ELECTROMAGNETS
''ELECTROMAGNETS''
1975
62:19
1/Hawaiian Punch
Stephen Barber / Eric Johnson/6:00
2/Motion
Eric Johnson/4:45
3/Dry Ice
Bill Maddox/5:05
4/Blackhole
Kyle Brock/6:50
5/Salem
Stephen Barber/4:30
6/Minus Mufflers
Bill Maddox/7:36
7/Nova Scotia
Kyle Brock/3:38
8/Crusades
Stephen Barber/8:01
9/Hawaiian Punch
Stephen Barber / Eric Johnson/8:14
10/Dry Ice
Bill Maddox/7:40
Stephen Barber/vocals, clarinet, piano, electric piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Eric Johnson/guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Kyle Brock/bass
Bill Maddox/drums, percussion
Additional personnel:
Chris Geppert (Christopher Cross)/vocals
Tomas Ramirez/saxophone
John Treanor/percussion
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Electromagnets are best known as the launching ground for Eric Johnson, one of the great guitarists of the '80s and '90s. Johnson was known for his clear tones and amazing technical skill -- two things that are apparent on the Electromagnets' first and only album. The group followed the path of such trailblazing fusion groups as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, creating an amalgam of rock, jazz, blues and the avant-garde. Unlike many of their peers, the Electromagnets were loose, letting themselves bend the beat and have fun. As a result, their album is more enjoyable than most '70s fusion records -- even when they venture into prog clichés, or when vocalist Chris Geppert becomes overbearing, their musicianship pulls them through. And of those musicians, Johnson stands out with his crystal clear guitar and tasteful solos. His presence makes Electromagnets the curiosity it is, but also makes it more than an odd historical item.
''ELECTROMAGNETS''
1975
62:19
1/Hawaiian Punch
Stephen Barber / Eric Johnson/6:00
2/Motion
Eric Johnson/4:45
3/Dry Ice
Bill Maddox/5:05
4/Blackhole
Kyle Brock/6:50
5/Salem
Stephen Barber/4:30
6/Minus Mufflers
Bill Maddox/7:36
7/Nova Scotia
Kyle Brock/3:38
8/Crusades
Stephen Barber/8:01
9/Hawaiian Punch
Stephen Barber / Eric Johnson/8:14
10/Dry Ice
Bill Maddox/7:40
Stephen Barber/vocals, clarinet, piano, electric piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Eric Johnson/guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Kyle Brock/bass
Bill Maddox/drums, percussion
Additional personnel:
Chris Geppert (Christopher Cross)/vocals
Tomas Ramirez/saxophone
John Treanor/percussion
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Electromagnets are best known as the launching ground for Eric Johnson, one of the great guitarists of the '80s and '90s. Johnson was known for his clear tones and amazing technical skill -- two things that are apparent on the Electromagnets' first and only album. The group followed the path of such trailblazing fusion groups as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, creating an amalgam of rock, jazz, blues and the avant-garde. Unlike many of their peers, the Electromagnets were loose, letting themselves bend the beat and have fun. As a result, their album is more enjoyable than most '70s fusion records -- even when they venture into prog clichés, or when vocalist Chris Geppert becomes overbearing, their musicianship pulls them through. And of those musicians, Johnson stands out with his crystal clear guitar and tasteful solos. His presence makes Electromagnets the curiosity it is, but also makes it more than an odd historical item.