BACK DOOR - Back Door/8th Street/Another Fine Mess
BGO (Beat Goes On) 1170
CD1:
Back Door - Ron Asprey (ss, as, f); Colin Hodgkinson (elb); Tony Hicks (d). London, 3-4 June 1972.
8th Street Nites - Asprey (ss, as, f, elp); Hodgkinson (elb, v); Hicks (d). Guest: Felix Pappalardi (p, pc). Electric Ladyland, NY, June 1973.
CD2:
Another Fine Mess - Asprey (ss, as, c-mel, elp); Hodgkinson (c, elb, 12-stg g); Hicks (d, pc). Guests: Dave MacRae (p, elp); Bernie Holland (g); Peter Thorup (v); Mike Gibbs (arr., Detroit Blues). London, 1975.
‘Who are Back Door?’ asked a friend of mine who, I thought, was very knowledgeable about Jazz. I was surprised because at one time, the early seventies, Back Door were one of the biggest names in UK Jazz: they opened for Miles Davis at the Rainbow in 1973: they were talked of as the most original UK group; they played at the Fillmore and toured the US. They arrived quickly and left just as quickly.
I suppose, in contemporary parlance, they are now a lost UK band. The trio featured Colin Hodgkinson on electric bass and vocals, Ron Asprey on alto/soprano saxophones, flute and keyboards with Tony Hicks on drums. In 1972 they funded and recorded their first LP. They launched it themselves from the pub where they played. That was taken eventually up by Warner Brothers and issued in the UK and US. Their second album released also in 1973 was ‘8th Street Nites’, their 3rd album "Another Fine Mess" was released January 1975 in the UK on Warner . All three are reissued here by BGO.
The original mystique about the group is that they emerged fully formed from playing in the Lion Inn, at Blakey Ridge on the North Yorkshire moors. The front cover of the first LP even showed sheep and snow! The truth was that all three of them developed their musicianship playing sessions in London. When they came together as Back Door they had a unique style: Robert Johnson mixed with Ornette Coleman. It was a kind of jazz fusion with more care about who they fused with than most did at that time. Ron Aspery had a sound that seared and cut through almost creating flesh wounds. Hodgkinson played the bass guitar as though he had overdosed on Mingus crossed with Pastorius with the main ingredient delta bluesmen. Tony Hicks put down rhythms that both inspired and freed them. It was a potent, free-ranging. unique music.
‘Vienna Breakdown’ opens the first CD which goes straight into the distinctive sound of Hodgkinson who is soon joined by Aspery. Those first few sounds define Back Door’s qualities; there is nothing ingratiating and smooth here; it is closer to a little delta blues band than some smooth, fusion, lift music. ‘Plantagenet’ is just Aspery on flute over Hodgkinson’s walking bass. ‘Lieutenant Loose’ is pure Back Door: Ornette Coleman could have composed this; Aspery is at his wildest and most clamorous as Hodgkinson and Hicks churn away. ‘Turning Point’ is Aspery at his best with his stark tone to the fore and his best solo on the album. One of the virtues of the first album is the brevity of the tracks. It is a reminder that much jazz since has lost the art of succinctness.
Electric Ladyland Studio in New York was the venue for the second album. Felix Pappalardi was producing and playing. There was a slightly smoother sound and Colin Hodgkinson was doing more vocals especially on the Robert Johnson and Leadbelly songs. Pappalardi was careful not to lose much of the original fire and a piece like’ Adolphus Beal’ that closes the album has the thunderous bass from Hodgkinson and searing alto from Aspery. The simple theme allows them both to take off. ’It’s Nice When It’s Up’ has a contribution from Pappalardi on electric piano and percussion.
The third album was ‘produced’ some might argue ‘over produced’. Dave MacRae joined on Fender piano and played on all tracks. He dominates the album and manages to squeeze out the edginess and wildness. They even had an arrangement, ‘Detroit Blues’, from Mike Gibbs. The first track is a shock it does not sound much like the group, even Hodgkinson’s vocal sounds more commercial. There is even a fadeout! ‘Blakey Jones’ is dedicated to Brian Jones landlord of the pub where they started. ‘Detroit Blues’ is more Mike Gibbs than Back Door; it is easy to imagine this played by one of Gibbs’ larger ensembles. The last track ‘The Dashing White Sergeant’ is very jolly and would be very good at concerts but it fades out into the distance. As did the band.
Back Door recorded more but they eventually broke up in 1976. They reunited for short periods in 1986 and 2003. Ron Aspery died in 2003 and drummer Tony Hicks died in 2006. Colin Hodgkinson is still playing with a band he calls ‘Back Door Too’..
The package from BGO is, as usual, well designed with a very informative 24-page booklet with liner notes that includes interviews with the now veteran Hodgkinson who discusses the band’s beginnings. The sound re-engineered by Andrew Thompson from the original tapes is flawless and brings out the distinctive sounds in great detail.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
BGO (Beat Goes On) 1170
CD1:
Back Door - Ron Asprey (ss, as, f); Colin Hodgkinson (elb); Tony Hicks (d). London, 3-4 June 1972.
8th Street Nites - Asprey (ss, as, f, elp); Hodgkinson (elb, v); Hicks (d). Guest: Felix Pappalardi (p, pc). Electric Ladyland, NY, June 1973.
CD2:
Another Fine Mess - Asprey (ss, as, c-mel, elp); Hodgkinson (c, elb, 12-stg g); Hicks (d, pc). Guests: Dave MacRae (p, elp); Bernie Holland (g); Peter Thorup (v); Mike Gibbs (arr., Detroit Blues). London, 1975.
‘Who are Back Door?’ asked a friend of mine who, I thought, was very knowledgeable about Jazz. I was surprised because at one time, the early seventies, Back Door were one of the biggest names in UK Jazz: they opened for Miles Davis at the Rainbow in 1973: they were talked of as the most original UK group; they played at the Fillmore and toured the US. They arrived quickly and left just as quickly.
I suppose, in contemporary parlance, they are now a lost UK band. The trio featured Colin Hodgkinson on electric bass and vocals, Ron Asprey on alto/soprano saxophones, flute and keyboards with Tony Hicks on drums. In 1972 they funded and recorded their first LP. They launched it themselves from the pub where they played. That was taken eventually up by Warner Brothers and issued in the UK and US. Their second album released also in 1973 was ‘8th Street Nites’, their 3rd album "Another Fine Mess" was released January 1975 in the UK on Warner . All three are reissued here by BGO.
The original mystique about the group is that they emerged fully formed from playing in the Lion Inn, at Blakey Ridge on the North Yorkshire moors. The front cover of the first LP even showed sheep and snow! The truth was that all three of them developed their musicianship playing sessions in London. When they came together as Back Door they had a unique style: Robert Johnson mixed with Ornette Coleman. It was a kind of jazz fusion with more care about who they fused with than most did at that time. Ron Aspery had a sound that seared and cut through almost creating flesh wounds. Hodgkinson played the bass guitar as though he had overdosed on Mingus crossed with Pastorius with the main ingredient delta bluesmen. Tony Hicks put down rhythms that both inspired and freed them. It was a potent, free-ranging. unique music.
‘Vienna Breakdown’ opens the first CD which goes straight into the distinctive sound of Hodgkinson who is soon joined by Aspery. Those first few sounds define Back Door’s qualities; there is nothing ingratiating and smooth here; it is closer to a little delta blues band than some smooth, fusion, lift music. ‘Plantagenet’ is just Aspery on flute over Hodgkinson’s walking bass. ‘Lieutenant Loose’ is pure Back Door: Ornette Coleman could have composed this; Aspery is at his wildest and most clamorous as Hodgkinson and Hicks churn away. ‘Turning Point’ is Aspery at his best with his stark tone to the fore and his best solo on the album. One of the virtues of the first album is the brevity of the tracks. It is a reminder that much jazz since has lost the art of succinctness.
Electric Ladyland Studio in New York was the venue for the second album. Felix Pappalardi was producing and playing. There was a slightly smoother sound and Colin Hodgkinson was doing more vocals especially on the Robert Johnson and Leadbelly songs. Pappalardi was careful not to lose much of the original fire and a piece like’ Adolphus Beal’ that closes the album has the thunderous bass from Hodgkinson and searing alto from Aspery. The simple theme allows them both to take off. ’It’s Nice When It’s Up’ has a contribution from Pappalardi on electric piano and percussion.
The third album was ‘produced’ some might argue ‘over produced’. Dave MacRae joined on Fender piano and played on all tracks. He dominates the album and manages to squeeze out the edginess and wildness. They even had an arrangement, ‘Detroit Blues’, from Mike Gibbs. The first track is a shock it does not sound much like the group, even Hodgkinson’s vocal sounds more commercial. There is even a fadeout! ‘Blakey Jones’ is dedicated to Brian Jones landlord of the pub where they started. ‘Detroit Blues’ is more Mike Gibbs than Back Door; it is easy to imagine this played by one of Gibbs’ larger ensembles. The last track ‘The Dashing White Sergeant’ is very jolly and would be very good at concerts but it fades out into the distance. As did the band.
Back Door recorded more but they eventually broke up in 1976. They reunited for short periods in 1986 and 2003. Ron Aspery died in 2003 and drummer Tony Hicks died in 2006. Colin Hodgkinson is still playing with a band he calls ‘Back Door Too’..
The package from BGO is, as usual, well designed with a very informative 24-page booklet with liner notes that includes interviews with the now veteran Hodgkinson who discusses the band’s beginnings. The sound re-engineered by Andrew Thompson from the original tapes is flawless and brings out the distinctive sounds in great detail.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
