i'm listening to selections from Escalator Over The Hill, Carla Bley's legendary "jazz opera" which originally was isseed in 1970 as a 4-LP set featuring a cast of dozens including new-music luminaries such as John McLaughlin, Paul Motian, Don Cherry, and Charlie Haden as well as rock musicians/singers including Jack Bruce (who sings the male lead), Steve Ferguson of NRBQ, and Linda Ronstadt. Linda sings the first selection, in what is unquestionably the best singing she ever did. dig McLaughlin's obbligato behind the vocal at the end. the second selection is Carla and a friend at the piano and bird whistles; the deadpan recitation at the end is Viva, the Warhol Factory girl. the third track starts with Bruce singing, blasts off into a trio McLaughlin/Bruce/Motian jam, and then wanders off into the forest following Don Cherry's pocket trumpet and Leroy Jenkins' violin.
I went to a lot of their early shows, one of my best friends from uni dated Dom when he was still studying in accounting and I have met most of the band members in passing. They are all lovely people but...
I really don't like their music, I find them crazy boring and I still get dragged to shows because of the above. In fact I am extremely against throwback psychedelia in general, it goes totally against the entire spirit of the music.