MIRAGE

Personnel: Eric Burdon (vocals); Aalon Butler, W.G. Snuffy Walden (guitar); Randy Rice, Randy Rice (bass guitar); Alvin Taylor (drums, percussion). Liner Note Author: Mark Powell. Recording information: The Record Plant, San Francisco, CA (09/1973-03/1974). In 1973, Eric Burdon was asked to write the soundtrack for a film entitled MIRAGE. Entering the Record Plant studio in San Francisco with his group, The Eric Burdon Band, the singer-songwriter set to work recording. The soundtrack was already complete when United Artists decided to pull the plug on the movie project. The proposed double LP soundtrack similarly ended up gathering dust on the shelf, until this 2009 release. Although purportedly themed around the then still on-going Vietnam War, only the opening track "Dragon Lady" even obliquely refers to the conflict, while the other great societal divisions of the day are, if anything, even more veiled. Relieved of the burden of writing an actual album, Burdon used the soundtrack to explore a vast variety of styles, most notably on the title track, in which the singer incorporated lyrics written by friend Jimi Hendrix the night he died. The music pays fine tribute to him, while the psyched-out "Stole My Heart Away (First Sight)" also bears Hendrix's influence. The hard rocking "River of Blood", arguably the most creative track on the set, has hints of War, while also being inspired by Native American rhythms. But, as diverse as the music is, Burdon's fabulously enthusiastic performances pull it all together, and whether he's in spoken word mode or crying out his fury against the white man ("Geronimo"), the singer is never less than sensational.