Customer Reviews

White Lady

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

 

 

I was anxious to hear this album knowing the kind of music on "One Live Badger" to be progressive and inspired. What I found instead was a Jackie Lomax solo album with all traces of Badger's previous sound excised. Now if you are a die hard Jackie Lomax fan, this album is probably for you. Jackie has made good music in the past as his Apple output shows...but this stuff is slick white R&B with lots of horns and girl singers to boot. It's not the progressive rock Badger at all...it's a funked up Jackie Lomax R&B fest in disguise.

If you liked the energy and freewheeling jams that characterized "One Live Badger," the initial offering from this group, under no circumstances should you acquire "White Lady," an effort that takes the notion of a sophomore slump to new depths. I'll never forget how much I anticipated hearing this recording back in the `70s nor the profound shock at hearing the tepid, boring dreck that blared from my speakers. What could have happened?

With founding guitarist Brian Parrish and bassist Dave Foster gone, a slew of folks showed up to contribute to this effort. Don't be impressed by the line-up despite seeing Jeff Beck, Kim Gardner, and producer Allen Toussaint in the fold. This whole effort was hijacked by Jackie Lomax, and under his control the band issued this collection of wilted, languid collection of white soul tunes. Tony Kaye, the force behind "One Live Badger," is little more than a session musician here.

Maybe it was the heat and humidity from recording in New Orleans. Whatever it was, you do not want to hear the results. And to tell the truth, I guess I knew at some level that the band was in trouble as soon as I saw the album cover.

If you think about all the great music that has never made it to CD, such as several recordings by Streetwalkers, then you have to wonder why this one did. Spare yourself this horror. Please trust me.

Track Listings
Side 1
1. A Dream of You
2. Everybody, Nobody
3. Listen to Me
4. Don't Pull the Trigger
5. Just the Way It Goes
Side 2
1. White Lady
2. Be With You
3. Lord Who Give Me Life
4. One More Dream to Hold
5. The Hole Thing

Selling this album with the Badger moniker was definitely false advertising. I was very disappointed when I first bought it in 1974. But, I listened to it often enough to learn to like it... a lot. Now, I think it's the better "Badger" album -- when in the mood to hear something like Little Feat.

One of the best white R&B/soul voices and song-writers to have come out of the sixties and seventies, Jackie Lomax was unappreciated at the time and unheard of today and what a shame that is for lovers of great blues/soul/pop music. After the Undertakers, Lomax Alliance, his spell on Apple records, his time with Heavy Jelly and his two Warner Brothers albums, he joined Badger and transformed them from a progressive rock group into a tight studio soul band. The basic Badger line-up was augmented by a number of musicians who had previously played with Jackie Lomax and the recordings were produced by Allen Toussaint. The album was entirely written by Lomax and carries on where his previous solo work left off. Great songs, great singing and a wonderful lead guitar from Jeff Beck on the title track. Unfortunately, it managed to be neglected by the record-buying public - alienating the Badger fans and going unnoticed by those who had bought previous Jackie Lomax albums. This CD gives everyone a chance to reappraise it - listened to purely on its own merits, it can be appreciated as one of Jackie Lomax's best solo recordings.

The lame prog slog that was Badger was given a new life with an injection of R&B from the soulful English Jackie Lomax. The album is really a Jackie Lomax solo album with Badger and friends as back up as all the tracks are Lomax compositions and its clearly in the Lomax style.
With regret, this album got even less attention than Lomax's solo outings as many fans didn't know he was in the group and Badger fans were left running back to the comotose offerings of other come and go progressive rock bands.
This album has life, heart and soul, and though its not the strongest material of his career, is is a strong 4 stars

Finally found the old album , put it on , and immediately was transported right back to the early eighties !!!!
it wasn't the best produced album , but it somehow caught my attention and has hung on to it all these years....on the title track , there is no mistaking Jeff Beck , but that's not the highlight of the album by any means... a classic example of Jackie Lomax's vast musical influences that contribute to his approach vocally...a must listen for those who want to hear a pure , unadulterated voice before tons of processing....