Sense of Direction (Reis) [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Climax Blues Band, Chicago Blues Band | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Fuel 2000
• ASIN: B000J10JZ6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,639 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Amerita/Sense of Direction

2. Losin' the Humbles

3. Shopping Bag People

4. Nogales

5. Reaching Out

6. Right Now

7. Before You Reach the Grave

8. Milwaukee Truckin' Blues (Chipper's Song)

9. Amerita/Sense of Direction [Single Version][*]

10. Reaching Out [Single Version][*]

11. Right Now [Extended Version][*]

Editorial Reviews

Sense Of Direction by Climax Blues Band

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sounding Good..., November 6, 2006

By 

Richard J. Atkinson "ratkin" (Queensbury, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sense of Direction (Reis) (Audio CD)

As a long-time fan of Climax Blues Band, I have been waiting for this one for a while, now. A previous CD release of 'Sense of Direction' (on Plum Records) had a serious flaw in my favorite song, in addition to so-so sound. Really, how can you lose about 20 seconds of music in the middle of a song and not notice it?

This new Fuel Records release at least corrects that deficiency. 'Amerita/Sense of Direction' has been restored to its full 6:08 length, the sound of the album as a whole has been cleaned up, and three bonus tracks have been added. The single version of 'Amerita/Sense of Direction' actually appears on some other import compilations listed as simply 'Sense of Direction,' since the edit for the single consisted largely of hacking off the 'Amerita' section of the piece. The extended version of 'Right Now' is good for completists, but doesn't add much overall. The surprise of the package is the alternate version of 'Reaching Out,' which is a much shorter and radically different arrangement of the song.

Overall, 'Sense of Direction' was always one of my favorite Climax Blues Band albums, right behind the 'FM/Live' live album. The title track, 'Nogales,' 'Losing the Humbles' and 'Reaching Out' combine to make this an album well worth owning.

So why only 4 stars? Fuel Records did an acceptable but not great job on this reissue. The remastering is good, but not as good as I would like it to have been. A sticker on the jewel case cover promises Extensive Liner Notes!, but the package delivers a four-page booklet (one piece of paper, folded in half), no pictures, two of the four pages taken up by the British and American covers of the original album, and one short essay whose central thesis could be summed up as "It isn't very good, but here it is." The company couldn't even get the name of the album right; it's shown on the disk as 'Straight Ahead.' If you're that blase about delivering a quality product, why not let someone else do it, and do it right?

But this is still about music, and this album is well worth buying on that basis. Thirty-two years later this is still an excellent album, and it deserves a place in any serious music collection.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed version of an excellent album, August 30, 1999

By 

Richard J. Atkinson "ratkin" (Queensbury, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sense of Direction (Audio CD)

Unlike another reviewer on this page, I have always enjoyed this album. I had the privilege of knowing the band back during the period when it was recorded, and was a great fan of theirs. Their unique combination of the sax and the guitar, often with the two playing so perfectly in synch that it sounded like a single instrument, was amazing, and is shown to its best effect on the first half of the song "Amerita/Sense of Direction". I have always believed that Climax Blues Band's Pete Haycock was one of the most underrated guitarists of his time. My one complaint with this album: while the album sounds great if you have never heard it before, there is a flaw in the version of "Amerita/Sense of Direction" that appears in the Plum Records CD. In the portion of the song that is the transition from 'Amerita' into 'Sense of Direction' there is a short portion of the song missing! What should be a very smooth flow from one song to the next becomes a jump cut. Unfortunately this seems to be the only version of the album currently available.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag But "Amerita/Sense of Direction" Is Fantastic!, June 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sense of Direction (Audio CD)

This album is such a rare treat. No other band really combined progressive rock with the blues in such a manner as on this album. It was a double edge sword for the Climax Blues Band. The blues purists hated "Amerita/Sense of Direction" and the proggers felt the same about the disco-laden "Reaching Out". The other cuts are very good...just a mix of different styles. "Shopping Bag People" is a pleasant blues-riff because of Haycock's slide guitar. "Right Now" has a kick-back boogie-woogie feel. However, Haycock's searing guitar work on "Sense of Direction" is a mind blower and worth checking out at any cost for those who love great classic rock. Yes, it is that good and puts this album over-the-top ranking this as one of the best albums that Climax Blues Band ever released. Highly collectible!