Lost in Time: The Electric Flag

A Good Player Can Make Any Guitar Sound Good

If you have ever seen The Trip by Roger Corman, and were taken away by the blues-jazz-psychadelic soundtrack, then you may know this band. It was the brainchild of the legendary bluesman, Mike Bloomfield, and known as the The Electric Flag.

"Stop" from the album Super Session
Featuring Michael Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Barry Goldberg and Harvey Brooks

The Electric Flag was a short-lived band of Mike Bloomfield, which he formed after his stint with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He brought together a collection of some of America's most seasoned musicians, including: Buddy Miles, Harvey Brooks, Barry Goldberg, and Peter Strazza. They made their live debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, but were not included in the documentary that many of us have seen.


Bloomfield sought to combine the traditional Big Band Blues sound with Contemporary Soul, mix in a little country, gospel, and jazz, and slap a horn section on top of it all. This fusion of big band and hard rock, and a pioneering use of horns, predated Blood, Sweat, & Tears and the Chicago Transit Authority. The first studio album, and their only successful one, A Long Time Comin' would be the only work produced by the original lineup.

"Killing Floor" from the album A Long Time Comin'

Drug abuse, clashing of egos, and management disasters tore the band apart. Goldberg and Bloomfield left only a month after the album's release, and despite efforts by Buddy Miles to continue, the band disappeared in 1969. Most of the band went on to become highly influential in the music industry, especially among San Francisco's community of musicians. Buddy Miles would go on to work with Jimi Hendrix, in the Band of Gypsys. Nick Gravenites would become a legend in the San Francisco scene, working with Big Brother and the Holding Company and Janis Joplin. Mike Bloomfield himself returned to San Francisco where he scored movies, played sessions and produced other artists.


The seminal work of the Electric Flag, may very well be Super Sessions, which was born out of a nine-hour jam session organized by Al Kooper. He recruited Mike Bloomfield, Barry Goldberg, and Harvey Brooks of the Electric Flag. Even on the eve of the band's breakup, they managed to capture the fusion of American music that was the essence of the Electric Flag. An amalgam of horns, blues, soul, gospel, and rock. After the first day in the studio, Mike Bloomfield abruptly stormed out of the studio after suffering a bout of 'chronic insomnia' brought on by his heroin addiction. Al Kooper hastily called his friend, Stephen Stills, who sat in for Bloomfield on the last three tracks of the album.


The purely instrumental 'Stop' from Super Session is definitely my favorite song. “Killing Floor”, “Wine” and “Over-Lovin' You” are also top quality tunes. I would strongly recommend that all lovers of blues, soul, and jazz music check out the Electric Flag.




"Wine" from A Long Time Comin'