Jackie Lomax - Disc of the day

Jackie Lomax
Is This What You Want?

(Apple, 1969)

The forgotten soul of the Beatles vanity label.

Ok, their minds were obviously on other things but did the collective superbrain of JohnPaulGeorgeandRingo really imagine that the keen palates of the late '60s pop audience - tutored in the ways of wonder by the Fabs themselves - would be sated by Mary Hopkin, this fellah, and a copy of The Black Dyke Mills Band’s Thingumybob The other iron in Apple’s distinctly weedy debut roster was an even more unlikely proposition, the former lead singer with little-known Liverpool R&B outfit The Undertakers. Brought into the Fabs fold by Brian Epstein’s management group, Lomax was a special case rock orphan, adopted by George Harrison following Epstein’s suicide and gifted Harrison’s recent Rishikesh composition, Sour Milk Sea. Based on the Vishvasara Tantra (translated by Harrison as “if you're in the shit, don't go around moaning about it”), SMS was a stomping white soul workout with Lomax’s impassioned vocals beefed up by Eric Clapton on lacerating lead, Macca on heavy bass, Ringo bashing the hell out of the drums and Harrison and Lomax adding dirty rhythm riffs. It’s one of the great singles of ’68, and when Lomax reaches for further Beatles heights, particularly on the mean-eyed Come Together groove of the title track and The Eagle Laughs At You (George and Ringo transforming Lomax’s Lady Madonna steal into a garage Stax stomp) the album is a joy. Even the lesser tracks are ably supported by the cream of LA session thugs (Hal Blaine, Leon Russell, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn) but no-one was listening. Lomax’s single debut was passed over in favour of same-day Apple releases Hey Jude (natch!) and Mary Hopkin’s Those Were The Days (what?) and the album went the same way. Forgotten in the wake of Allen Klein's shake-up of Apple, Lomax briefly joined the semi-legendary Heavy Jelly before relocating to Woodstock, recording with Rick Danko and Levon Helm. He currently lives in California.

Andrew Male

Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 22/07/2008