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Album Details

• Artist: Albert Ayler
• Album: New Grass
• Label: Impulse!
• Year of Release: 1968
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2006-04-25

This reissue opens old wounds, especially coming on the heels of Revenant's 10 CD box a couple of years ago. Upon its initial release, New Grass was assaulted by accusations of sell-out from the hipsters who just wanted to hear him wail. While some tracks here fill that need, there are a lot of annoying pop attempts, female lead singers, spoken preaching from the man himself. Ayler had always incorporated gospel, R & B and marching band grooves in his music; the pop attempts here are far from signs of sellout. What hurts most is that the pop tunes are almost parodies of pop and light funk; they sound more like background music from The Flip Wilson show rather than from a genius absorbing other styles of the day, especially "New Generation" and "Heart Love". Yet even on these tracks, his ambition to ascend to heaven via the music is apparent on his solos. "Sun Watcher" would fit in on any of his other, more out records. Not his best release, but not the hodgepodge rich white protesters thought at the time, either. (rereleased 2005)

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