Atlantic Bridge

An early British fusion band, Atlantic Bridge put out a self-titled instrumental album in 1970. While the skills of the players were impressive, it wasn't anything more than an average album, not nearly as experimental as fusion bands of the time such as Soft Machine, for instance. They didn't compromise their jazz roots, with Jim Philip's saxes and flute showing a decided John Coltrane influence. Chief arranger Mike McNaught's electric keyboard provided the most rock-oriented flavor. Covers of "MacArthur Park" and the Beatles' "Something" and "Dear Prudence" seemed emblematic of a desire to cross over to rock and pop listeners, though it should be noted that it was far less common for a jazz-rock band to interpret such material in 1970 than it would be in the years to come. Atlantic Bridge also put out a rare EP in 1971 that had more of a rock feel, one of its songs including female vocals. The LP, with two songs from the EP added as bonus tracks, was reissued by Get Back in 1999. ~ Richie Unterberger