Customer Reviews

Old Glory: Best of

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4 star:		(4)
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This band's few recordings did more for the state of the art than any of their contempories. I had to laugh when I read Sid Griffin's so called review. The Electric Flag were so soulful they helped inspire and shape many artists lives. I am one of those artists. Though my genre is progressive instrumental music...every time a young person asks my advice about what to listen to....this is the first CD I tell them about. You know what? Every single one of them has come back to thank me.

I recently re-discovered Bloomfield. I sort of remembered Electric Flag, but couldn't really place the group. I says to myself, "If Bloomfield is in it,it's good." The first couple of times, I didn't like the CD, but I picked it up after about a week, and I kept listening to it. After having listened to this CD about 100 times, my opinion is that it is a flat-out masterwork.

There are straight blues ("Going Down Slow," "Texas"), with Bloomfield as good as ever. There are several enjoyable "psychedelic" selections ("Groovin' Is Easy," "She Should Have Just.")

There is a hardcore, opium den jazz cut called,"Movie Music--Improvisation." It is an instructive example of how, for a short period, heroin can enhance creativity like a Krell brain-boost. This selection cooks like a furnace of a thousand sun!

Finally, there is "You Don't Realize." Let me tell you, I don't like "soul" music or "R/B" ballad type stuff, but here is an exception. Bloomfield wrote it, and Buddy Miles--the man, Buddy Miles!--warbles it like a bob-o-link at Augusta National, late on Sunday afternoon. Another thing: Man, can Buddy Miles drum! He's a pleasure.

One more thing. Bloomfield, we love you!

This is a very nice compilation of this influential, but short-lived 60s band. Any band with Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Buddy Miles on drums, and Harvey Brooks on bass has got to be formidable. Their music covered a wide spectrum, and appeared to pave the way (for better or worse) for the horn-powered bands such as Blood Sweat & Tears and Chicago. This CD includes a couple of live cuts from their Monterrey Pop Festival live debut as well as a nice blues outtake from their first album. They weren't perfect musically because the band had too many ace musicians, which is probably why the band didn't last long. But Mr. Bloomfield remains one of the all-time great blues guitarists, so anything with him playing on it during the 60s is worth checking out.

If you are considering this CD because you are a Mike Bloomfield fan, you should know that he does not appear at all on cuts 11-15; he had left the band after the 1st CD, "A Long Time Comin'". You might consider buying that 1st CD instead of this one which includes the 5 cuts from the band's 2nd CD, "An American Music Band". You would only miss out on "Drinkin' Wine" and "The Night Time Is The Right Time" recorded live at The Monterey Pop Festival. The other "previously unissued" cuts have nothing to offer Bloomfield fans--like the songs omitted from the list below, there is virtually no guitar work to be heard.

The only cuts with significant Bloomfield guitar work are
1. Killing Floor
3. She Should Have Just (Has background guitar work only, no solo.)
4. Goin' Down Slow
5. Texas
9. Another Country
16. Drinkin' Wine (Only 2:28)
17. The Night Time Is The Right Time

Having said the above, I want to be clear: what IS to be heard of Bloomfield in these songs is some of his best work. So if these 6 songs with great Bloomfield guitar is enough to justify the price, you will not be disappointed. I was disappointed because I wanted more of Mike.

The Electric Flag was probably Mike Bloomfield's most ambitious project. It combined soul, blues, pop and experimental music with an immensely talented group of musicians. Not only was it one of the best things Bloomfield ever did, it also showed Buddy Miles at his best. "Texas" is one of the best blues songs ever recorded. "Groovin' is Easy" and "Sittin' In Circles" are great pop songs, unfortunately, neither one of them charted. Nick Gravenites vocals are strong and to the point. This one or "A Long Time Comin'" are both good choices...though there will be some overlap, picking up the both of them is well worth it for the price.

I was so glad to see that there are two live tracks from the Monterey Pop Festival on this compilation. During the Byrds' set from the festival, David Crosby mentions, "If you missed Mike Bloomfield's group you're really out of it." Now I understand what he was talking about. Outstanding!

Worth it just for the two live tracks and a GREAT alternate version of "Sittin' In Circles"!

Although all of these musicians went on to other things especially Bloomfield, Gravenites and Buddy Miles who joined Jimi Hendrix,this is one of the few chances to hear this shorrt term group together. Worth a listen..

this collection sounds so new, you would think its now. these are heavy 60s musicians who once lays down magic, remains. soul in sittin' in circles. blues with goin' down slow. jazz in movie music. funk insoul searchin. and psycodelic in another country. bloomfield, buddy miles nick gravenites, barry goldberg were together the cream of the crop.if you want to travel a true passage to the late 60s and then you'll know what the fuss was all about. i am rocking as i write this , you can too....peace

When you you put Mike Bloomfield and Buddy Miles together in one band and throw in a bunch of great sidemen, you have a great band. This band outclassed a lot of other groups of their time. The musical quality of this band was higher than any other bands except for Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Mike Bloomfield was without a doubt one of the best guitarists of the rock era. He was at home on his guitar. Buddy Miles was one of the finest singers of blues-rock to have appeared on any stage.