Azurite - 1979 - Azurite

Azurite

1979

Azurite

01. Sweet Little Lodie

02. That's The Way It Always Goes

03. Are You Ready

04. Howard Christman's Order

05. Drive Me Insane

06. Wise To The Ways Of The World

07. Hooked On Rock-N-Roll

08. Mojie

09. Lady Blue

Bass Guitar, Vocals, Tambourine – Dan Imler

Drums, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Jerry Moore (6)

Guitar, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Brian Schelin

Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Gary Hignight

Piano – Karin Filijan

First 500 copies

Special thanks to: Jack Riddell and Bob Knottingham, also Karin Filijan, piano.

In an age where the Internet became a powerhouse of all things related to knowledge and information – and, by default, all things obscure – more and more obscure musicians and groups, as well as their albums, are being discovered and brought into light. From rare releases on large-scale labels to incredibly-rare, private press/homemade records, a lot have been discovered, profiled and reviewed, and many of them were given re-releases, whether by unscrupulous bootleggers or by legit reissue labels.

Today’s review is for an album by one of the countless amount of rare groups that have been brought into the cyber-spotlight in recent times; a group from Yucaipa, San Bernadino County, California that churned out an eponymous studio album that has fiery, molten hard rock/heavy metal with some psychedelic cooldowns and an interesting degree of sonic experimentation. I’m talking about Azurite.

Azurite was formed in 1972 by ex-Soul Therapists guitarist Gary Hignight and some of his buddies, Brian Schelin, Jerry Moore and Dan Imler, but they would not record and release anything until 1979. Before and sometime after the album, they performed in many pubs and other club venues. After a while, for reasons that are not totally known, Azurite disbanded, with Gary being the only one to continue to make music, as the leader of the Missouri-based blues-oriented rock combo Ledfoot

Azurite’s only release, despite having only nine songs on it, is a rather eclectic one at that. To sum up the nine tracks:

“Sweet Little Lodie” is fiery boogie rock with molten guitars and an impressive vocal performance from drummer Jerry Moore.

“That’s the Way it Always Goes,” a song about environmental pollution, is the first time we get to hear Azurite’s psychedelic, acoustic-flavored side. The mood is complemented nicely by Hignight’s searing lead guitar and dramatic, elegant piano from guest musician Karin Filijan.

“Are You Ready?,” beginning with a semi-a capella intro full of backwards reverb/flanging guitar effects and a volcanic solo, is the only track on the album with the most heavy metal influence, complete with a bridge that sounds rather Beatlesque.

The album’s only cover song, “Howard Christman’s Older,” originally by the Canadian group The Collectors, ensues. It follows a similar formula to “That’s the Way it Always Goes,” although at a much slower tempo, and with some reverb-drenched vocal drones for a more ambient effect.

“Drive Me Insane” shifts the gear back to boogie mode, with Dan Imler sounding differently than when he sang lead on “Are You Ready?” The psychedelic chorus vocals are the icing on the cake.

“Wise to the Ways of the World” goes back to the mood of “Sweet Little Lodie,” but a couple parts are given a magic touch by way of flanging guitar effects.

“Hooked on Rock & Roll” sounds like it could’ve been a hit single had it not been a private pressing.

“Mojie” is the last heavy song on the album, and is one where Karin starts playing the piano for a second time.

“Lady Blue” opens with a beautiful progressive rock instrumental workout, characterized by somber acoustic strumming, musique concrète (the pitch-shifting echo effect), and lush, ambient electric guitar. After a while, it becomes an acoustic-flavored, lighthearted pop rock song. A nice, pastoral and happy way to close a mostly heavy album.

The album was a private press, with only 500 copies of them being released, and some of those copies only had seven tracks, completely excluding “Mojie” and “Lady Blue.” Despite being a private press album, it was actually recorded at a famous studio, that being one of the three Record Plant studios, specifically the one in Los Angeles, since it was close to Azurite’s hometown of Yucaipa. That could be the reason why this album sounded like it was recorded on a high budget.

Another thing; about the way the electric guitars sound, most of them sound like they got some chorus effect on them, and that gives the album, especially the heavy tracks, a rather cobalt, fluid quality. To me, that’s pretty cool, and it gives the guitars a chance to live up to the group’s name.

Rare private press hard rock LP often touted or compared to heavy metal but IMHO no where near it. There are a couple of metallic guitar tracks but I get a much more distinct southern vibe on this LP. There is only one bad track and some forgettable but my favorite is easy "Lady in Blue" with really nice acoustic guitar. Gets better every listen.