3 [Vinyl LP]

Commercially, this was a disappointment after Blood Sweat And Tears' previous eponymous album, which spawned hit singles galore; here, only a sprightly cover of Goffin-King's "Hi-De-Ho" and lead singer David Clayton-Thomas' own "Lucretia Mac Evil" achieved singles chart success. On the other hand, this is probably the most musically ambitious of the band's post-Al Kooper albums, and though it occasionally overreaches--the lengthy jazz suite based on the Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil" is an awkward collision of styles--there are some memorable moments. Clayton-Thomas works a little too hard sometimes (the aforementioned "Lucretia Mac Evil" is a tad overwrought), but he also turns in sensitive readings of some fine cover songs, particularly Laura Nyro's "He's a Runner" and Richard Manuel's "Lonesome Suzie." Meanwhile, the band's instrumental work is at its customary expert level throughout, in particular in a protracted solo section in Joe Cocker's "Something Comin' On."