Many will remember the blues rock act Blodwyn Pig more as the eventual landing place for original Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams than anything else, but the reality is this band created some unique blues/jazz/rock music in their very short career together that spanned only two studio albums initially in 1969 & 1970 before a brief reunion in the '90s. Joining the guitarist was Jack Lancaster (saxophone, violin, keyboards, and flute), Andy Pyle (bass guitar), and Ron Berg (drums). Pigthology is a compilation released by Gonzo Multimedia of rare and unreleased recordings from Blodwyn Pig mostly from the years 1969-1973, though a few are listed as 'date unknown' and to be honest, sound like they could be from much later dates. It's all pretty good however, so regardless of the vagueness of the info included with the CD, the music itself stands up quite well.
When Abrahams left Tull, he made sure to go in a much different direction musically, which you can plainly hear in this collection. Not your standard blues-rock fare, and very little folk or hard rock leanings here, the Pig fused a lot of jazz into their material, which is where Lancaster comes in, contributing some fine sax, violin, piano, and flute passages that compete nicely with Mick's searing guitar licks. Check out the wild jazz romp "Monkinit", a sizzling instrumental that shows all this band had to offer, or the pedal to the metal fuzz toned blues-rock romp "Drive Me". The live recording "Cosmogrification" has a jazzy, funky flair, complete with horns, bubbling rhythms, and some crisp guitar work from Abrahams. The guitar legend does some of his best work on the slow blues of "Stormy Monday" and the upbeat rocker "See My Way", each one containing no shortage of six string majesty.
Curiously, the CD packaging lists track number 9 as "Hound Dog", but it's nowhere to be found here and the album itself only has 11 songs as opposed to the 12 listed. That's a pretty sloppy miss from Gonzo's QC department if you ask me, but thankfully there's plenty of good material on display here so it's not a great loss. I also question some of the dates listed for a few of these songs, as some just do not sound like they were recorded in the late '60s or early '70s. Overall though this is a decent set of vintage blues rock from the Blodwyn Pig vaults.
Track Listing
1. See My Way
4:28
2. Baby Girl
3:50
3. Dear Jill
6:27
4. Monkinit
4:40
5. Drive Me
2:42
6. The Change Song
3:31
7. Cosmogification
5:06
8. Same Old Story
2:35
9. Hound Dog
2:18
10. Sly Bones
2:10
11. It's Only Love
3:32
12. Stormy Monday
6:46
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
