organ. Brian is a B-3 monster and the fire he ignites every time he takes a ride is quite evident on this number. Clive "Toli" Thacker throws in a subtle but effective drum solo, as well. Yet nothing can prepare you for the dynamic entrance of vocalist Julie "Jools" Driscoll as her unique vocal stylizations rise impressively from her eerie "Czechoslovakia," a strange mix of David "Lobs" Ambrose's acoustic guitar and Auger's organ that defines the term "eclectic." It's hard not to be affected by their creative and sometimes unnerving symbolic presentation of the strife and tragedies that country suffered in the summer of '68. Variety is the spice of life and their refreshing take on Nina Simone's "Take Me to the Water" appears like a spiritual oasis after the darkness of the previous cut. This gospel-tinged tune starts soulfully, then breaks into an all-out rave by the end with Jools raising the roof. Her brief "A Word About Color" is next and it's just her and an acoustic guitar but there's nothing laid-back or meek about her delivery. Ever.

As I mentioned earlier, their cover of The Doors' "Light My Fire" is what got me started on Auger's work and when you hear it you'll understand why. After hearing what Jose Feliciano had done to the song they decided to make it even jazzier and expressive and the result is nothing short of genius. Julie's erotic and near-orgasmic delivery takes your breath away as she makes the tune her own and Brian's sensuous organ lead is a treat, as well. This track is the highlight of the album and singularly worth the price of admission. Richie Havens' obscure "Indian Rope Man" is a hard-charging rocker that shows their more powerful side. Not only does Jools grab you by the collar with forceful words like "Indian rope man sees the times/splitting loose the edge of minds/catching losers in his line" but Auger's solo will rip your head off. If you haven't come to admire Driscoll's artistry by now, her stunning performance on "When I Was a Young Girl" has got to be the clincher. It's a haunting vocal and organ piece that slowly builds to an amazingly emotional crescendo and I guarantee you'll never forget Julie's gut-wrenching wails that take her voice flying into the highest registers imaginable. The more contemporary sound of "The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)" from the then-controversial musical "Hair" will make you forget The Fifth Dimension's sappy "Age of Aquarius" for all time to come.

Brian's "Ellis Island" (an instrumental inspired by Don Ellis) starts with a typical 60s-styled clavinet riff but then gets hotter than Hades as the tight rhythm section of Thacker and Ambrose glide underneath Auger's jet-fueled, screaming organ ride. If you are a fan of the Hammond sound then you can't afford to overlook this album. The low point arrives in the form of "In Search of the Sun," an amateurish ditty by Dave that only serves to retard the momentum. The liner notes inform us that it was his first attempt at songwriting and it sounds like it. Brian's funky "Finally Found You Out" is next and, while it was supposed to have vocals, time restrictions kept that from happening so they left it in as an instrumental. Good thing, too, because Auger's organ lead make your hair get frizzy and, if you stand too close to the speakers, it might set your clothes ablaze. I'm not kidding. The following song, "Looking in the Eyes of the World" is another cut that should have been left in the can. Its timely anti-war message is admirable but the rambling meandering of Brian's toneless voice and somber piano musings turns this one into a tiresome dirge to be skipped.

The folk leanings of Julie's "Vauxhall to Lambeth Bridge" is an intriguing adventure into uncharted territory where she and Ambrose weave a courageous free-form pattern using just expressive vocals and beautiful acoustic guitar. The group's cover of Miles Davis' "All Blues" is one of my favorite versions of that classic. Driscoll hypnotizes with her expert phrasing and Brian shows off his jazzy piano skills. It's too cool for words. "I Got Life" (another song from "Hair") follows and it's a fantastic showcase for Jools' versatility as she paints the intricate but expressive lyrics all over the aural spectrum. You gotta hear this lady sing! And there's no better way to end an album than with a Laura Nyro composition like "Save the Country." This heartfelt plea for peace and harmony is perfect for Jools' emotional voice as she soars like an eagle over the band's energetic groove.

I think you have to have a hankering for the unexpected to truly absorb and appreciate this music. If you're looking for a mix of jazz, rock, blues and folk that doesn't sound like any other group before or since then I feel certain that "Streetnoise" will be something you'll enjoy. Some might find Julie Driscoll's vocals too stark and/or naked but few sing from the soul the way she does. (I daresay that the likes of the great Annie Lennox were inspired by her.) And NOBODY, including Keith Emerson and Jimmy Smith, had the ability to attack the Hammond keyboards with more intensity and fiery passion than Brian Auger. He proves it beyond any shadow of a doubt many times on this album.

Sean Trane With Jools Driscoll back with Trinity, Streetnoise became the definitive album sealing their musical partnership, and this double vinyl received major accolades from the press and sold very well on both sides of the Atlantic. Historically this double album is as important as Hendrix’ Ladyland, The Who’s Tommy and Beatles’ White album, even if Streetnoise has too many covers to be a real all-time classic. But it doesn’t stop this album from being a real stunner in its own right, with some of the most striking songs getting the Auger treatment, Jools’ voice never being more impressive and beautifully seconded by Brian (his strongest performance in his career, IMHO) and Ambrose. Remarkably divided in four sides of four tracks, by making a bit of a selection and lengthening the side’s length, they could’ve made a complete superstar single disc album.

Right from the first notes of the instrumental Tropic of Capricorn, where Brian’s Aurgan rules, you know that Trinity is hitting their apex, taking risk: Brian sounds a bit like Emerson and Thacker offers us a tasty drum solo that for once is not overstaying its welcome. Jools is singing about the dramatic events of the previous year’s crushing of Prague’s revolt in Czechoslovakia. And the second part of the track, when Julie picks up her acoustic guitar is an astounding moment keep you on your toes with what you can imagine his tragic events supplied by background noises, enhanced by Jools’ slow death-like vocals, and the track ending in total chaos, obviously Russian tanks coming in. Mind-boggling stuff!! After such a monster, the soul/Motown Take Me To The Water can only sound like crap, but even placed elsewhere, this cover would still be weak. Closing the side is the short solemn acoustic folk A Word About Colour (Jools is alone here, without Trinity), making you regret even further the previous stinker.

After an average cover of The Doors’ Light My Fire, the group attacks a fantastic version of Ritchie Havens’ classic track Indian Rope Man (now there is some real good Motown), where Brian saturates his organ and the group is in top form. The lengthy blues-derived When I Was Young provides plenty more thrill and shivers, Jools’ voice chilling you spine, Brian’s brooding underlying orgasn (couldn’t help it, sorry ;o))) goose-bumping you all the way to your toes. And if that was not enough, they give you splendid version of the Haïr musical closer Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In) for more goose-bumps and near mental early ejaculation.

The second disc starts on a superb instrumental Ellis Island, with a recurring descending riff serving as chorus and plenty of inspired improvs serving as the verses. Wild stuff, but the rest of the side doesn’t really follow suit. If Brian (or Dave) sings fairly well In Search For the Sun, the track is little more than average for them, sorely lacking Julie. Finally found you Out is a much interesting instrumental, where Brian jumps from the Aurgan to the piano with a disconcerting ease, but as entertaining as it is, there nothing really worth writing home about either. Eye Of The World is a slow blues-jazzy solo piano piece with Brian singing overstaying its welcome by a good two minutes.

Lambeth Bridge is probably the most surprising track, with Jools and her guitar being the star of this lengthy progressive folk song. The following jazzy-blues sung by Julie is yet another goodie but wouldn’t make the cut for the afore-mentioned single disc affair. But comes another Rado/Ragni track from the Haïr musical (I just love that late 60’s artefact), I Got Life. Unfortunately the album ends on the sub-par Save The Country.

Although Jools would only record three more “rock” albums (the great 1969, the fantastic 76’s Sunset Glow and the deceiving revival of Encore in 78), her departure would whip our fave Ogre’s troupes’ pride, and enlisting future great JR/F guitarist Gary Boyle, they would go on to record their crowning achievement (with this one), Befour, calling it quits after the masterpiece. Streetnoise is a stunning album to which I wished there was one song added, their cover of Donovan’s Season of The Witch, to make it almost a perfection in its proto-prog genre.