Music Banter - View Single Post

Anteater · 01-16-2015, 11:24 PM

^ Thank you sir: twas an unexpected boon.

Adrian Gurvitz - Sweet Vendetta (1979)

"When the twilight breeze has fallen soft upon a windy sea / I watch a star whose beam's so soft its blinding me to be..."

Famous for his time as lead guitarist and frontman of legendary psychedelic rock band Gun and his role in groups like Three Man Army in the first part of the 70's, I can say with dead certainty that Gurvitz's initial contributions to the music world could be felt in the subsequent tuneage of everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Rob Halford. He's a wicked good axeman and songwriter: at one point Chris Welch from Melody Maker even voted him as one of the ten best guitarists of all time.

It must have been quite a surprise to many, then, when Gurvitz brought in 75% of the classic Toto lineup to help him put together his first solo outing at the end of the decade, 1979's Sweet Vendetta, resulting in an album that had a lot more in common with George Duke and Earth, Wind & Fire than the hard rock and proto-metal that defined this guy for nearly a decade up until this point. And even more surprisingly....the guy is a born yacht rocker. Smooth as butter on toast but twice as awesome!

Basically, this is groovy 70's boat disco with a distinct R&B edge. But considering the lineup behind the music here (Jeff Porcaro on drums, David Paich on orchestration, Steve Porcaro on keys, David Hungate on bass, etc.) and the prominent horn ensemble throughout most of the songs here....well, its hard to say exactly what "style" this record truly falls under. There's Westcoast all over this baby. It also does a lot of different things under its funk-oriented umbrella, and that just goes to show you how confident Gurvitz was in these tunes before he ever brought in the big guns to studio.

There's a fair amount of jazz-fusion touches everywhere, especially the second half of the magnificent 'Put A Little Love (In Life's Heart)' and the rip-roaring fuzzbox finale of the shuffling 'Free Ride'. Elaborate, beautiful funk-lite. There's also a high level of sophistication going on in the arrangements, most noticeably on the dancefloor ready 'Love Space' and the light as a feather jazz-rock of 'The Wonder Of It All', which reminds me a lot of Chicago or BS&T at their most melodic.

As mentioned earlier, the closest peers I'd say Gurvitz has in this arena would be Philip Bailey from Earth, Wind & Fire or former Mothers Of Invention keyboardist George Duke. Like them, Gurvitz possesses a multifaceted vocal approach with a noticeable falsetto at the upper end of his abilities, and a strong grasp on his chosen aesthetic that gives the album a cohesive mood even as the diversity remains a big plus from cut to cut. A rare sense of balance permeates: he's a guitar virtuoso, but he lets the songs breathe and retain multiple dynamics in overall instrumentation.

In conclusion, this is one of those subtle gems from the latter part of the era that got lost in the shuffle, and I'm glad to present it here tonight as part of the Extravaganza. If they ever sported disco balls on deck in San Francisco, this was probably on the needle.