Title - Commit Yourself To Bethlehem Asylum
Artist - Bethlehem Asylum
Bethlehem Asylum’s only two albums, combined into this brand new CD Commit Yourself To Bethlehem Asylum (out September 23rd, 2022 via Liberation Hall), provide an insight into the future of fusion and prog rock artists that will follow.
The first album (Commit Yourself) offers a more jazzy instrumentation and superb work on piano, sax and flute.
The eponymous second album has more harmonizing but the psychedelic sounds of the late 60’s are on full display, with rock and jazz fused and then veering into more spacey prog rock.
They originated from the St. Pete/Tampa area in Florida although they toured extensively all around the South, had a good live reputation as a live act and were often double-billed with The Allman Brothers.
1. Lady Author
2. The Year’s Biggest Rain
3. Another Time Another Place
4. I Know A Lonely Man
5. Ring My Bell
6. Blind Man’s Bluff
7. Tales From The Citadel: Vol. 1
8. Child Of The Mountain
9. Sailboat Ride
10. Earth
11. Sea Rider
12. Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
13. It’s About
This wonderfully weird flashback to a musically pleasing era opens on their self-titled album, and the free flowing majesties and acoustic guitar-laced folk rock of Lady Author and the more forthright, albeit still country-rock folk veined The Year’s Biggest Rain, and those are backed with the purely magical psych twists and turns of the veritably shimmering Another Time Another Place, the piano ballad I Know A Lonely Man, the slow poke, blues-psych brilliance of Ring My Bell and then comes the low down blues, complete with airy flute percussion within Blind Man’s Bluff and the uproariously euphoric storytelling (lest we forgot to mention an extended bass and drum solo that features even more jazz piano and lush sax) within the 13 minute Tales From The Citadel: Vol. 1.
The second album (Commit Yourself) opens on the folk-imbued, harmonized vocals and delicious flute harmonies within Child Of The Mountain and the light and breezy, free flowing, jazzy rock of the British Canterbury-sounding Sailboat Ride, then comes the all-genre-encompassing instrumental Earth, the jaunty, gently frenetic, at times surf rock guitar-imbued instrumental Sea Rider, the album coming to a close on the funky, groovy, Chicago-esque jazzy blues of the foot-tapper Talkin’ ‘Bout Love and the foot-tapping, mid-tempo melodic rock of It’s About.
Bethlehem Asylum - Ring My Bell (Official Music Video)
Bethlehem Asylum - Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (Official Music Video)
Amazon Purchase Link
www.liberationhall.com