Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Live Oblivion Vol. 2 (1976/2024) (Hi-Res)

The group were finishing off a huge US tour that had roared down the east coast then across the Midwest and by the time they hit LA, as Brian recalls the group was performing at their height.
The show opens with a hyper fast version of 'Beginning Again' due to drummer Steve Ferrone being almost an hour late and running high on adrenaline, Brian remembers thinking “I don’t even know if I can play it that fast!”. Fortunately, he and the Oblivion Express including stellar vocalist Alex Ligertwood rise to the challenge and the result is akin to some frenetic jazzy drum & bass but also pushes the group onto another level altogether for the rest of the show. Across both volumes there are no fillers and the highlights are many, but especially the epic version of 'Maiden Voyage' which Mos Def sampled on his 1997 'If You Can Huh! You Can Hear', and both DJ Mitsu in 2004 and 2017 Crimeapple both dipped into Live Oblivion to sample that fire for their own projects.

Tracklist
1. Freedom Jazz Dance (Live) (9:37)
2. Happiness Is Just Around The Bend (Live) (8:32)
3. Maiden Voyage (Live) (11:12)
4. Second Wind (Live) (7:40)
5. Whenever You're Ready (Live) (8:22)
6. Inner City Blues (Live) (10:03)
7. Straight Ahead (Live) (6:01)
8. Compared To What (Live) (12:31)