A Long Time Comin'

Performer: Electric Flag
Producer: John Court
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: In a demonstration of late-1960s musical guerilla warfare, "Killing Floor," the first track of the debut album from the blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield's ambitious yet short-lived Electric Flag, juxtaposes a sample of a speech by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson with a stinging Bloomfield guitar salvo. Though this opener's pent-up energy isn't quite matched on the rest of the set--which combines the psychedelic rock of "Groovin Is Easy" and "Sittin' Around in Circles" with straight blues tracks such as the jumping-and-jiving "Wine" and the slow-burning "Texas"--it highlights Bloomfield's impressive, though unrealized vision of a band that would filter a wide variety of American music through a contemporary sensibility.

Uncut (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Highlighted by the volatile Mike Bloomfield's piercing bluesy guitar, Buddy Miles' energetic drumming and Nick Gravenites' rich vocals..."

Electric Flag was a brief, intense confluence of blues-rock talent centered on guitarist Mike Bloomfield (fresh from his stint in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band), singer-songwriter Nick Gravenites, and drummer Buddy Miles. Bloomfield's vision for the band was to explore all manner of American musical forms--soul, jazz, blues, rock, R&B--through a contemporary and mildly psychedelic prism. To further cement their place in the mid-'60s zeitgeist, their debut gig was the Monterey Pop Festival, and their first recording was the soundtrack to the quintessential drug film, THE TRIP. Their first full album, 1968's LONG TIME COMIN', wowed critics and contained their hit version of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," but Bloomfield left the band shortly after. Miles would leave after one more album to join Jimi Hendrix in his Band of Gypsys.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5