Customer Reviews

True Stories

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If I hadn't been shopping in my favorite record store one day in 1978 when this album happened to be playing on the store's sound system, I probably would have missed out on one of the most beautiful and spiritual albums of the rock era. I bought the album immediately and turned most of my friends on to it. At the time we had all been through our progressive and fusion phases and were now emersing ourselves in punk / new wave. But there was something about this recording that transended musical boundaries. I was familiar with David Sancious through his keyboard work with Bruce Springsteen, but none of his previous work prepared me for this experience. It's hard to describe this music. Powerful melodies, virtuoso playing, spiritual/uplifting themes, soulful singing. I have always been a huge Todd Rundgren fan and this album, while sounding nothing like Rundgren, reminds me of his best spiritual, positive vibe offerings. The whole album is absolutely majestic! Lead singer,Alex Ligertwood, who previously had worked with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and Santana is a revelation-the best work of his career.The female voices of Gail Boggs and Brenda Madison are gorgeous. Gerald Carboy's bass playing is solid throughout and drummer Ernest Carter is absolutely mindboggling, where is this guy now? Of course David Sancious gets credit for writing this incredible music and playing all the melody lines through his banks of keyboards. The music doesn't sound at all dated to my ears and it never sounds pompous like some prog rock. The production by Eddie Offord of Yes and ELP fame is sparkling, crystal clear. I have had to make do with my two vinyl copies of this LP for years in hope that some bright label would have the sense to reissue it on CD (shamefully, none of Sancious' back catalog has been available for years). Thanks to those wonderful folks at One Way records in my own hometown of Albany, NY, True Stories is once again in print and it sounds better than ever. If you have ever loved progressive rock or fusion jazz, buy this CD! you will not be sorry!

True Stories. David Sancious was a keyboard player in Bruce Springsteen's band. The story goes that he was such a virtuoso that he was always blowing everyone away (not ALWAYS a good thing to do). So one night, he picks up a guitar and almost instantly was playing the worlds hottest licks and tasty rhythm guitar. TOO hot for Bruce, but wait till YOU hear it. The keyboards are incredible. Synth riffs and pads that gush the best. Chord changes that work, pounded expertly into place by the rhythm section. Earnest Carter performs feats of drum magic. A drummer's drummer. Many tunes feature Jeff Berlin on bass, another powerhouse virtuoso. But often it's not the playing - it's the ensemble here that counts. Alex Litgerwood doing impossible vocal things backed by almost choral vocals with the total band soaring away behind and throughout it all ... whoa, back to Earth. It's Fusion, it's funk. It's jazz, but that's bunk. David Sancious music, to this listener (and bass player), is simply top of the line stuff.

Musician: To miss this is to miss much. Tax your credit a little and simply buy this one. Whatever you play, there is REAL music here to be heard. If you don't play an instrument, you'll just have a seizure when you hear this music or go into arrest. Don't hold me responsible!

After helping the Boss record his best music, David Sancious flung himself into the then active Jazz Fusion scene and produced a string of albums that showed a musical sense informed not only by the best jazz, but classical music, and by British Prog. Sancious could write an extended piece, funk it up, jazz it up, prog it up, and conclude it with a Mozartian outro and make it look easy. Not to mention he can play country blues as well as anybody.

This is his third Album and one of his best. Forming a band, Tone, Sancious consolidated the work done on his first two albums for Columbia "Forest of Feelings," and "Transformations."
With the additional of vocalists, Sancious' core band of Carboy on bass and Carter on Drums, now had a real base for their muscular, sometimes frantic, playing on the first two albums. The result borders on ecstatic vision, fusing Jazz vocal harmonies, with rock singing, and pure energy.

This music has a truly important place in rock history, if you think about it. Rock and Roll was an African-American form that among others the British co-opted and made their own. Progressive Rock, that echt-British form, is the rock music most divorced from its American Black roots. This Album takes that British music and refuses with American Black forms, resulting in a masterpiece like no other. Complexity and emotion, synthesizers and piano runs, dancable tunes about Eternity and Love. Yes should be so good.

No mistake about David Sancious; he's the man. Since the demise of Fusion, he's spent his career backing the pros, starting with Jon Anderson (Animation), as well as Sting, Clapton, the list goes on. On a just world, David Sancious would be putting out a collection of this fine music once every couple years.

Take me to that place.

I have been a fan since the original release of "Transformation, Speed of Life." All of David's music represents soulful, insightful composition and unbelieveable musicianship. REALLY UNBELIEVEABLE MUSICIANSHIP. Every track is a keeper. This album has inspired me to turn away from "commercial" music and instead letting my soul breathe.

My path is now clear, Thank you David Sancious and Tone.

"True Stories" by David Sancious came into my life on vinyl in 1978 and transported me into rapture...it's like the meeting of incredible musical,vocal,and lyric-writing chops with BALLS. In the progressive music tradition of Yes and E,L,&P, Master Sancious managed to infuse every piece with passion and emotion to create an authentic progressive piece of God-music. I want this C.D. to be buried with me....I've been waiting 23 years for it's C.D.release. I am myself a musician, and "True Stories" is "...Lasting contentment, sure to remain, Ever unbroken, Ever the Same...." Amen!...

This is a recording of great music by a great composer/musician, accompanied by incredible musicians. This and their next recording, 'Just As I Thought', are among my top twenty favorite recordings of forever. Definitely desert-island quality. The music ranges from classically based suites to funkified fusion with soulful vocals from Alex Ligertwood, Brenda Madison, and Gail Boggs. A real musical feast!

It could be convincingly argued that this recording is a missing link between the jazz-rock fusion (terminally pretentious) and folk-soul gospel (profound) primarily due to it's intense yet sophisticated musicianship intertwined with uplifting, quasi-gospel choir styled vocal performances.

Thanks to the genre averse, veteran music man Clive Davis and his then just burgeoning Arista Records, this album was signed and delivered during the beginning of the overshadowing Disco craze (there was even a 12" promotional single of 'Move On' taken from the album).

Now, imagine the current regime of musically challenged myopic entertainment marketers trying to sell this in todays narrowcast marketplace... Right.

One Way has done a competent job with remaster and reissue duties. It's great to see an album of this magnitude
prepped for digital consumption. (although, I'll continue to wear out my vinyl LP).


David Sancious's band was aptly named since what consistently stands out over the 30 years since it was recorded is the unique acoustic TONE captured here, I believe, largely due to the skill and craftsmanship of recording engineer/producer Eddy Offord, also known for engineering and producing early work of Rock/Fusion bands Yes and Emerson Lake & Palmer among many others.


Also, it seems external special effects, (which were soon to be over used by many engineers during the 1980's) such as reverb, echo or other 'sound sweetening' tricks were NOT used in the recording process. What you hear is mainly the natural acoustics of great room dynamics, not to mention well placed drum mics.

There's a seemingly psychic interaction throughout 'True Stories' between drummer Ernest Carter (who also bows on Sancious's next LP 'Just As I Thought)' and Sancious, who plays the bulk of the instruments here (including wicked acoustic guitar and an array of keyboards.

And though it's loaded with brilliant synth work by Sancious, the overall acoustics sound warm and organic (the magic of tape?)

Most of today's engineers and producers would do themselves and us a huge service were they to use this album, (among a few others from the era), as a template for how to properly record and mix electronic and acoustic instruments. This LP is another testament to Offord's mastery in the studio.

Sancious more than fulfills the creative qualifications of the proverbial 'keyboard god' (think Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, Jan Hammer, Edgar Winter, ELP) although it seems lack of an easily 'marketable image' or maybe just a conscious avoidance of becoming a 'hit making machine' has kept his work obscure from mainstream audiences.

Extra kudos must be given to Alex Ligertwood (lead vocalist on several songs, who soon after, went on to make radio hits with Santana).

His soulful vocal range brings a passion to these songs that elevate them past mere musically clever workouts into a uniquely emotional sphere.

Just as I ThoughtTransformation (The Speed of Love)Cinema

David Sancious and his band Tone truely did themselfs in with 'True Stories'.Sancious's use of the fender rhodes piano,the Hammond organ,Arp synthesizer and polymoog as pure textural elements is always incredible.Therefore this CD doesn't contain many solos.The lead sing is Santana's Alex Ligertwood and his loud,soulful intonations are the most appropriate for this music.As for the music Sancious's sound is a highly potent blend of R&B,art-rock,jazz-fusion and gospel,with the lyrics to the uptempo pieces such as "Fade Away","Matter Of Time" and the lenghy "Ever The Same" relating to time,passion and other cosmic subjects.But the lyrical focus is always as spiritual involved as Santana's-it's not arty or art's sake."Prelude #3" creatively plays with a neo-classical theme similar to Stevie Wonder's
"Village Ghetto Land",only it's an instrumental."Move On" is a fairly simple,upbeat tune while "Sound Of Love" and "On The Inside" take the pace down slower but no less compelling as music.
'True Stories' has alot of variety for a David Sancious album and even if it's often very close to Santana releases of the same vintage in some ways Sancious is his own musician entirely-gone are Santana's latin rock influences and in are the heavy jazz and funk stylings.These songs have an underlying groove to them and I recommend the Jan Hammer Group's CD 'Melodies' (if your lucky enough to find it) as a good companion to this-the ideas flow together very well on both.

I first heard this album on vinyl in the late 1970s: I fell in love with it immediately and it has been an indispensable part of my music collection ever since; never relegated to the back shelf to gather dust. It was, therefore, with some delight that I discovered One Way Records had finally released this classic on CD.

In True Stories Sancious blends musical styles as diverse as jazz, rock and classical into seamless display of virtuosity and soul which never ceases to inspire deep emotions in the listener. From quiet and thoughtful through genuinely touching to outright thrilling the songs and instrumentals of True Stories always satisfy. The album balances exceptionally well too: structured songs such as Move On and Fade Away sit comfortably next to complex instrumentals such as On the Inside providing a very listenable flow from start to end of album. The band, Tone, were brought together solely for True Stories, and while Sancious is clearly a keyboard player/pianist of the highest order, the contribution of his band members is also clear to see. Tone put in excellent performances on drums, bass and backing vocals but Alex Liggertwood's soulful and powerful lead vocals are of exceptionally high quality.

The CD of True Stories sounds a little different to my vinyl recording. In some departments the original vinyl sounds a little more lively and musical but the CD pulls it back in the quieter passages with its relative absence of surface noise; although there are (strangely) some slight artefacts on the CD which are not on the vinyl. Generally, though, this reproduction of the album is pretty good.

In conclusion: I really love this album - after over 20 years I never get bored of listening to it. In True Stories, David Sancious & Tone have created something of true beauty. Treat yourself - you won't regret it.

A long story short.. I bought this album used in 1981 (heard Sounds of Love on the radio, HAD to have it, searched every used record store on Long Island and NYC, finally found one).. LOVED it, PLAYED it like crazy.. put a big nasty scratch across side one! Now, after years of not hearing it.. I find it's back in print on CD.. My happiness knows no bounds :)

Anyway, I won't go into a detailed musical review since others have done that.. this album defies categorizing anyway. It's like Return to Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke etc), Rufus, and a Baptist gospel choir ran into each other in the church parking lot and started playing. Upbeat, spiritual (not religious, but spiritual), jazzy, soulful.. with some bite. Not a toothless sellout like so much music.. with GREAT performances all around. Great playing, voices. You just have to hear it to know what I mean. It's been 20 years, and I have 600 CD's.. and I STILL can't wait for this one to arrive.