Madura - Madura (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

I was there

Robert R. Speer | Seattle, WA | 07/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was in a band playing the same circuit as these guys in 1972.

We would play at The Rush Up in Chicago one week and than the Stone Toad in Milwaukee the next. I met these guys and heard them many times. They were fabulous musicians. They spent two years at James William Gurcios ranch recording 2 albums just as his other band Chicago had done.

By the way The Rush Up in Chicago was made famous by a band known as The Big Thing. That was the name of Chicago before they became CTA or Chicago Transit Authority. hawk their Keyboard player could lay down a base line on his B3 better than any B3 player I have ever heard. These guys were 100 times the band that another trio out at the time Grand Funk ever dreamed of being."

QUITE A LETDOWN

R. A Fox | hawthorne, NJ United States | 07/11/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"i was led to believe that the guitarist was terry kath, so i jumped for it and overpaid greatly. the guitarist is good, but definitely is not kath. and there's not enough guitar playing. the drummer is outstanding, the growly lead vocalist is good, as is the organist. the harmonies are kind of weak and i just don't know what the excitement is about this group. some of the writing and harmonies mirror Chicago and james william guercio is involved in this group as well, but i was greatly disappointed in the overall CD. it's not kath and not chicago."

Yes they were a real band!

M. Harris | BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX United Kingdom | 05/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just to trounce the idea that this was a Terry Kath solo project (the guitar playing is completely different)if anyone cares to watch the film 'electra glid in blue' they can see Madura playing live on stage unfortunately too short, but they look hot! and Dave 'Hawk' Wolinski is the hippy they hassle. This is a great album as is Bangor flying Circus's effort. 'Hawk' is a great soulful singer and great keyboard player. Bet he never imagined in 72 he'd write a hit single for Rufus and appear live with them! The only similarity to Chicago is Guerico's involvement. This is great funky stuff and the version of 'Johnny b.goode' is brilliant. Buy this!"

Comparisons to grupo Chicago unnecessary

Peppino | 03/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, as we arrived in Chicago, the musics "scene" was quite alive in the middle 70s , and the City of Chicago had very unique sounds.

Madura was a grupo that , as is totally "unacceptable" in the standard of the recording industry in 2007, was not of one catagory.

Blues-rock solo one track would follow with a "falso-jazz" style solo the next from guitarrista Alan DeCarlo, and the "hawk", David Wolinski was equal conversant in the "organistics" of jazz giants as Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson etc, as well as the R&B style of the Booker T!

Sweet falsetto vocals lead to bluesy "vanilla Raycharl'ismo"! Harmony vocal work a bit awkward, but still quite soulful.

Each composition , well, ALMOST each faceted with time signature change, stylistic mixings, and very jazzy the concept of dynamics. (Dynamics missing from SO many amplified "rock -oriented" grupos who just hammer at you and are out for BLOOD!)

The opening of the recording features DW playing "treated "piano in the avante-guarde style, and later, a (worthless version of "Johnny B Goode", no need for this song AGAIN!, once was enough!)

All in all, credit to Senhor DeCarlo for, as mentioned in prior reviews, going the xtra mile as Chicago guitarrista Terry Kath by playing in not only the rock style, but a more educated "jazzy" style . (Dont mix up with Wes or Kenny Burrell, however!)

The organ/piano from DW ery much interesting as an improvisor in the context of this "progressive" rock recording

All in all , quite FUN , like early Chicago (grupo) without the horns!

DW went on to record/write with original Chaka Khan and Rufus.

A fine example of when musics was FRESH, experimental, and NOT driven by the worship of the USA dolar!!!

Not a perfect recording, and expensive, but, in the end, worth it ."

Side Door

Michael L. Knapp | Placerville, CA United States | 07/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I came to this album throught the side door via HP Lovecraft. HP was one of my all-time favorite bands. As I was looking through a record bin I ran across the Bangor Flying Circus. Loved the album but then Michael Tegze went back to start a new version of Lovecraft & I figured that was that. After that I was in a record store & heard what sounded like Bangor FC, but with songs I'd never heard. The clerk showed me the album & when I realized it was the same band with a different drummer I snapped it up, after which I stayed on my turntabe for the next two weeks. Every song a winner. While a unique sound, they stand the test of time pretty darn well. A great album but I think I'm going to have to look for a used copy because I just can't justify the price. Fortunatly the other day I found a sealed copy of the vinyl (which I burned a back-up CD from on the first playing)to replace wy well- worn copy with one that even smelled new. If there is ever a domestic cd copy I buy it in a heartbeat. While nor really sounding like them I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any fans of HP Lovecraft"

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