I bought this 1973 LP from work entirely because it was called Stardrive and the back cover showed a white guy with a polyester shirt and a huge perm, drinking beer and sitting in front of an enormous analog synth. Had I investigated further I would have noticed that this record (the project of one Robert Mason) also features Michael Brecker and Steve Gadd. But I guess that just means it was a jazz-rock record recorded in the 70’s, because those two guys would play on anything. As Michael McDonald was to 70’s soft rock background vocals, Michael Brecker was to 70’s fusion saxophone.
Anyway, it rules. It’s fusiony, Magma-ish jazz, but absolutely CRAMMED with echoing spacey synth lines. It’s like an Al Di Meola record but with tons of tasteless synth burbling instead of tons of tasteless guitar solos. Also features a kick-ass cover of Sly Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher”. This is exactly the kind of stuff I could listen to all day, every day.
“Intergalactic Trot” was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird last year, and the self-titled “Stardrive” LP is getting reissued on CD on August 11. I’m getting it.
Missing Sequences 