Blues Magoos – Gulf Coast Bound

Here on Gulf Coast Bound, and album that in three years was about as far removed from Psychedelic Lollipop as one could possibly get, we find The Blues Magoos making even more changes to their personnel lineup and to their sound, where inspiration is being heavily drawn from the likes of Blood, Sweat & Tears, along with the later musical visions of Al Kooper, though the lack of a chart topping single foreshadows the demise of a band who were unable to find their footing or stay on the right track. The Blues Magoos could not have done worse if they’d remained within the constructs of the garage psych genre that first brought them fame and just faded away, and while I’ve always viewed change as good and often necessary, the change this band brought was so radical and in such a short space of time that one needs to listen to each Magoos’ album within its own context, meaning that there was no formal continuity, with each release sounding as if it were coming from a different band who were using the same name.

What they manage to lace together here, and why, is quite bewildering, as many of the songs have solid foundations concepts and ideas, but these musical expressions never seem to come off as complete, where the fine details and structural movements are all but there, and downright invisible most of the time. The album’s saving grace is the twelve minute sensation “Can’t Get Enough Of You” [inspired by CCR’s cover of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”], where if the record’s attitude had been built around this notion alone, they might [?] have gained more acceptance. Along with that are the funky jams and R&B material that often feel out of step and out of place, which suffer the same fate, as the vocals of Castro attempt to come off ah-la Eric Burdon, yet fall far short.

When it comes to the music of soul and R&B, too many musicians are under the impression that the sound is all about the sincerity, that being rough around the edges gives a sense of authenticity, when in fact, the more simple things are, the more precise and perfect they are required to be, as any flaws at all stand out, unable to be covered up with fuzzed-out reverb and organ runs as in the genre of garage psych. This notion is never more evident than on the album Super Session, relentlessly laid down by Al Kooper, Stephen Stills and Mike Bloomfield, an album that to this date I’ve been able to find not a single flaw. I’ve no idea why The Blues Magoos thought that they were capable of traveling this path, because as a third-rate band at best, on any level, this ambitious undertaking is almost laughable, and most certainly pretentious.

Perhaps much of this inconsistency could be laid on the fact that so many session players were used on this recording, thus the final product lacked the essence and spirit of a cohesive band with a singular momentum and vision. All of that being said, I find the album to be undecidedly good, not great, but good, and certainly worth the effort of exploration, if for no other reason than to collect the songs that resonate with you and bring them to a compilation that suits your ears and listening pleasure.

Review by Jenell Kesler