We Put Our Magick On You

Even in his mid-'60s prime, Graham Bond's forte had never been original material. At his best, he compensated for his limitations as a composer by incorporating many covers into his repertoire and surrounding himself with some great musicians, like the pre-Cream Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. By the early '70s, he was working with a lesser caliber of supporting players, relying almost wholly on his own songs, and focusing many of his lyrics on obscure "magickal" concerns. As the unfortunate consequence, the music itself became a pedestrian blend of blues-rock with elements of soul and jazz, albeit one that was more eccentric and interesting than those of many of his journeyman peers mining similar styles. Less sprawling than the similar, preceding Holy Magick by virtue of not containing a side-long medley, it really isn't all that bad, just unmemorable. There's a bit of a burnt-out progressive-psychedelic-blues fusion feel, and certainly a bit of early Dr. John in the invocational chants and mood at times, particularly on "Ajama" and "I Put My Magick on You." The album was combined with the 1970 Bond LP Holy Magick on a single-disc CD reissue on BGO. — Richie Unterberger.