Triumvirate

John Hammond, Dr. John, Michael Bloomfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000250K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,657 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the sum of its parts, December 14, 2001

By 

tin2x "tin2x" (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Triumvirate (Audio CD)

You know the saying. So when you get a New Orleans/piano legend, a delta blues revivalist, and the leading white American blues guitarist of his today together you would expect a dynamite jam session. What this album feels more like though is that everyone waited back for the "magic" to happen. And it never did. There isn't much here to celebrate. That's not to say it's bad. It just doesn't live up to expectations.

For someone who bought this to hear Bloomfield's guitar it's too far back in the mix and there's too little of it. I also like Dr. John but there isn't enough of his New Orleans funk here either. It's just sort of 'eh'. At the same time if a young blues/r&b outfit put this out today we'd probably talk about the promise they displayed and admire their restraint. It just doesn't do the individual artists justice. The liner notes, once you've got the CD, give you a warning as they cover the failed first attempt for these guys to find some chemistry in playing together. Not terrible, just unremarkable.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blues Supergroup?, February 25, 2001

By 

booknblueslady (Woodland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Triumvirate (Audio CD)

The year was 1973, an era when super groups were the vogue a la Blind Faith. The idea was to take a piano player whose style was New Orleans Cajun- Dr. John, a guitar icon with roots in Chicago Blues - Mike Bloomfield and a vocalist who reverently performed delta blues classics - John Hammond. It could have worked and made a huge impact on the music of the day and brought more people to the way of the blues - it didn't. Instead it was a blip in all of these great musicians careers - few people took note of it then or now.

While none of the artists on the album seem to be spotlighted to show the degree of talent that they possessed, it is an interesting cd with some good numbers on it. Such numbers as Cha dooky-doo and I yi yi seem silly and dated - others as Sho Bout to Drive me Wild, It Hurts Me Too and Rock Me Baby are noteworthy and a good listen.

All in all, the cd is worth the price, especially for fans of Dr. John, Mike Bloomfield or John Hammond. For those not familiar with their work or blues in general another cd would be a better choice.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as it looks, December 3, 1999

By 

Luke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Triumvirate (Audio CD)

For three great performers this is a suprisingly mediocre album. Hammond commands the band, but he should have let DR John and Bloomfield shine a little more. It says right in the liner notes that the chemistry was never there for this band. Dr John actually quit in the middle of recording sessions. For some great stuff by these guys pick up instead:Bluesiana Triangle, or The Sun The Moon and Herbs, or Gris-Gris for Dr JOhn. The live adventures of Mike and Al Kooper,super session, or any of Mike's Butterfield Blues Stuff. Hammond had some killer solo albums in the 60s with Robbie Robertson and Duane Allman on guitar.