JACK BRUCE – SONGS FOR A TAILOR LP – Nr MINT A2/B2 UK CREAM JAZZ ROCK FUSION

Jack Bruce – Songs For A Tailor
(Polydor Records  1969  583058)
Matrix No’s: A2/B2 – UK Pressing

Gatefold Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– some rubbing

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

John Symon Asher “Jack” Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter known primarily for his contributions to the British supergroup Cream, which also included guitarist-singer Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. In March 2011 Rolling Stone readers selected him as the eighth greatest bass guitarist of all time. “Most musicians would have a very hard time distinguishing themselves if they wound up in a band with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker,” the magazine said at the time, “but Jack Bruce was so gifted on the bass that he did it with ease.”

Bruce maintained a solo career that spanned several decades and also played in several musical groups. Although recognized first and foremost as a vocalist, bassist and songwriter, he also played double bass, harmonica, piano, cello and guitar. He was trained as a classical cellist and considered himself a jazz musician, although much of his catalogue of compositions and recordings tended toward rock and blues.

Songs for a Tailor is the 1969 solo studio album debut of musician, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who was already famous at the time of its release for his work with the supergroup Cream. Originally released on the Polydor label in Europe and on Atco Records in the U.S., Songs for a Tailor was the second solo album that Bruce recorded, though he did not release the first, Things We Like, for another year.

The album, which was titled in tribute to Cream’s recently deceased clothing designer, displayed more of the musician’s diverse influences than his compositions for Cream, though it did not chart as highly as his work with that band. Nevertheless, it was successful, reaching #6 on the UK Albums Chart and #55 on the Billboard “Pop Albums” chart.

While it has not been universally critically well-received, with a negative review by Rolling Stone on its first release, it is generally acclaimed and is considered among Bruce’s best albums. The literary lyrics by poet and songwriter Pete Brown have been particularly divisive, with one critic singling them out for praise while others have been more generally critical. Songs on the album include “Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out of Tune”, and “Theme for an Imaginary Western”, which was covered famously by Leslie West’s Mountain, and is featured in 2006’s 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Peter Brown, music by Jack Bruce.

1. “Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out of Tune” – 3:41
2. “Theme for an Imaginary Western” – 3:30
3. “Tickets to Water Falls” – 3:00
4. “Weird of Hermiston” – 2:24
5. “Rope Ladder to the Moon” – 2:54
6. “The Ministry of Bag” – 2:49
7. “He the Richmond” – 3:36
8. “Boston Ball Game 1967” – 1:45
9. “To Isengard” – 5:28
10. “The Clearout” – 2:35

Personnel

Performance

• Harry Beckett – trumpet
• Jack Bruce – organ, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, cello, vocals
• Dick Heckstall-Smith – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Jon Hiseman – drums
• Henry Lowther (incorrectly identified as “Henry Lather” on early editions of the album) – trumpet
• John Marshall – drums
• George Harrison – guitar on “Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out Of Tune” (credited as L’Angelo Misterioso)
• John Mumford – trombone
• Felix Pappalardi – percussion, vocals, acoustic guitar
• Chris Spedding – electric guitar
• Art Themen – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone

Production

• Jack Bruce – arranger
• Andy Johns – engineer
• Felix Pappalardi – producer
• Roger Phillip – photography
• John Tobler – liner notes