David Axelrod: Song Of Innocence Vinyl LP David Axelrod

Official repress of Axelrod’s sought-after solo debut. In diggin circles Axelrod has a true cult-like status. People strive to complete their Axelrod collections of solo albums and obscure productions. Notable Axelrod productions include curiosities like David McCallum (beat used for Missin Linx), the Electric Prunes, Lou Rawls, Cannonball Adderly, and that MoWax remix of an UNKLE track. The mystery of Axe is furthered by the fact that a large portion of his production work is hard to find. This is his highly sought after first solo lp and one of his strongest efforts. The sound here is lush orchestrations backed by some hard drum breaks (DJ Shadow notes Axelrod as one of his main influences and shows here). Furthermore, most people agree that this record goes beyond the beats, for if you stop and really listen to this you might be inspired to go fly a plane. It’s actually a pretty dramatic suite divided into 7 parts based on the writings of William Blake, some guy who tested the boundaries. Don’t think that this whole album is breakbeat madness though; to some it sounds a bit like rock-tinged symphony music. However, lots of sample moments that have been used by the Artifacts, Black Sheep, Fat Joe, Mixmaster Mike and more. Beatwise, the most notable on here is “Holy Thursday” with its jazz infused drum break brought to fame by the Beatnuts. This 2018 pressing features fully remastered sound from the original tapes, lacquered direct from Axelrod’s original EQ’d master tapes, and contains an oversized 28 page booklet that delves into Axelrod’s incredible life and music. Recommended.

• audiophile reissue of David Axelrod’s 1968 debut album
• remastered from original master tapes in a new transfer
• lacquered directly from Axelrod’s original EQ’ed master tapes at Capitol Records by Ron McMaster
• contains oversized 28p booklet that delves into Axelrod’s incredible life and music, replete w/ never before published photos and an interview with Axelrod by Egon of Now-Again and Brian Digenti of Waxpoetics.
• first time on vinyl since 2000
• music label: Now-Again Records 2018

reviewed by the mgmnt 04/2018