I was flipping through some discount records records in a Tuscon AZ while on tour with Dub Narcotic Sound System. I stop my furious thumbing to look at this very intriguing dust jacket and paused for a second because I had never heard of him at the time and I was transfixed by very interesting vehicle that was illustrated. Steve Gamboa from The Make-Up looks over my shoulder and says “Thats a great one. His other stuff is kinda cheesy but that one is an absolute gem.” To me, this was quite an endorsement! And, To make my decision exponentially easier, it was only a dollar! To this day it might be one the best dollars I have ever spent! (except for double decker tacos at Taco Bell and McDonalds cheeseburgers) The song “Happiness is just around the Bend” is my particular jam, and a constant in my DJ sets. The vibe is so warm and positive and the sounds rest perfectly between soul-funk and early disco. Brian pounds and conjures his wide expansive chords and dexterous lines on his magic Fender Rhodes with gospel like impunity, and his band is obviously put together from crack session men well versed in progressive jazz. Literally a cosmic locomotive bound for the edge of Oblivion. Steve was right though, Auger didn’t get much better than this, save for a few sojourns with the amazing Julie Driscoll, but this is one of gateway sounds that led to a love of underground disco music. Fortunately for the financially handicapped, I still see this record a a lot when I go rummaging through the dollar bins and I implore anyone who likes well intentioned and executed 70’s dance music should not keep that dollar in your pocket. I feel like I can never resist buying copies of this, I guess I’m afraid of wearing it out…. (Taken with Instagram)
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