Dada
Band members Related acts
line up 1 (1970-71) - Elkie Brooks -- vocals - Mal Capwell -- sax, flute - Jimmy Chambers -- vocals, percussion - Barry Dugan -- sax, flute - Pete Gage -- lead guitar, bass - Martyn Harryman -- drums, percussion - Paul Korda -- vocals - Ernie Luchlan -- trumpet, flugelhorn - Don Shinn -- keyboards, organ bass, vibes
line up 2 (1971) - Elkie Brooks -- vocals - Mal Capwell -- sax, flute - Jimmy Chambers -- vocals, percussion - Barry Dugan -- sax, flute - Pete Gage -- lead guitar, bass - Martyn Harryman -- drums, percussion - Paul Korda -- vocals - Ernie Luchlan -- trumpet, flugelhorn NEW - Robert Palmer (RIP) - vocals - Don Shinn -- keyboards, organ bass, vibes
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- The Alan Bown Show (Robert Palmer) - Elkie Brooks (solo efforts) - Carson (Mal Capewell) - Chain (Mal Capewell) - Jimmy Chambers (solo efforts) - Company Caine (Mal Capewell) - Healing Force (Mal Capewell) - Jody Grind (Martyn Harryman) - Paul Korda (solo efforts) - The Lonely Ones (Don Shinn) - Londonbeat (Jimmy Chambers) - Mighty Mouse (Mal Capewell) - Robert Palmer (solo efforts) - The Power Station (Robert Palme) - Don Shinn (solo efforts) - Levi Smith's Clefs (Mal Capewell) - The Soul Agents (Don Shinn) - Vinegar Joe (Elkie Brooks, Pete Gage, and Robert Palmer) - Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band (Pete Gage)
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Genre: jazz-rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Dada Company: ATCO Catalog: SD
33-352 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 2377 Price: SOLD $15.00
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This is one of those album's that leaves me puzzled. It doesn't get rave reviews, but there is a loyal fan base who clearly feel some affection for the collection.
In case you had any doubts, yeah, they inspired by the early 20th century avant-garde artistic movement. The good news was that 1970's "Dada" wasn't nearly as experimental and out there as the name would imply. Co-produced by Gage and Paul Clay, the largely original material was recorded at London's Olympic and Morgan Studios. Musically these eleven selections were kind of a musical grab bag including a broad array of genres, frequently mixed together across individual songs. The opener 'Big Dipper' was a perfect example. Showcasing Elkie Brooks, Jimmy Chambers, and Paul Korda on lead vocals, over the span of four minutes the song visited conventional rock, soul, and BS&T-styled horn rock. Elsewhere you got dollops of Broadway show tune (their bizarre cover of The Stones 'The Last Time'), Donovan-styled singer/songwriter material ('Jasamin'), Free Design-styled pop-jazz (the title track), and even Gospel ('Seed Of Peace'). Surprisingly I was okay with the genre jumping. My big problem with the album came in the form of the horn arrangements. I'm just not a big fan of the genre and in this case whenever the horn charts kicked in, they pretty much destroyed whatever momentum the group was building.
"Dada" track listing: 1.) Big Dipper (Pete Gage - Paul Korda) - 4:09 rating: *** stars The
first half of 'Big Dipper' started the album off with a strange mix of
conventional rock, soul; and jazzier moves. The second half
found the song moving full throttle into BS&T-styled horn rock. Mildly
entertaining (loved Pete Gage's guitar figure), if not entirely convincing. Geez,
imagine someone having reshaped The Stones 'The Last Time' for a Broadway
score of Godspell, or maybe The Rocky Horror Show ... Yeah, this may
be one of the strangest Stone cover you've ever heard. That's not to
give anyone the impression it was good. Just different.
Speculation on my part, but I'm guessing Korda's previous work on Hair may
have played a role in coming up with the arrangment. 'This
Is My Song' found the band shifting into pretty acoustic ballad territory.
Yeah, the arrangement was hopelessly cluttered and over-the-top, but
the Gospel-tinged melody was nice and there was no denying the band had some
strong singers in Brooks,
Chambers, and Korda. Lordy
- lounge act ballad meets Gospel choir with Brooks at her most shrieky,
while Paul Korda reminding me a bit of a hoarse Gary Wright.
Pray the rest of the album was better. Kudos to the band for truth-in-advertising ... Shinn's aptly titled 'Organ Interlude' provided exactly what was described. 54 seconds of Shinn on Church organ. Hum, echoes Brian Auger and Oblivion Express, or maybe ELP ... 6.) Tonite Is (Pete Gage - Don Shinn) - 0:54 rating: *** stars Another song snippet, 'Tonite Is' was interesting for showcasing the group's Association-styled vocal harmonies. Not exactly my taste, but the blended voices and roller rink organ interlude were quite nice. Again, it was more a song fragment than anything.
(side
2) The fact of the matter is Brooks had a nice voice, to my ears occasionally sounding a bit like a British Grace Slick. The problem is she had a chronic habit of trying to belt out everything, even though her performances were 100% better when she kept her power under control. The jazzy ballad 'She Walks Away' was a nice example of Brooks singing with a bit of restraint. Shame it was such an atypical example. 2.) Aspen, Colorado (Tony Joe White) - 4:58 rating: *** stars As strange as the earlier Stones cover was, hearing the band do a Tony Joe White cover as a jazzy, Canterbury horn-propelled interlude was even more bizarre. I will admit hearing the way Chambers pronounced "Alabama" was a hoot ... 3.) Eyes of the Warren (Don Shinn) - 4:08 rating: *** stars 'Eyes of the Warren' was one of those songs that just kind of rambled along without any real direction, or goal. A strange mix of lounge act, jazz, folk, and rock components, the highlight came from hearing Shinn's keyboards and Brooks singing in her natural, non-shrieky voice. 4.) Jasamin (Paul Korda) - 2:36 rating: ** stars Acoustic folk number - pretty in a Donovan fashion, but saccharine and way to fey for my tastes. 5.) Dada (Paul Korda) - 3:48 rating: **** stars Ever heard The Free Design's interesting blend of pop, jazz, and lounge act moves? Well if you have then there's a good chance the title track would sound familiar.
Singer Robert Palmer joined the group in time for a 1971 American tour, but this one album was it for Dada with Brooks, her then-husband Gage and Palmer continuing the musical partnership in Vinegar Joe. Brooks then went on to an extensive solo career.
© Scott R. Blackerby September, 2024
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