CCS-CCS (1970)

CCS, short for Collective Consciousness Society, was a major and influential British brass rock band of the early 1970s. This enormous group, both in terms of its quality and the number of members, was the brainchild of one of the fathers of British blues, Alexis Korner. He, along with singer Peter Thorup and arranger John Cameron, sought to emulate the sounds of American bands like Blood, Sweat & Tears, while incorporating elements of British hard rock and blues rock. This big band, which also functioned as a supergroup, featured several distinct sections: the pure rock band and the horn section. To achieve this, John Cameron and producer Mickie Most selected a roster of musicians from among the best in those genres playing in the UK at the time, beginning with a rhythm section comprised of members of the band Blue Mink: Herbie Flowers (bass), Alan Parker (guitar), and Barry Morgan (drums). To further strengthen this section and give it a heavier, more powerful sound, they also recruited bassist Spike Heatley and Tony Carr as a second drummer, who at the time was playing in Donovan's band. On top of this rock foundation, a horn section was formed, much like a big band, starting with a trumpet section composed of Greg Bowen, Les Condon, Harold Becekktt, and Henry Lowther. The latter two were replaced on the second album by Tony Fisher and Kenny Wheeler, who at the time was a young, experimental musician and who, a few years later, would become one of Britain's most prominent trumpet players, thanks to his recordings for the German label ECM. This section was joined by three trombonists: Don Lusher, Bill Geldard, and John Marscall. Marscall would later be replaced by Brian Perrin. Rounding out the horn section was trumpeter Neil Sanders. As for the woodwind section (saxophones, clarinets, and flutes), they recruited some of the most brilliant musicians on the British jazz scene, such as Harold McNair, Pete King, Danny Moss, Bob Efford, and baritone Ronnie Ross. In 1970, CCS released their self-titled debut album, “CCS”, on Most's own label, Rak Records, and distributed internationally by EMI/Columbia. It featured compositions by Cameron, Korner, and Thorup, as well as covers like Jethro Tull's “Living in the Past”, the Rolling Stones' “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”, and Led Zeppelin's “Whole Lotta Love”, and a frenetic version of the traditional “Vade in the Water”, a true classic of Black spiritual music. Musically, this album is one of the gems of early 1970s jazz-rock, with a complex and intricate structure of compositions focused on brass rock, featuring heavy and energetic sounds that, to some extent, lend a progressive edge to their style. However, the track that propelled them onto the British charts was their cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". A year later, they released their second album, "CCS II", and in 1973, their third and final album, "The Best Band in the Land". However, shortly afterward, due to contractual obligations of many of its members with their respective bands or solo projects, as well as the financial difficulties of maintaining such a large group, the band dissolved in early 1974.