Mirror Image / New City

Any BST album necessarily gets compared to the breakout debut & the chart-topping second album -- they set the mould, they're the reason anyone's looking at this now. And while these two are related (both to each other, and to those albums), comparison necessarily overlooks what unique qualities there are to each of these.MIRROR IMAGE is new to me, and it's surprising to hear Blood Sweat & Tears sounding so mid-70s radio-friendly. Not that this is a bad thing -- BST never intended to be a band whose albums nobody bought -- but there are less of the striking arrangements that made BST such a unique album. On the other hand, it's a fine album in itself, and perhaps more easy to digest. In this first post-hit phase, the band was eager to show more of their jazz-fusiony chops, but that doesn't mean simple riff-and-solo vehicles; these are still whole compositions of the BST stripe. If anything, it sounds like they'd heard how adventurous Edgar Winter & early Chicago were, and were keen to show they could do all that *and* still be BST. Which they were, and here it is.NEW CITY, I confess, has been my favorite BST album ever since it came out -- to my ears, equal to the 1969 album. Since this obviously biases my judgment, I'll admit that it may not be quite as adventurous & cutting-edge as those first two albums were ... on the other hand, neither does it have their clunkers [and they do have some!]. "Applause" is eight minutes of interesting & well-developed ideas -- I'm tempted to put it up alongside Steely Dan's song "Aja", but it might win. "Ride Captain Ride" spoiled my ear, because that other *inferior* version gets on the radio but this doesn't. "Got to Get You Into My Life" somehow was ignored by radio, while Earth Wind & Fire's version became a hit. "No Show" is just a nice instrumental composition, almost prog-rock in its arrangement; when I was younger, I thought the title owed to the singer not making the recording date. "Naked Man" fuses Mozart & oompah music with a dash of humor; "I Was a Witness to a War" has a nice pathos, and sounds ready for radio play.Why don't these albums rate with the earlier ones? Maybe it's that they were once seen as darlings of the underground, and mass success had a rebound effect; after all, there's no cachet in appreciating the later albums of an already well-known band. And yes: the only band member left from the first album was the drummer, so it was arguably not the same band anymore. But the musical performances recorded here are better than most of what else got released that year (or possibly since), and it's a great joy to hear them again.Also recommended: the 1977 release BRAND NEW DAY is a very decent album, still featuring David Clayton-Thomas, although the wild & wacky arrangements of the early days has settled into strong R&B arrangements -- think BST meets Tower of Power

When a greatest hits collection just isn't good enough and you still want more.

Wonderful music

Love BS&T and these 2 Remasters in one are a great buy!

thanks

Jerry Fisher and the post-david clayton thomas line-up on MIRROR IMAGE should have reconsidered the material for this recording. apparently recorded to take part in the disco era, it fails miserably and is the weakest effort by these jazz veterans.thus, it was no surprise that Fisher was gone by the NEW CITY project with Clayton Thomas returning to the fold. and they also attempted to return to the sound for which they were known. it was too little too late. even though thomas' excellent vocals and better material make this a good recording, it still is only a C-effort at best. only die-hard BS&T like myself should buy it.

Mirror Image is a quite enjoyable album, much better than most here have indicated. When it was an LP, the original first side (songs 1 - 6) was soul-oriented pop, and those who liked Edgar Winter's White Trash, Sly & the Family Stone, Average White Band, , Earth Wind & Fire, and other blue-eyed or mixed group soul will like side one. The original second side of the LP is a fine jazz-rock suite that should satisfy fans of BS&T and Chicago alike.New City features the return of David-Clayton Thomas, and it has good tracks, but is more uneven. At its best, the cover songs are fresh arrangements of well-known rock/pop. The originals are not as good, but they grow on you with repeated listening.As a two-CD set, it is a value buy. Horn-rock fans and soul-with-horn-section fans will enjoy these for the money.

Not quite the same style as BS&T 1,2 & 3 with which I was familiar but good stuff. More reminiscent of Toto with touches of Chicago.

ok

I was unexpectedly and happily surprised to hear these two albums. I never knew the sound of the band before David Clayton Thomas took over as lead singer. However, he just brings out the best in the group and gave them the edge they needed to make it over the top. I enjoyed both albums and highly recommend any Blood Sweat and Tears fan to add it to their collection.

Buenos trabajos de uno de los mejores grupos de fusión dentro del rock, en aquella década prodigiosa que para la música fueron los 70`.

BS&Tはメンバーが入れ替わっても、嫌いにならないいいバンドだよね。いいミュージシャンが揃ってるだけのバンドなら、ココまで持たないよね。選曲もいいし、解釈も良し、演奏は最高。D.Cトーマスが抜けたアルバムは、未だ聞きまくってからねぇ。ソウルかなぁ。ロックと心地よいソウル系の融合、初期はブルース系とロックのコラボ。（おうっと、JAZZも入ってたよねぇ）でも「Mirror Image」は、モータウン系の大作曲家が一曲目から決めまくって裏名盤を確保。「New　City」はD.Cトーマス復帰の人気回復を狙ったイレコミ盤なんだろうけど、これも素直な気持ちが入った、これも、ＢＳ＆Ｔアバエク男の本骨頂かなぁ・・・。