Seatrain

A few days ago in my post about Elvis Presley's version of "Gentle on My Mind," I mentioned Seatrain in passing as a band that aptly utilized its country influences. The band's self titled album is entirely worth a listen - not only is it suitably (but not too) country, but it also blends influences ranging from blues and jazz to psychedelia.

I first heard Seatrain the same way I heard Donny Hathaway (and several other artists, for that matter): I discovered an old cassette tape my father had made from a friend's vinyl copy in the 70s. Eventually, I became so enamored of Sea Train (1969) that I sought out a used copy (it had been long out of print) in a Boston record store at the age of 13 or 14. It would be the first (but certainly not the last) album I would buy on vinyl. Several years later, I also picked up a CD copy on Ebay.

Always been fond of this one.

Seatrain's ability to merge American roots music with rock comes as no surprise. The band formed out of the ashes of The Blues Project, a New York band that was known for its competent electric interpretations of the blues. In fact, some consider the band's last album, Planned Obsolescence (1968), to be the first Seatrain record - the only original members of the Blues Project to play on the record were Roy Blumenfeld and Andy Kulberg, Seatrain's founders.

The track I'm posting today, "Sea Train," is the first track on their self-titled album. It's a nice synthesis of the band's strengths. The country influence is certainly on display - most noticeably in Richard Greene's fiddle playing and the vocal harmonies around the 1:57 mark. Don Kretmar's saxophone lines are rooted firmly in jazz. The lead vocals are decidedly bluesy. Finally, the psychedelic influence is most apparent during the fuzzed-out solo around 2:18 (I believe it's a saxophone) and the rather interesting ending.

I've never really gotten into the band's later albums (one of which, 1973's Marblehead Messenger, was produced by George Martin). The group abandoned its genre-bending after Sea Train in favor of a more unbridled country-rock approach. Nonetheless, Seatrain's first proper album remains an interesting statement of a band in transition. It will always be a sentimental favorite of mine.

Sea Train