Steve Morse Band - The Introduction (1984)

ELEKTRA/MUSICIAN MONTH (FEBRUARY 2023)

Morse was a founder of the Dixie Dregs and later played in Kansas then Deep Purple. This 1984 release finds Morse's sound more in line with the Dregs - as he writes in the liner notes: "it moves between the Dregs' sound and our slightly more guitaristic sound." I like the Dregs' sort of Southern rock-jazz fusion if I'm in the right mood; I was introduced to the band while in high school through their 1982 album, Industry Standard and I believe there's vinyl copy of Dregs Of The Earth (1980) on my shelves.

Billboard, November 10, 1984, p. 36

This brief (34 minutes) album is all Southern rock instrumentals and, naturally, sounds like many Dregs releases. The instrumentation is different than the Dregs as Morse has pared down to a power trio. Full of jazz influences with a dash of prog rock, some tracks remind me of Jeff Beck, others remind me more of .38 Special. Morse is such a talent: great grooves, riffs and shredding to be found here, the playing is impeccable; it's all enjoyable.

This album was one of the Elektra/Musician label's final issues and one its best sellers.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "instrumental mix of rock, blues, fusion and beyond"
• Downbeat (★★★★): "fine representation of one of the great guitar talents of our day"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #101
• Billboard Jazz: #15
• CashBox: #99
• CashBox Jazz: #6

Tracks: The lead track, Cruise Missile, was released as a single and even got its own video. It didn't chart, but did played in "Light Rotation" on MTV. It is one of my favorite cuts from the album, along with the title track, On The Pipe, and Huron River Blues.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

This wraps up Elektra/Musician Month here at The CD Project, but it's probably not the last time I'll write about one of those releases. Of the 56 releases during the label's 1982-84 lifespan, I currently own 45 in some physical form, either LP or CD or, in some cases, both. So I'll be on the look out for the remaining 11 and hopefully they'll appear in this space in the near future.