Album Review

Mark Allan [allmusic.com]

The first thing you hear is an electric guitar, but listeners are quickly exposed to the band's secret weapon -- the violin of Jerry Goodman. The instrumental opening track lays out the group's bold fusion of classical and rock. Subsequent tracks, including the Ray Davies chestnut ''Tired of Waiting,'' add jazz to the mix with an unconventional horn section of two tenor saxes and a trumpet. Veteran English bluesman John Mayall raves about the Chicago septet in the liner notes. Like the Blind Faith album, this powerful debut is undercut by a too-long jam at the end.