Customer Reviews

Lunch

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

 

 

Audience was a terrific band from the end of the sixties genre (early seventies). House on the Hill and Lunch are some of the greatest albums from this period. Audience was somewhat like Jethro Tull, but very unique in their sound. Both albums contain great music and lyrics. Your Not Smiling, Indian Summer, Nancy, on Hill and Stand By the Door, Ain't the Man You Need, Trombone Gulch and Buy Me an Island, on Lunch. Also on Lunch the song, In Accord, is a great-intertwined tale of love and music.

If you like classic rock music then this album, like House on the Hill, is worth buying.

It is nice to read the other reviewers comments and to know that I was not alone in my enjoyment of Audience's music. As stated in HotH review, I wish someone would / could build a web site on Audience like they have done for Wishbone Ash. Does anyone from the Elektra Records label know what happen to the band's members?

Compared to House on the Hill this has less pop/Roxy Music overtones to it

It is more eclectic in a Gryphon/Gentle Giant manner with a strong dose of Jethro Tull/Sensational Alex Harvey band sense of humour.

Quality stuff and unlike House on the Hill, a recording not found in even most specialist shops that cater to non-commercial music

Would get 7/10 when compared to the best recordings of groups mentioned above

Audience had their own sound which reached fruition on this album. No they are not "like" Tull or Gentle Giant. They do share the same genre and similar technology, but Audience had a voice that was more complex and about ALL feelings not just love or fear. Listen deeply there's a lot more to hear than Ian Anderson's precocious whine or Gentle Giant's complex machinations.

Hard to imagine any American label other than Jac Holtzman's Elektra having the artistic courage to release an album like 1972's Gus Dudgeon produced "Lunch". Their fourth studio set in three years, the album was recorded in the wake of an extensive American tour opening for Rod Stewart and the Faces. Phyiscally and artistically tired and increasingly at odds with one another (particular sax player Keith Gemmell and the rest of the band), the fact they were able to squeeze out a fourth studio set before calling it quits actually spoke highly of the band's stamina. Perhaps to compensate for the core members exhaustion, the album introduced an expanded line up in the form of keyboard player Nick Judd and American horn men Bobby Keys and Jim Price. Musically the band's sound remained largely unchanged - uniquely British, if somewhat subdued this time around. Anyone looking to hear lots of blazing guitar from Howard Werth was going to be in for a major disappointment since electric guitar was all but absent from the collection. That said, even without electric guitars, these guys could rock out - doubt it then check out the likes of Seven Sore Bruises', 'Barracuda Dan' or 'Thunder And Lightnin''.

- Funny, but in spite of Howard Werth's gravel;-in-his-mouth voice and Keith Gemmell's shrill sax, 'Stand By the Door' could have been a radio hit. Sporting one of Audience's strongest melodies and a hook you simply couldn't get out of your head, this was one of the album highlights. The song was actually released as a British single. rating: **** stars
- I'm usually not a big fan of horn-propelled blues-rockers, but 'Seven Sore Bruises' was an exception to the rule. Werth and company actually sounded like they had a blast recording the song and the lyrics were pretty funny. rating: *** stars
- Possibly the album's most commercial song, the breezy, Carribean-flavored 'Hula Girl' was another track that should have brought the band commercial success. Werth's dry, snarling voice seldom sounded as good and the chorus and whistling solos were truly infectious. rating: **** stars
- Opening up with some petty acoustic guitar, 'Ain't The Man You Need' sounded a bit like a Clapton blues number before inexplicably exploding into a horn-powered blues-rocker. Not sure if it was Gemmell, or Keys, but one of them provided a stunning sax solo. rating: *** stars
- Showcasing Werth's ominous snarling voice and some of the album's cleverest lyrics (musical terms in the pursuit of lust), 'In Accord' was side one's toughest performance with Keys earning his paycheck for a dazzling sax solo. rating: *** stars
- One of their strangest performances, 'Barracuda Dan' was a slice of Americana that rocked out with a true sense of vengence. Nice horn charts. rating: *** stars
- Perhaps the album's best song, 'Thunder And Lightnin'' was a blazing mid-tempo rocker that had everything you look for in a song - great melody, interesting lyrics, and one of Werth's best performances. rating: **** stars
- Hum, ever wondered what a mash-up of Jewish Klezmer music and rock and roll would sound like ? Well, 'Party Games' might give you a taste of the results ... surprisingly enjoyable. rating: *** stars
- So after dipping their toes in Klezmer, why not try on a Western theme for size ? Kicked along by Trevor Williams' hyperactive bass line and some equally busy horns, 'Trombone Gulch' was about as close to a rock song as this album offered up. Shame the song faded out just as it was switching into high gear. rating: **** stars
- Maybe it was just my beat ears, but 'Buy Me An Island' sounded like Werth and company were trying to channel Elton John doing an impression of Robbie Robertson and the Band. Regardless, it was one of my favorite performances with a lyric we can all relate to - time to retire to a tropical island and enjoy life. rating: **** stars

Charisma tapped the album for a UK single, as did Elektra though with a different 'B' side for the US market:

- 1972's 'Stand By The Door' b/w 'Thunder And Lightnin'' (Charisma catalog number CB 185)
- 1972's 'Stand By The Door' b/w 'Seven Sore Bruises'' (Elektra catalog number E 45788)

Not a particularly commercial collection (apparently to American ears), but an album that I've repeated enjoyed, if only because it is so quirky. Again, hard to imagine any American label outside of Elektra even daring to release something like this in the States. To be honest, figuring out how to market this to an American audience was simply a no-win situation for Elektra so the fact the album managed to hit # 175 on the US charts was quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately that spelled the end of the band. Personal frustrations saw the band fracture with members going off to other enterprises.

"The House On the Hill" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Stand By The Door (Howard Werth) - 3:56
2.) Seven Sore Bruises (Howard Werth - Trevor Williams) - 2:37
3.) Hula Girl (Howard Werth - Keith Gemmell) - 2:40
4.) Ain't The Man You Need (Howard Werth- Trevor Williams) - 3:20
5.) In Accord ( Keith Gemmell - Trevor Williams - Tony Connor) - 4:55

(side 2)
1.) Barracuda Dan (Howard Werth - Trevor Williams) - 2:15
2.) Thunder And Lightnin' (Howard Werth) - 3:37
3.) Party Games (Howard Werth - Trevor Williams) - 3:20
4.) Trombone Gulch (Howard Werth - Trevor Williams) - 2:43
5.) Buy Me An Island (Howard Werth) - 5:10

And for Audience completists, yes, the original Charisma cover was slightly different, sporting a different font and title placement. Made you wonder how much time, effort, and money Elektra marketing spent coming up with their variant for the US marketplace ...

Audience, at their best, have a hypnotic mid-tempo sound made almost opiate through Keith Gemmell's restrained saxophone. It found full bloom on their third album, House On The Hill. Lunch, their fourth, goes for a bigger sound with more musicians in the studio. The extra horns and backup singers don't make a better album, though and singer Howard Werth doesn't duplicate the full-throat commitment his singing had on previous songs such as Jackdaw. By this album, according to Wikipedia, the band was pretty much exhausted by non-stop touring and in the process of breaking up; this, their swan song, does indeed sound like a group at the end of their creative rope. Some of the old Audience musical tropes are there, but the album is a letdown.