West, Bruce & Laing - Why Dontcha (Classic Album US 1972)

Size: 78.6 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Incuded

West, Bruce and Laing were a blues-rock power trio super-group consisting of Leslie West (guitar and vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, harp, keyboards and vocals) and Corky Laing (drums and vocals). In 2009 West and Laing teamed up with Jack Bruce's son, Malcolm, and began touring as West, Bruce Jr. and Laing.

The trio formed in Chicago in the spring of 1972 following the breakup of Mountain, West and Laing's previous band. In the 60s Bruce had been a member of legendary British rock band Cream, whose sound had strongly influenced that of Mountain (Mountain's bassist/vocalist Felix Pappalardi previously had produced all but one of Cream's albums, and also performed with them as a sideman).

The trio toured extensively and released two studio albums, 1972's Why Dontcha and 1973's Whatever Turns You On. They disbanded shortly before the release of their live album Live 'n' Kickin' in 1974.

West and Laing reunited in a reformation of Mountain in 1985 and have continued playing together ever since.

In 2009 West and Laing teamed up with Jack Bruce's son, Malcolm Bruce, and will be touring as West, Bruce Jr. and Laing. This new group is being considered a reformation of West, Bruce and Laing as most venues are describing Malcolm as "filling in" for his father and they have been rehearsing several Cream as well as West, Bruce and Laing songs.

The album features "The Doctor," which received heavy FM radio airplay upon the album's release and became a signature song in live performance for the band. Other noteworthy tracks include "Out Into the Fields," which Jack Bruce continued to perform in concert following West, Bruce and Laing's breakup (and which he re-recorded for his 2002 album Shadows in the Air), and "Love is Worth the Blues," a song loosely based on the chords and structure of The Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire".

Why Dontcha was West, Bruce and Laing's most successful album, reaching #26 on the Billboard U.S. album chart.

01."Why Dontcha" (West/Bruce/Laing) - 3:04
02."Out Into the Fields" (West/Bruce/Laing/Brown) - 4:41
03."The Doctor" (West/Bruce/Laing/Palmer) - 4:29
04."Turn Me Over" (West/Bruce/Laing) - 2:45
05."Third Degree" (Eddie Boyd/Willie Dixon) - 5:14 
06."Shake Ma Thing (Rollin' Jack)" (West/Bruce/Laing) - 3:17
07."While You Sleep" (West/Bruce/Laing) - 3:24
08."Pleasure" (West/Bruce/Laing/Brown) - 4:01
09."Love is Worth the Blues" (West/Bruce/Laing) - 4:12
10."Pollution Woman" (West/Bruce/Laing/Brown) - 4:28

1. Link
or
2. Link

.

West, Bruce & Laing - Live 'N' Kickin' (Great Live US 1974)

Size: 72.7 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped By: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included

Following the exits of bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi and keyboardist Steve Wright, remaining Mountain members Leslie West (guitar) and Corky Laing (drums) forged a new alliance with ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce. The hard rock supergroup's debut LP, Why Dontcha, appeared in 1972, followed a year later by Whatever Turns You On. The Bruce, West and Laing trio proved short-lived, however, dissolving prior to the 1974 release of the Live 'n' Kickin' concert set.

WBL have often been unfairly compared to Cream, and except for the Jack Bruce/Felix Pappalardi link and the fact that both bands were a power trio format, I think this is unfair. They had their own sound, and this excellent live outing showcases them in all of their glory. The sound quality is excellent, and there are only 4 tunes on the album, because of their length (which begs the question which vault the rest of the live tracks are languishing in -- this should have been originally released as a two album set), and they include: 
Play With Fire: The Stone's classic is given a heavy metal finish, with Jack and Leslie trading off on vocals and Corky doing an inventive drum solo. 

The Doctor: The live outing of one of the studio tracks on their debut album, Why Dontcha', featuring searing slide work by Leslie. 

Politician: Better than the live outings by Cream, no kiddin'. 
Powerhouse Sod: This track features an absolutely mind-bending bass solo by Jack, which I found both surprising and long overdue given the fact that he never really did any bass solos when he was with Cream, except for a brief one on one of the takes of "Steppin' Out" from the Cream at the BBC CD. 
The bottom-line is that if you are a fan of Mountain, Leslie West, Jack Bruce, Cream, or any in your face heavy rock, you will eat this up with a spoon and write the label to demand that they release the rest of their live inventory. (By  Lawrence A. Strid)

01. Play With Fire     
02. The Doctor     
03. Politician     
04. Powerhouse Sod  

1. Link
or
2. Link

.