HERBIE MANN — London Underground (review)

HERBIE MANN — London Underground album cover Album · 1974 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
Obviously this album’s title hints at it being the English answer to his Memphis outing, and it’s indeed a bit its pendant, but it’s rather different as well, because the huge majority of the tracks are covers of rock songs. As you’d probably guess, it presents a rockier edge than its Memphis “twin” with an impressive guest list like Mick Taylor, Albert Lee, Ainsley Dunbar, Ian McDonald (on sax only), Robie McIntosh, Grapelli, Pat Rebillot and a few more. Quite impressive, uh?? As with its Memphis pendant, Herbie is quite content to participate and doesn’t hog the front row and lets everyone the fair share of sunrays.

Opening on an impressive cover of the Stones’ Bitch track (an extended 6-mins+ version) where Herbie lets Taylor rip it wide open and follows suit. The quieter Something’s in The Air sounds like a Traffic tune, because it has that Winwood feel. Less convincing is The Dominoes’ Layla cover, that starts up with a quite slow intro (almost la Hendrix) before plunging, with Taylor and Lee taking up allman and Clapton’s role. Not transcendental, but worth a listen. An amusing version of Mellow Yellow follows with Grapelli being the main protagonist… but it’s probably slightly out odf the album’s context.

On the flipside, the grandiose cover of Procol’s Whiter Shade Of Pale is somewhat slower than the original, Mann’s flute is really soulish on the church-like Rebillot-played organ. One of the only original track is the Mann-penned Memphis-Dover track, but the musical link to his MU album is not really obvious. Herbie lets us know of his Winwood fascination with the old Traffic hit Paper Sun, which this writer prefers to the original version. Too bad the album ends on the ultra-slow You Never..; as it’s a total anti-climax.

Maybe a tad less essential than its Memphis pendant or albums like Push Push, but this is still quite interesting for those enjoying jazz-rock (or more like rock-jazz, because the jazz is not all that present here), but I would tell trad jazzheads to stay away from this if they fear this might be out of the centre of interest, I will confirm it. Great album nonetheless.

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