''How's Tricks'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish musician

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disbande ...

, released in 1977 through

RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several maj ...

. It is credited to "The Jack Bruce Band". The album peaked at No. 153 on the ''Billboard'' album chart in May 1977. It would be Bruce's last album released under

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions like ''Hair'' ...

's management (and, consequently, his last for RSO); although the Jack Bruce Band would remain under contract with Stigwood for another year, the band's 1978 album ''

Jet Set Jewel ''Jet Set Jewel'' is the sixth studio album by Scottish musician Jack Bruce. The album was recorded in 1978 with the same musicians as his previous album, ''How's Tricks'', but was rejected as uncommercial and not released until Polydor Records' ...

'' was rejected by Stigwood and RSO as not commercially viable, with the band subsequently dropped from the label. Bruce's leaving Stigwood/RSO ended a fifteen-year affiliation that began in 1963 when Bruce joined the

Graham Bond Organisation The Graham Bond Organisation (GBO) were a British jazz/rhythm and blues group of the early 1960s consisting of Graham Bond (vocals, keyboards, alto-saxophone), Jack Bruce (bass), Ginger Baker (drums), Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano saxopho ...

Critical reception

'' MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' deemed the album "an uninspired set of 10 lackluster tunes." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' called it "a journeyman effort hardly worth dredging up."

Track listing

#"Without a Word" (

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 Bro ...

) - 5:26 #"Johnny B'77" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:23 #"Times" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown, Hughie Burns) - 4:49 #"Baby Jane" (Hughie Burns) - 2:37 #"Lost Inside a Song" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown, Hughie Burns) - 4:04 #"How's Tricks" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:12 #"Madhouse" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:45 #"Waiting for the Call" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 5:48 #"Outsiders" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:57 #"Something to Live For" (

Tony Hymas Anthony James Keith "Tony" Hymas (born 23 September 1943) is an English keyboard player, pianist, and composer. Career Hymas started as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral School, where his contemporaries included composer and cathedral organist Ba ...

, Pete Brown) - 5:19

2003 CD bonus tracks

"Without a Word" (alternate version) (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 5:50
"Something to Live For" (alternate version) (Tony Hymas, Pete Brown) - 3:52

Personnel

*Jack Bruce - vocals, bass, harmonica * Hughie Burns - guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Baby Jane" *

- keyboards, vibraphone, backing vocals * Simon Phillips - drums, glockenspiel, backing vocals

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Jack Bruce albums RSO Records albums