1970

The second Cargo album is much more produced than the first, and it works in its flavor, emphasizing the inherent heaviness of their sound, strengthening the sound of the guitar and organ. A couple of the songs are quite good with "Geordy", a terrific moody slow-burner, the best. There's also a bizarre song about how happy they are for their friend who fell out a window to his death.

Recorded at the Decca studios in the summer of 1970, Room's Pre-Flight was an ambitious blend of rock, blues, jazz and classical influences. The album was critically well received but unfortunately like many strong releases of this genre at the time on the classic Deram label, did not achieve the hoped for breakthrough to greater commercial success. Room's only recorded work, the album has been re-mastered from the original analogue tapes and is now presented in this definitive edition from Esoteric Recordings.

In concert, the Charles Lloyd Quartet took care of business, so it's fortunate to have this reissue bringing back two of the group's live recordings: a 1968 date from Town Hall in New York and a 1967 concert from a jazz festival in Estonia. The two dates flow together as a unified document of the quartet in its prime. Soundtrack opens with "Sombrero Sam," an expansive piece of soul-jazz with a Keith Jarrett deconstruction of a Joe Zawinul-style line (circa Zawinul's time with Cannonball Adderley). This sets up the leader for a funky excursion on flute. A breathy falsetto soliloquy from Lloyd on tenor then segues perfectly into a dynamic performance of his "Forest Flower." "Voice in the Night" from the original Atlantic release is not included on the reissue…

Recorded at the Decca studios in the summer of 1970, Room's Pre-Flight was an ambitious blend of rock, blues, jazz and classical influences. The album was critically well received but unfortunately like many strong releases of this genre at the time on the classic Deram label, did not achieve the hoped for breakthrough to greater commercial success. Room's only recorded work, the album has been re-mastered from the original analogue tapes and is now presented in this definitive edition from Esoteric Recordings.