Album Notes

Samuel Purdey’s 1999 album “Musically Adrift” is exactly that. Right record, wrong time; a little known classic overlooked in the main but nevertheless a timeless body of work as good now as it was then, regardless of current trends and other distractions.

Even the chronically deaf could not fail to identify the influences; Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald, Earth Wind & Fire, early Hall & Oates, early Chicago, Tower Of Power, Airplay, Blood, Sweat & Tears... I could go on but I’m sure you get the picture.

And the personnel on the record is not too be sniffed at either, further validating the pedigree of this precious gem which over time is earning the cult status it so deserves. Ten points for spotting performances of any of the following (day jobs in brackets to give you a head start): Frank Floyd (Donald Fagen/Steely Dan), Elliott Randall (Steely Dan/John Lennon), Robbie Gordon (Gil Scott Heron), Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai), Jan Kincaid and Andrew Levy (The Brand New Heavies), Ian Thomas (Tom Jones) and Neil Cowley (The Neil Cowley Trio). And the guys twiddling the knobs weren’t bad: Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles/Steely Dan/Van Morrison) and Bob Power (A Tribe Called Quest/De La Soul).

Still not enough? Really? OK, here are some nice things some famous people said about the record to help you make your mind up:

Jay Kay (Jamiroquai) "Lucky Radio was the best single of 1997".

Elliott Randall (Steely Dan/John Lennon) "It's pretty unusual, in this day and age, to find a more dedicated, fun, and inventive bunch of guys than 'Samuel Purdey'. My hat is off to them, and I can't wait to make more magic with these folks".

Ashley Beadle (X-Press 2) "This record has echoes of The Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan, & being a great white soul freak it just struck home right away. The only thing written on the label is Samuel Purdey, & the label it was sent out on went bust before it even got started. It's mysterious - & i like it like that! Why wasn't it a massive hit? It's called Lucky Radio & sounds brilliant on the radio, it should be in the top five today. It's timeless. I'll pick this record up in ten years & it will still sound just as fresh as it does today. It's in its own era - which is no era".

Bill Champlin (The Sons Of Champlin/Chicago) "Man, your stuff sounds great. Kind of a cross between 3 or 4 great things out there. Steely meets Ambrosia meets The Average White Band and, well, after 3 tunes I just realized you got your own thing and it's really good".

Richard Page (Pages/Mr. Mister) "Nice to hear someone's keeping the old flame burning".

Jan Kincaid (The Brand New Heavies) "I honestly really like this band".