Blind Faith - Blind Faith

Blind Faith released one album in 1969 bringing together the talents of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech. This album was infamous when I was a kid because it had a topless young girl holding what looked like a chrome airplane. The photograph by Bob Seidemann was titled "Blind Faith" and it would end up being the name of the band and the album.

I never knew there was an alternate cover until I found this one in the dollar bin. I have to admit the cover had seen better days, but the lyric insert was still inside the jacket and the album itself ended up cleaning up quite nicely. All in all a win win.

Now I was just a wee lad when this came out, so my introduction to some of the songs would come many years later on radio when they'd have their '60s themed lunch hours, or the occasional oldie would crop up on rock radio. The song that seemed to get the most play was "Can't Find My Way Home" which is a brilliant song written by Steve Winwood. Of the six songs on the album Steve wrote half with Eric Clapton contributing "Presence of the Lord" with Ginger Baker getting the credit for the nearly sixteen minutes of self indulgent musical wanking that is "Do What You Like" that takes up most of the second side.

One of the things that always bugged me about the songs was the quality of the recording. I don't know if this can be laid at the feet of producer Jimmy Miller. There's no engineer listed so it's hard to tell. It could also be my stereo ... or not. Having just shit on this I'm listening to this pretty loud and most of the album sounds pretty good, it's really only the mixing on "Presence of the Lord" where the vocals are buried and it sounds like Clapton is at the bottom of a well. The guitar work (is mixed way out front) of course makes up for everything and by the end all is forgiven, but man the sound could have been even better. As an aside the version I first heard of this song was by Larry Norman on his Streams Of White Light Into Darkened Corners from 1977. If you've not heard it I suspect it's on YouTube. This is a spectacular version and Jon Linn (probably the best guitar player you've never heard of) absolutely killed the solo and was faithful to the spirit of the song.

This is an album with one listenable side, and a second I suppose was really enjoyable with headphones and a lot of dope. In a way it's too bad the band didn't squeeze "Sea of Joy" onto side one, then the trippy hippy dippy shit would have been it's own little mini-adventure, and wouldn't derail the album. I suppose if you're in the mood it's fun, and I'll admit that when I play the record I almost always play both sides.

The album is what it is, and frankly when this was good it was extraordinary. Blind Faith was a one and done and it seems like for a while Clapton was stumbling about in the dark going from one group to the next as if he was searching for the elusive lost chord. 

I was trying to work in a Blind Faith zinger, but I got nothing. 

It happens.

They can't all be winners, although once in a while a win would be nice.