Genre: pop
Rating: 2 stars **
Title:  Gulf Coast Bound
Company: ABC
Catalog: ABCS-710
Year: 1970
Country/State: Bronx, New York
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: gatefold sleeve
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6083
Price: $20.00

Given guitarist Emil Perry Thielhelm was still a member of the band (the only original holdover at this point), I guess this outfit had every right to bill themselves as The Blues Magoos. That said, like the predecessor set (1969's "Never Going Back To Georgia"), anyone expecting to hear a set of garage and psych-influenced numbers was going to be in for a rude awakening when they slapped 1970's "Gulf Coast Bound" on their turntable.

Working with original Blues Magoos producer Bob Wyld, these six tracks featured most of the line up found on the first ABC album. Added to the lineup this time out were sax player Alfred Ellis and bassist Cooker LoPrestit replacing Roger Eaton and second drummer Jim Payne. As a result the collection featured the same general sound as the earlier LP, leading to speculation at least some of these tracks were recorded during the earlier sessions and left off that album because they were longer and less 'commercial'.

Regardless of their history, I've always been a big Blues Magoos fan, but their final two albums have always reminded me of the way The Rascals got away from their creative strengths. Like that other band, this collection found Thielhelm and company throwing their artistic careers at the feet of a strange mixture of jazz and soul influences. With three percussionists in the mix, tracks like 'Slow Down Sundown', 'Can't Get Enough of You', and the instrumental 'Magoos Blues''' were simply buried in layers of Latin-flavored percussion and soul-jazz ramblings leading much of the collection to suffer from dreaded 'sounds-the-same disease'. The combination of Latin percussion and pseudo-jazzy moves (flatulent horns and aimless vibes), may have sounded good on paper, but I dare anyone to try sitting through the 12 minute 'Can't Get Enough of You'. Simply horrible ... Adding to their problems, neither Kas (shown as Kaz on the writing credits), nor Theilhelm had a particularly good voice. They may have sounded okay in a live setting, but in the studio the results proved harsh and irritating to the point where the instrumental breaks provided some of the album highlights.
- Propelled by Alfred Ellis on sax, the title track found the band taking a stab at a blues number. In the positive column, this was the album's shortest and most focused performance. In the negative column, the song was a mess. Sporting a forgettable melody, crappy vocals, and an overabundance of mindless Latin percussion, Ellis' endless sax solo just made things worse. rating: * stars
- 'Slow Down Sundown' could have actually been a pretty good performance. The song had kind of a nifty adult contemporary groove, but the harsh, strained lead vocal, the jazzy touches (discordance sax solos (apparently meant to sound like jungle animals), vibes and heavy percussion) ultimately killed it. Okay, the fart sound at the end of the song always makes me smile ... rating: ** stars
- And then there was the 12 plus minute epic 'Can't Get Enough of You'. The song actually started out sounding pretty good - nice, funky groove and some tasty Thielman fuzz guitar ... and then things turned horribly wrong. Hideous group vocals (I think Kaz had the lead on this one), a meandering melody, and endless and pointless solos. Imagine a crappy song out of the Lee Oskar and War catalog and you'll know what this one sounded like. rating: ** stars
- Penned by newcomer Ellis, the instrumental 'Magoo's Blues' showcased an okay adult contemporary jazz vibe (think about mid-1990s elevator music and you'll get a feel for this one). Technically it was quite impressive with lots of space for individual solos, but it was also sort of soulless. rating: ** stars
- 'Tonight the Sky's About To Cry' was a bland, vocally painful, and instantly forgettable ballad. rating: * star
- The lone group composition, the instrumental 'Sea Breeze Express' was best describe as a meandering piece of jazz-rock fusion. Their are some folks that go bonkers for this kind of free form stuff, but to my ears it's basically noise. rating: * star

The album was also tapped for a single (their last 45):

- 1970's 'Gulf Coast Bound' b/w 'Sea Breeze Express' (ABC catalog 11238)

Sporting one of the year's ugliest covers (blame designer Ron Lieberman) certainly didn't help sales. All told, a sad footnote to their recording legacy.

"Gulf Coast Bound" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Gulf Coast Bound (Eric Kaz - Emil Thielhelm) - 3:51
2.) Slow Down Sundown (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli - Emil Thielhelm) - 6:09
3.) Can't Get Enough of You (Eric Kaz) - 12:21

(side 2)
1.) Magoo's Blues (instrumental) (Alfred Ellis) - 7:54
2.) Tonight the Sky's About To Cry (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli) - 5:14
3.) Sea Breeze Express (instrumental) (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli - Emil Thielhelm - Alfred Ellis - Richie Dickon - Jim Payne - John Liello - J. LoPresti - 4:13


For anyone interested, The Blues Magoos are still active and have a web presence at:

http://www.bluesmagoos.net/