Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Second Wind LP [Strut]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: SBM021LP

Strut Records shines a light on a milestone of British jazz-rock with Second Wind, the 1972 album by keyboard visionary Brian Auger and his powerhouse group Oblivion Express. Capturing a fully consolidated lineup, the record showcases Auger expanding his fusion language: uniting jazz sophistication, funk-driven rhythm, and soulful songwriting, with the clarity and energy that defined his work in the early 1970s.

While Auger’s roots lie in the hard-swinging jazz organ tradition and the improvisational intensity of the 1960s British scene, he has never been an artist comfortable with tradition. With Second Wind, he pushes forward into a hybrid language that fuses rhythm and harmonic depth with groove, without sacrificing sophistication. His playing is expansive yet precise, translating the electricity of live performance into a studio work that breathes immediacy.

At the core of this Oblivion Express stage is the almost telepathic connection among its members. Vocalist Alex Ligertwood (in one of his first major recordings before his stint with Santana) brings a soulful intensity that feels both rooted and forward-looking. Second Wind features tracks that have become seminal in Auger’s discography, such as the original compositions Second Wind and Truth, but it was their high-energy re-working of Eddie Harris’s Freedom Jazz Dance (adding new lyrics to the original instrumental) that truly broke barriers. The track became a classic for DJs and highlighted the group’s profoundly original approach.

The rhythm section of Barry Dean and Robbie McIntosh balances weight and fluidity, giving Auger the space to expand between the Hammond organ, Rhodes, and other keyboards with his characteristic daring. Their collective sound is one of continuous motion: jazz-influenced lines leading into rock-driven crescendos, funk-tinged grooves hooking into vocal choruses, and moments of calm and clarity emerging amidst bursts of improvisation.

Second Wind stands as a key moment in Auger’s discography: an album that connects the exploratory spirit of his earlier projects with a more groove-oriented approach that would soon earn him international recognition. More than five decades later, it remains a vivid document of a band forging its own language. Music born of instinct, collaboration, and an insatiable desire to go beyond the expected.