Befour

'Befour' suggests that Brian Auger & The Trinity's split from Julie Driscoll was a liberating experience. The four-piece who recorded this 1970 album sound very focussed on what is a collection of jazz-inflected rock numbers, most of them covers. There are a couple of classical pieces, the swung 'Pavane' and the haunting 'Adagio'; the commercial angle is served by Traffic's 'No Time To Live', while there's a spirited rendition of Sly Stone's 'I Want To Take You Higher' plus Herbie Hancock's 'Maiden Voyage'. The only original is 'Just You Just Me'. Not a track is wasted, but the highlight is arguably 'Listen Here' which is as stunning as it is brutal. This isn't surprising when you read the sleevenotes which comment that four drummers and two bassists were used. The bonus tracks are nothing special. 'Rain Forest Talking' is a live track, which bears no resemblance to the gorgeous Hammond sound of the main album, while the 'Pavane' demo offers nothing extra and 'Fire In The Mind' is just a bit of noodling. Nevertheless, Auger's last album before forming Oblivion Express is highly creditable.