Copies of Fresh Air's only album, 1970's A Breath of Fresh Air - one of the very first albums released on the Amaret label, who issued recordings by the Minneapolis blues-rock quintet Crow -- are highly sought-after and treasured by collectors.
Featuring dramatic organ flourishes and flamboyant guitar leads throughout, A Breath of Fresh Air is similar to other organ-driven hard pop groups of the era, including Sugarloaf, Blues Image, and Three Dog Night.
The highlight here is the leadoff track, a fast-paced, histrionic discotheque take on Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" -- by then already a few years old -- which features heavy distorted guitar and Marc Piscitelli's intense lead vocals. Six of the remaining tracks were written by the group's "sixth member," Louie Caridi, including "Somewhere a Mountain Is Moving" (taking its title from a line in the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina").
This was a different Fresh Air from the group of the same name that featured keyboardist Don Randi (they recorded a self-titled Fresh Air album around the same time, but for Columbia Records). Piscitelli later became an engineer and backing vocalist, working with a varied group of artists during his career, including Glen Campbell, Juice Newton, Spirit, and John Travolta.
by Bryan Thomas
Tracks
1. For What It's Worth (S. Stills) - 2:40
2. Faces in the Fire (Lou Caridi) - 3:50
3. December (Marc Piscitelli) - 4:50
4. Somewhere a Mountain Is Moving (L. Caridi) - 2:30
5. Get Away Car Car (L. Caridi) - 2:39
6. I've Lost My Faith (L. Caridi) - 3:10
7. Baby Lady (R. Kutner) - 3:20
8. Sleeping in Sunshine (L. Caridi) - 3:20
9. Sailor Man (M. Piscitelli, L. Caridi) - 2:30
10.I Finally Found a Friend (L. Caridi) - 2:45
Fresh Air
*Allen Carey -
*Louie Caridi -
*Mick Jones -
*Marc Piscitelli - Lead Vocals
*Peter Plumeri - Drums
*Tim Whitcanack - Bass, Keyboards
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