DREAMS / IMAGINE MY SURPRISE

Digitized from the original vinyl, released in 1971 on Columbia Records.
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
Format: Mp3
ALBUM INFO:
Produced By: Steve Cropper
Engineered By: Charlie Bradley, Lacy O'Neal, Jerry Watson, Mike Figlio, Tim Geelan, Jim Greene & Lou Waxman.
Recorded At: T.M.I. Studios, Memphis & C.B.S. Studios, New York.
TRACK LISTING:
Calico Baby
Why Can't I Find A Home
Child Of Wisdom
Just Be Ourselves
I Can't Hear You
Here She Comes Now
Don't Cry My Lady
Medicated Goo
Imagine My Surprise
All Arrangements By Dreams.
THE BAND:
Bob Mann - Guitar, Fluegelhorn, Vocals
Michael Brecker - Tenor Sax & Flute
Randy Brecker - Trumpet & Flugelhorn, Vocals
Billy Cobham - Drums & Percussion
Don Grolnick - Keyboards, Vocals
Will Lee - Bass & vocals
Barry Rogers - Trombone, Weinstein Tuba, Alto Horn & Vocals
Edward Vernon - Vocals
Guests:
Steve Cropper - Guitar
Angel Allende - Conga Drums
WEBSITE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_(band)

REVIEW:

One of the best jazz-rock bands ever., June 20, 1998
By A Customer (Amazon Customer Review)

The amazing pop-funk-jazz-rock group Dreams was at the forefront of what was to become fusion music (a unique blend of jazz, rock and funk) but recorded only two albums before they broke up in 1971.
Members of the band included some of the best improvisational soloists of the time: the funky Brecker Brothers (Michael on tenor sax and Randy on trumpet), Billy Cobham (drums), Barry Rogers (trombone), John Abercrombie (guitar) who was later replaced by Bob Mann (guitar), Jeff Kent (keyboards) who was replaced by Don Grolnick (keyboards), Doug Luban (bass) who was replaced by Will Lee (bass) and Edward Vernon (vocal).
Unfortunately for the group, they were signed to the same label as Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago, so apparently Dreams didn't get the label backing that they deserved. After the release of their second album "Imagine My Surprise" they disbanded. Randy and Michael then formed their ground-breaking jazz-funk group "The Brecker Brothers Band," Billy Cobham joined guitarist John McLaughlin's "Mahavishnu Orchestra" (which also featured Jan Hammer on keyboards) and later played several sessions with Miles Davis, and Will Lee went back to being New York's premier studio bassist and eventually ended up in Paul Shaffer's band on the Dave Letterman Show, a gig he still currently holds.

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MASTERPIECE, July 7, 2008
By William L. Phipps (Tuckahoe, NY United States) - (Amazon Customer Review)

To call Dreams an underrated band would be an understatement. This second project "Imagine My Surprise" features musicianship of incomparable beauty and a master class in jazz composition. "Just Be Ourselves" would alone be worth the price of this cd/lp/8-track masterpiece and it has a lovely vocal by bassist extraodinaire Will Lee, and now seems a haunting tribute to the memory of its composer Don Grolnick. Highly recommended!

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Just Be Ourselves, April 30, 2008
By B. Doro "Doro" (Mt. Bethel, PA United States) - (Amazon Customer Review)

This album blew my mind when it first came out (1972) - though not all the songs are wonderful, the integrity of the band's musicality was at least the equal of Chicago and BST, and, as a young musician, the harmonic vocabulary of JUST BE OURSELVES completely opened my ears. For anyone who likes Blood Sweat & Tears or Chicago, Dreams is a must-hear, and IMHO, this album is their definitive statement.

CONTACT:

READ THIS for more information on this album.

Tom