Befour (album)
| Befour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Genres | Jazz, rock, jazz-rock | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Brian Auger | |||
| Brian Auger chronology | ||||
| ||||
Befour is an album by the English musician Brian Auger, released in 1970.[1][2] It was the final album on which he was backed by his group the Trinity.[3] The album peaked at No. 184 on the Billboard 200.[4] The band supported it with a North American tour.[5]
Production
"I Want to Take You Higher" is a cover of the Sylvester Stewart song.[6] "Pavane" is an interpretation of the composition by Gabriel Fauré.[7] "Maiden Voyage" was written by Herbie Hancock.[8] "Listen Here" is a cover of the Eddie Harris song, on which Auger used four drummers; the band recorded it in a single take.[9][10][11] "No Time to Live" is a version of the Traffic song.[12] "Adagio per Archi e Organo" was composed by Tomaso Albinoni.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Casper Star-Tribune | [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide |  [15] |
| The New Rolling Stone Record Guide | [16] |
| TV Radio Mirror | [5] |
The Asbury Park Press noted that "the trouble with the group is that it isn't good enough to compete head-on with the better jazz units when it chooses that idiom, and it doesn't offer a distinctive brand of rock".[17] The Times-Union opined that "the Trinity move into the jazz-rock vanguard."[18] The Wichita Eagle and the Beacon said that the band "try to sound like Ramsey Lewis, and they try to sound like Blood, Sweat and Tears."[19]
The Record called Auger "still the best organist in England."[20] The Esher News and Mail said that he "can get to be a bit of a bore when heard continuously."[21] In 2022, Record Collector labeled Befour "a masterful blend of jazz and soul with psych and prog rock".[22]
Track listing
Side 1
- "I Want to Take You Higher"
- "Pavane"
- "No Time to Live"
- "Maiden Voyage"
Side 2
- "Listen Here"
- "Adagio per Archi e Organo"
- "Just You Just Me"
References
- ↑ The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Taylor & Francis. 2002. p. 19.
- ↑ Brink, Susan (6 July 1970). "There is another rush...". The Miami News. p. 4B.
- ↑ "Brian Auger was around...". Sunday Mercury. 23 January 2005. p. 40.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2001). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955-2001. Record Research. p. 36.
- 1 2 Thomas, Larry (November 1970). "On Records". TV Radio Mirror. Vol. 70, no. 12. p. 22.
- ↑ Gormley, Mike (5 June 1970). "Mike Gormley's Pop-Pourri". Detroit Free Press. p. 8D.
- ↑ Brown, Dick (14 July 1970). "Spinning / Scanning". Dayton Daily News. p. 21.
- ↑ Shertzer, Jim (6 September 1970). "Brian Auger and the Trinity...". Journal and Sentinel. p. D4.
- ↑ Campbell, Scott (26 July 1970). "Rock". The Arizona Republic. p. 8N.
- ↑ Geer, Rod (16 July 1970). "Rod's Record Rack". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. B11.
- 1 2 "Befour Review by Bruce Eder". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ↑ Lowery, Ray (5 July 1970). "Befour features...". The News and Observer. p. 4V.
- 1 2 "Record Reviews: Popular". Weekend. Casper Star-Tribune. 18 July 1970. p. 9.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. I. MUZE. p. 278.
- ↑ MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 50.
- ↑ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1983. p. 18.
- ↑ Bush, Miriam (5 July 1970). "Record Reviews". Asbury Park Press. p. C12.
- ↑ Chapman, Peter (8 July 1970). "Vibrations". The Times-Union. p. 2C.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Errol (2 August 1970). "New Jazz Album Has Fake Sound". The Wichita Eagle and the Beacon. p. 2C.
- ↑ Macaulay, Allen (16 August 1970). "Record Roundup". At Ease. The Record. p. 17.
- ↑ "Brian Auger and the Trinity until recently...". Esher News and Mail. 8 October 1970. p. 8.
- ↑ Cartwright, Garth (October 2022). "Fire Starter". Record Collector. No. 536. p. 77.