BRIAN AUGER’S OBLIVION EXPRESS – Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express (Reissue) – LP – Vinyl [FEB 27]

LP – Standard Edition Black Vinyl (2026 Repress).

Strut Records presents a fresh look at Oblivion Express, the 1971 album that marked Brian Augers shift into a new musical frontier. After years spent shaping the sound of British jazz-soul with the Trinity, Auger stepped into the new decade with a leaner, electrified ensemble and a renewed sense of purpose. This record captures the moment that transformation took shape.

Oblivion Express introduced a sound that was distinctly Augers own. Rather than echoing the fusion emerging in the United States, Auger developed a language rooted in the UKs jazz underground, culminating in a spaced out jazz- rock / prog-fusion album awash with larger than life drum fills and Augers virtuosic organ playing. Between bassist Barry Dean and drummer Robbie McIntosh the album moves effortlessly between tight, articulated phrases and broader, improvisational passages. The trios interplay forms the backbone of the album and sets the tone for the sound that would define the early years of the Express.

Album opener Dragon Song launches with a restless drive that immediately signals Augers new direction. Auger chose to record this version of John McLaughlins piece (his friend and former bandmate in ‘The Niddy Griddys‘) after hearing McLaughlins album Devotion during its mix at New Yorks Record Plant Studios. Auger was blown away, recalling, Oh my god, this is amazing. I wanted to record that myself – and I did!. Pieces like Total Eclipse demonstrate the Oblivion Express command of dynamic contrast, and title track Oblivion Express explores the cinematic and compositional prowess of the group through stripped back, building moments vs. explosive melodic breakdowns. Riff-heavy The Sword later became known through Madlibs usage in 2014 tracks Yeti Movie and Parodies.

In retrospect, Oblivion Express stands as a jazz leaning, prog-rock masterpiece and foundational moment in Augers catalogue. It captures the starting point of a new sound that is more focused, more urgent, and fully committed to the possibilities of jazz-rock at the dawn of the seventies. The album remains a vivid document of a band discovering its identity and setting the stage for the further array of influential releases that would follow.

Tracklist:

Side A
A1. Dragon Song
A2. Total Eclipse
A3. The Light

Side B
B1. On The Road
B2. The Sword
B3. Oblivion Express