David Sancious & Tone - True Stories - Arista Records 1978

 

 

 

    Like a lot of music nerds, I can't help myself but to look in the liner notes and look up all the musicians, producers, engineers, the label, studios, really anything I can. One of many reasons I love collecting records is that I have easy access to a library of  these credits and liner notes at my fingertips to reference. The element of surprise in the discoveries of coincidences, keeps the detective in me alive. 70's jazz fusion records are full of endless discoveries. For some reason major labels were giving out solo albums to what seems like anybody previously on some kind of notable album. If you look in the jazz section of any record store, they're countless. It's fucking crazy. Another great thing about these albums is that because there were shitloads of releases, everyone seemed to play on each other's albums. A true constellation of connections.

 

    A few months back, I picked up a bunch of cheap jazz and rock albums from Everyday music in Seattle. Also that week, a record I ordered from Discogs showed up. One name that kept showing up on the credits of these records, was David Sancious. He was playing either keyboards or guitar on these four albums...

 

Stanley Clarke - Journey To Love

 

Narada Michael Walden  - Garden of Love Light

 

Cozy Powell - Tilt

 

Lenny White - Venusian Summer

 

    So naturally, I said to myself, "who the fuck is David Sancious?" First thing I learned when I looked him up was that he was on Original member of the E Street Band. 

 

    "The band took its name from the street in Belmar, New Jersey, where Sancious' mother lived. She allowed the band to rehearse in her garage." - Wikipedia. 

 

    Again, a fact like this is why I love looking up everything on my records, you find out some really interesting links to music history.

 

    I wanted to not read too much about him right away and keep my research minimal so I could give myself the element of surprise and discovery though his discography. So I started at the beginning by streaming his first solo album from 1975, Forest of Feelings. What an incredible album that is! As a keyboard player, it was a remarkable discovery that I had fallen upon! Finally someone new for me to obsess over. A great talent as unique as Chick Corea and Return To Forever but doing his own thing. After listing to Forest of  Feelings for the first time, I immediately bought the record and I'm still continually blown away with each listen.

    

 

    On my David Sancious journey, I made a rule for myself to stream only one album a week at a time. This way I could truly grasp and appreciate them. The week was up so my next choice was David Sancious and Tone, True Stories. Holy fuck I love this record! This is a keyboard players dream! A distinctive offering of pop sensibility within a soulful realm, designed to comfort the senses . My first time listening True Stories can best be summed up by the following description.

 

    "Frisson, also known as aesthetic chills or musical chills, is a psychophysiological response to rewarding auditory and/or visual stimuli that often induces a pleasurable or otherwise positively-valenced affective state and transient paresthesia." - Wikipedia

    True Stories was Produced by David Sancious and Eddy Offord. If the name Eddy Offord sounds familiar, he is prog rock royalty. A producer who's credits include some of my favorite prog rock records in my collection. Which include YES' Fragile, Close to the edge, Relayer and Drama. As well as EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER'S, Tarkus and their self titled album.  Those are arguably some of the best sounding records of that era and genre. The production on True Stories is incredible! Especially the drums. They sound like they were recorded in The Colosseum in Rome. Plus I'm always a sucker for double bass and China cymbal on 70's rock albums. It's pretty rare to hear them from that time period and when I hear it done at this level, I love it! I Here's a visual to go with the huge drum sound.

 

 

Ernest "Boom" Carter and Gerald Carboy tearing it up!

 

  

    I know it's unfair to make comparisons of people's art. I've had my music compared to other artists in reviews that were all over the place, bizarre and sometimes funny. I've come to realize that's just how most people find a way to understand the world and it's a challenge to explain away the things you didn't create. There should be no guilt if your intentions are sincere and respectful. I usually try and think of musical comparisons as more of a compliment than an absolute. As in "these two artists would be a great compliment to each other in a live setting of an evening of entertainment." That being said, True Stories is a satisfying alternative to some of the heavier STEVIE WONDER tunes. Not exactly the same but the delivery seems singular.

 

  To further use comparison based in my own experience in relation to playing in SPACEBAG, (my keyboard/guitar prog metal band). We split up our songs in half. One half written by Dave on guitar and the other half written by me on keyboard. You can definitely tell the difference between a "guitar song" and a "keyboard song." On True Stories  I can tell that these are all keyboard songs baby! In fact there is absolutely no guitar on this album except bass guitar! 

 

    The opening song "Sound of Love" is a heavy organ ripper that's asking you to stand up and dance. The vocals of SANTANA'S Alex Ligertwood are powerful and very 70's. I know that's a vague description but you'll understand when you hear him. Like one of my favorite singers of that era, Brad Delp of BOSTON, Ligertwood does his own harmonies on this track too.  He describes working with Sancious this way

 

 “To be able to do something for a musician of this caliber is so rewarding,” he says. “That music was intense. It was a new thing for me, a beginning. It bordered on everything I had touched on before in my career—a little touch of jazz. rock and roll, Al Green. And it was as if he’d written all of the songs exactly for me. They were all in my register, all within my range. It was amazing.” Alex worked with Sancious for just over a year, touring the East Coast and playing a two-week tour of England. The day after he got back from England. he got a call to come to San Francisco and try out for Santana. - Tolleson, R (April 24th 1981) Spinterview "Santana's 'voice': Alex Ligertwood"

 

  When it comes to the music on "Sound of love," god damn! When the keyboard solo comes in at the same time as the cowbell, it's pure lightning! But the true reward comes at the build up in the final chorus. Get ready to scale the wall of Hammond organ, Moog synthesizers, vocal harmonies, finger cymbals, triangle, cabasa and gong! 

 

    On my first listen to the second song "Move on," I thought to myself, "I can't believe this wasn't a hit?!" A progressive rock, funk and soul song where the vocals of Gail Boggs and Brenda Madison take you on a trip way beyond your happy place. The verse where the ladies sing  

 

"What will the night reveal to me

I long to see the end

Son of the light remain

we long to gain the key

To the shining city"

 

    is one of the most impressive vocal breakdowns I've ever heard! Check it out for your self...

(*Fun fact. Gail Boggs played Louise Brown in the 1990 film Ghost)

 

 

   

    

 

    "Fade Away" as I interpret it, is an emotionally heavy and powerful slow jam about the reassurance of love despite the pain of losing someone. The vocal harmony being one hell of a support group.

"Walk into the light forever

Separate the pain and play 

Realize your heartache will fade away" 

 

 

 

 

    "Ever the same" starts with the kind of synth bass line every keyboard player hopes to write in their lifetime. Simple and undeniably universal. A line so good the drummer saves the heavy double bass part for the second time around to take you to the top of the mountain. With a vocal range of four octaves, Alex Ligertwood pushed himself to give a grand finale performance you didn't know was possible. This song has such a great ending that you would think it was the albums' closer but the force is unstoppable! The train keeps coming!

 

    The final song, "Matter of Time"opens up with a monstrous double bass intro. The music that soon enters has a triumphant and almost religious sound to it. Then moves on to a playful mood through a pastoral setting. It suddenly takes you to a place that reminds me a lot of  the YES song "And You And I" from the album Close To The Edge. Which is one of my favorite moments from Jon Anderson and YES. The bass tone of Gerald Carboy in that section also sounds akin to YES' Chris Squire. Then the  double bass enters on the scene like a speed metal drummer teleported from the future to accelerate the crescendo of the bombastic synthesizer ending of the album! The final verse "Time will heal!" resonates in your psyche like a locked groove at the end of a record. HEAL! HEAL! HEAL! HEAL!

     

  

 

    One thing I'm trying to accomplish from this blog is to pull this record out of the void . Unfortunately there are hardly any streams of it. It only costs about $4 on vinyl and you deserve to have it.  I think if it had proper representation at that time, it would have the had the potential to be a very popular album.  It had a lot of hit song capabilities that seem perhaps, like even a precursor to some of those super fun VAN HALEN synthesizer tunes like "Why Can't This Be Love." I honestly believe this album is for most anybody. It's the kind of record I would love to give to any friends who still collect vinyl. I'm confidant in putting my credibility and friendship on the line for a random present like this. Speaking of giving. Let's try and give True Stories the resurrection it deserves. Stream it, add it to your playlists and better yet buy a copy on vinyl and keep this treasure out of the landfill.

Luke Laplante

 

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