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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I remember when I was a boy and first discovered fusion. It was a joyous time and I spent many, many hours plugged into a set of headphones while Billy Cobham, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and their ilk spun away on well played vinyl.
And although Niacin don't quite trigger the same aural overload (well I did lose my virginity quite some time ago) they do a sterling show at evoking many of the same sensory pleasures. That's not surprising given that percussion is taken care of by Dennis Chambers, formerly of Parliament/Funkadelic and Santana. On keyboards it's the magic fingers of Chick Corea and Andy Summers alumni John Novello. And topping things off, or rather bottoming things off, it's Mr Billy Sheehan on bass.
It's a hard driving, uncompromising set of original instrumentals (bar the solitary cover, "King Kong" by Frank Zappa). Best of the bunch are the bass driven "Blistering" which is exactly that and the choppy, start/stop quasi orchestral "Hair Of The Dog".
Three maestros at the top of their game, it doesn't get much better.
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I still cant remember how I found this band, but I am gladd that I did. For a long time I have been searching for bands that had the same Hammond heavy vibe as the Nice, Traffic, Spooky Tooth etc, but delving back into the 70s always dissapointed me. There were either no bands that summed that feeling up, or they were second rate. Well with Niacin I found my saviours. OK so the sound is more modern and fusiony, funky, but here is a band that takes the spirit of those bands and breaths new life into it. This is probably their best so far with loads of Hammond and synths. Prog brought up to date, jazzy/funky/rocky all at the same time. Think Miles Davis/ Mahavishnu/ Santana driven by a lead Hammond and no guitars..you got it. Definately recommended
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
I'll just keep buying their stuff; they get better and better with every cd
27 Oct 2005
Format:Audio CD
If you've never heard of this group before, trust me: grab a hundred bucks out of the drawer where you hide your 25-year-old First Communion money, run out of the house and just buy their whole catalog. They're that good!
Niacin (vitamin B3, Hammond B-3 organ - get it?) is the "unknown" John Novello on keyboards (primarily the B-3, but also piano and some synths), Buffalo's own Billy Sheehan on electric bass guitar, and the peerless Dennis Chambers on drums. They combine classic rock B-3 atmospheres with lead guitar-like bass virtuosity, and unreal jazz/rock drumming that drives and grooves and impresses all over.
To my ears, "Organik" is the most progressive sounding of their five studio cds, and sort of follows a progression (if you will) that started with their last cd "Time Crunch", in which they covered Crimson's "Red" and Jan Hammer's "Blue Wind". Certainly from their very first eponymous album, they've had a sound that is frequently compared to "an instumental jazzy ELP", so the transition towards more prog rock/jazz fusion is not a big stretch. (The fact that they've been on the Magna Carta label for the last few cds has probably influenced that transition.)
This is a GREAT album with absolutely no low spots. And even though the personnel and instruments (mostly) remain the same, every album by this group is different. I never feel like "O.K., I've got enough of this Niacin stuff now." Where their first couple of cds were more eclectic and sometimes funkier, "Deep" was more bluesy, and the last two are more prog/jazz with a greater variety of keyboard sounds (but still predominantly B-3).
The compositions continue to impress and excite, the production is excellent, and the playing (and interplay among musicians) is just so extraordinary - each member of the group sure sounds like they're 100% committed to this project on every track. Personal favorites after a few listens are "Blisterine" (infectious bass line), "Stumble on the Truth" and "Clean House". About halfway through "Club Soda", there are some background wordless vocals that make that a cool song too.
I love this band. See them live if you can - they're all friendly, down-to-earth maestros.
So, take your vitamins...and buy this highly recommended cd.
I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 9/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.3 ("5 stars")
Niacin (vitamin B3, Hammond B-3 organ - get it?) is the "unknown" John Novello on keyboards (primarily the B-3, but also piano and some synths), Buffalo's own Billy Sheehan on electric bass guitar, and the peerless Dennis Chambers on drums. They combine classic rock B-3 atmospheres with lead guitar-like bass virtuosity, and unreal jazz/rock drumming that drives and grooves and impresses all over.
To my ears, "Organik" is the most progressive sounding of their five studio cds, and sort of follows a progression (if you will) that started with their last cd "Time Crunch", in which they covered Crimson's "Red" and Jan Hammer's "Blue Wind". Certainly from their very first eponymous album, they've had a sound that is frequently compared to "an instumental jazzy ELP", so the transition towards more prog rock/jazz fusion is not a big stretch. (The fact that they've been on the Magna Carta label for the last few cds has probably influenced that transition.)
This is a GREAT album with absolutely no low spots. And even though the personnel and instruments (mostly) remain the same, every album by this group is different. I never feel like "O.K., I've got enough of this Niacin stuff now." Where their first couple of cds were more eclectic and sometimes funkier, "Deep" was more bluesy, and the last two are more prog/jazz with a greater variety of keyboard sounds (but still predominantly B-3).
The compositions continue to impress and excite, the production is excellent, and the playing (and interplay among musicians) is just so extraordinary - each member of the group sure sounds like they're 100% committed to this project on every track. Personal favorites after a few listens are "Blisterine" (infectious bass line), "Stumble on the Truth" and "Clean House". About halfway through "Club Soda", there are some background wordless vocals that make that a cool song too.
I love this band. See them live if you can - they're all friendly, down-to-earth maestros.
So, take your vitamins...and buy this highly recommended cd.
I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 9/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.3 ("5 stars")
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Niacin - Back Into Prog Territory
5 Nov 2007
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Organik" is yet another strong instrumental album from Niacin. The band move away from fusion a bit on this one and seem to concentrate more on progressive rock. There is more than a passing resemblance to ELP in this disc as John Novello commands his Hammond B-3 to it's full bombastic glory. There is even some music here that could be considered Canterbury. The track "Club Soda" sounds as if it could have come from Caravan back in their hey day. There is also plenty of fusion and funk to be found, and of course Chambers and Sheehan are simply incredible throughout. I also like the fact that Novello moves away from the Hammond from time to time to embark on a bit of piano. It gives the album more variety than some of their earlier work. Bottom line this is another great one from these guys.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
WOW!!!
18 Aug 2006
Format:Audio CD
I've been following Niacin from the beginning. I have all their CD's. ORGANIK is - by far - the most adventursome of them all. The playing is ratcheted up considerably (which is really saying something when you consider THESE players!!!). Though this is not a CD that you would put on to enjoy with a quiet dinner, it is a great soundtrack for driving long distances on the highway. Just watch out for those speed traps. John, Billy and Dennis are all MONSTER players and this CD is a testament to that fact!
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