Blood Sweat & Tears: What The Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears?

The title of this release might rightfully be applied at various junctures of Blood, Sweat & Tears' career, but for the purposes of this project, it's particularly apropos to the group's State Department-sponsored tour of 1970 behind the Iron Curtain. Innuendo about this band's hip cachet or lack thereof arising from this jaunt—the main premise of the film devoted to the occasion—becomes moot in hearing the 69 plus minutes of performances in Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland, from whence comes the bulk of the content (according to drummer Bobby Colomby in a somewhat rambling essay alongside filmmaker John Sheinfeld's liner notes).

Featuring this most-widely-recognized BS&T lineup at the peak of its popularity, it's no surprise the most commercially-successful of these previously-unreleased ten cuts include "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die" "You've Made Me So Very Happy." It is a bit odd, however, that Michael Graves' mastering of Allen Sides and Colomby's mix unfortunately leaves bassist Jim Fielder's work somewhat less than prominent in the aural spectrum.

Still, this single compact disc finds Blood Sweat & Tears finding a true balance between David Clayton-Thomas' nuanced singing and the robust instrumental intervals of a cut like the interpretation of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." The nonet is as restrained as it is abandoned in proffering such contrasts in dynamics and certainly no less so via the inclusion of "I Can't Quit Her."

It's hard to know how to interpret this cull from the BS&T debut, Child Is Father to the Man (Columbia Records, 1968): on the one hand, it may well be due declaration of respect and gratitude to the original prime mover of the group, Al Kooper, who composed the tune, but on the other, it can reasonably seem like an implicit slap in the face hearkening to the very creative friction that led to the departure of the song's author.

No doubt, the author's admittedly wan voice suits the song better than the Canadian frontman's. Such cogitation, however, is no more pertinent to this set than the original score of the film (available only in digital form) or the aforementioned movie documentary itself (in circulation in theaters throughout most of the continental US).

It's far more interesting to hear the extended instrumental trade-offs on "Somethin' Goin' On"/"Blues Part II," especially those of saxophonist Fred Lipsius and organist/trombonist Dick Halligan. Still, while the quotes from seminal power trio Cream don't exactly sound dated, more than just passing reference "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Spoonful" may be indicative of the all too careful contrivance that came to plague Blood Sweat & Tears as the ensemble evolved.

Guitarist Steve Katz' intricately-arranged "Sometimes In Winter" is a far more palatable extension of the eclectics at the heart of the fundamental BS&T concept, as is this rollicking cover of Traffic's "Smiling Phases." And thankfully, the generally uninhibited lead vocalist does nothing to undermine the formidable impact of the musicians, even when the temptation arises in the form of the audience singalong for "Hi-De-Ho."

As a result, by the time this sixty-nine minutes-plus playing concludes, it's impossible not to ask the question within this album's title and do so with an honest, inquisitive mind.