Customer Reviews

Aorta

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Aorta was a truly great band. One of the very best to come out of the 1960s. This, the first of two albums they recorded, is not only their masterpiece, but stands out as one of the finest rock albums ever produced. Recorded in 1968 at the height of the Flower-Power movement, Aorta was America's answer to Sgt. Peppers. The theme of "Main Vein" reoccurs throughout the album, fusing together a wide variety of beautiful pop songs that flow non-stop like a mighty river of liquid ear candy. The song "Strange" could have been a huge hit with "Ode to Missy Mxyzosptlk" a perfect follow-up. Throw in "Sprinke Road to Coark Street" and "Catalyptic" and you're in heaven. It just doesn't get any better than this! Why this band never really caught on will be one of those eternal unsolved mysteries that litter the annals of Rock n' Roll. All we can do is enjoy the beautiful gem that Aorta left us and pray for a reunion.

This album was truly one of the most magnificent recordings of the late 60s. Why it never caught fire with the listening public has always been a mystery to me. I have owned a copy since the early 70s and still take it out and play it several times a year. The creativity and imagination that went into this album, not to mention the strong songwriting and performances of the band, make this one of the best albums in all of rock history. And to add icing to the cake, they were excellent singers as well! Where do you hear voices like that nowadays? I wish I still had a copy of their 2nd album, as I recall that it was also quite creative but strikingly different from their 1st. Where are they now?

The music is 5 stars and then some. My rating is based entirely on how horribly the music was transferred on this CD.

"Aorta" is one of the best LPs ever recorded, a psych-pop masterpiece which deserved a far wider audience that it achieved. Issued on Columbia in 1969, it was not well promoted but still managed to chart and then remain in print (as an LP) for over ten years, far longer than most LPs of its genre.

It might have fared better initially had Columbia issued a banded version for radio. As it is, a seamless song cycle (even the necessary gap on the LP between the end of side 1 and the beginning of side 2 is not present on the master tape), it was difficult for radio to program or play it. The one single taken from the LP, an edited version of "Strange" backed with "Ode to Missy Mxyzosptlk," presumably spelled with the middle "os" to avoid any potential problem with DC Comics, barely escaped and received no promotion at all. The same fate befell the group's debut single on Atlantic, pairing their version of "The Shape of Things to Come" (a hit for Max Frost and the Troopers, from "Wild in the Streets") with "Strange" on the flip.

Axis has transferred the LP with relatively good sound, but it has inexplicably left incredibly annoying gaps at the end of each track. This completely destroys the continunity of the LP. Nor is this the result of silent 2-second CD gaps. The gaps are in the tracks themselves.

So, what we have is a brilliant LP utterly ruined by astoundingly careless mastering. Buy or Die got it right with its 1994 reissue on CD, which flows smoothly, exactly as it should. Unfortunately, its sound quality is a bit lacking, but it remains the only way to get a halfway decent CD of this amazing album. Why Sony Legacy does not produce a reissue is beyond me.

Get the Buy or Die CD, or better yet, pick up the original LP, to hear this outstanding psych effort--and forget this shoddy transfer.

One of the great psychedelic rock albums in Columbia's catalog, originally released in 1969 by an obscure Chicago quartet (though apparently recorded in Detroit!). The tremendous production merged heavy rock with horns, orchestral strings and church organ in a swirl of attention-getting stereophonic touches. Those who enjoy Arthur Brown's post-Crazy World albums with Kingdom Come will enjoy the way this album is put together. Where Brown tended to ELP-like prog-rock, Aorta had more of a Chicago-influenced soul sound beneath their heavy Fillmore-styled ballroom electric rock.

There are apparently several different import reissues circulating. The Buy or Die label reissue from Germany has garnered poor reviews for its sound quality. The Alcinous Ltd. release from Greece sounds quite good in comparison to the original vinyl. Perhaps Alcinous had a better source than Buy or Die, or simply did a better job of re-mastering for CD. The Alcinous audio is crisp throughout, with plenty of high-end to supplement the heartbeat lows, and enough dynamic range to capture everything from the flute-and-guitar interludes to the heaviest rocking passages. The packaging is nice, with reproductions of the front and back covers and a full lyric sheet inside the four-page booklet.

One of my favorite albums. A Masterpiece. Every song is worth the price of admission here. I give Aorta 5 stars for the album itself, not this Buy Or Die reissue. Aorta was signed to Columbia records (a major label) and released this LP in early 1969 (original had the red <--360 Sound --> label). Columbia reissued this LP numerous times throughout the 70's and 80's on vinyl, but NEVER on CD (bad move). The only CD available is this German import that was probably transfered from a vinyl copy, which is not uncommon for some 60's reissue record labels. Being this was on a major label, it shouldn't be so difficult to sign out the master tapes from Columbia or Sony Music and properly remaster this masterpiece with superb dynamic range using 24 bit technology. A proper Aorta reissue project is overdue!! Columbia, wake up and release this 69' masterpiece on disc the way you did The Byrds, The Chambers Brothers, Santana, BS&T and Chicago. And while you're at it, give us MOBY GRAPE, THE U.S.A. and THE PEANUT BUTTER CONSPIRACY on CD too will ya'. As a matter of fact, Peter Cetera was briefly a member of Aorta before they got signed in 1968. Peter left and founded The Chicago Transit Authority.

In 1968 I saw this LP in the display window at The Hub and bought it for the cover alone. I knew it had to be heavy. When I put it on the turntable I was not disappointed. This is vintage psychodelia. The vocals are reminiscent of Vanilla Fudge, the guitar is fuzz-soaked and crosstracks like a mother. There are weird sound effects that link each of the tracks together and the audio production is top notch. As the years progressed I continued to pull this beauty out and relive the magic. However, after 37 years the LP has shown signs of aging. I was so happy to see this finally available on CD. I read some reviews about the abysmal sound quality of the German release. Then I read a review recommending the Alcinous Ltd release from Greece. I took a chance and I'm glad I did. The audio quality is top notch. I am hearing things that I never heard before. The separation and clarity of the mix are excellent. Additionally it was mastered at a high volume so the sonics are right in your face. This is a true unknown artifact of the long forgotten era. If you like your lyrics trippy and your music phased and dense and fuzzed out you are going to love this 40 minutes of pure late '60's bliss.

Just found the reviews for the Aorta album. I wrote "Strange"
and co-wrote Sprinkle Road to Cork Street, and Magic bed,
along with contributing to some of the arrangements.
I am very delighted that the reviews on this site are
all very glowing. Thank you. Writing is still a hobby, and
still jamming on occaision. Feel free to contact me for
new originals if you are in the business.....

Growing up in the far south Chicago suburbs has it's benefits. As a teenager, I got the chance to see Aorta live at "Valley View", west of Frankfort Il., and I've been hooked ever since. I bought the album, the eight-track, and even the reel to reel tape of this album! I remember Jim Donlinger used to live in South Holland Illinois, but moved out long ago. I heard them again, after the second album was released, at a Catholic all girls school in South Holland. They tried to play stuff off the new album, but the crowd wanted to hear tracks off the debut album. For the record, the first album was recorded in Detroit, and the song "Sprinkle Road to Cork Street" refers to a pair of exits off I-94 enroute to Detroit! It's great to see a local band still in the public eye 30= years later! Enjoy! Capn J

Aorta opened a show at Fillmore East when, I think, Jeff Beck was to be the headliner. He'd cancelled, but this group whom we'd never heard of, opened, and Savoy Brown closed the show, bringing down the house. Kim Simmonds became our new god. Well!!!
The album represented well their stage sound, and they were pretty sophisticated for those simpler times. I recall the lush, spacy organ intro and the echoey "It's your main.. main.. main... vein.." (Keep in mind that your aorta isn't your main vein, since it's your largest artery.) I believe they used a much better organ than the "cheesy" typical portables that were common ( making the words 'cheesy' and 'organ' inseparable). Might have had a B3. I have only the original vinyl album, which I got as soon as it was released. Although others reviewing here feel the album would work as one track, I never cared for the 'Penny Lane'-like chipper "Sprinkle Road to Cork Street", which broke the deeper feeling of some of the other tracks. It is good to have others' opinions of the apparently poor CD transfer. I can make my own CD with the computer from the vinyl, I suppose.

I too owned the original LP. The composition is outstanding.

I firmly believe that if marketed properly today, this would go platinum... easily.