Description
Producer, arranger, and engineer David Axelrod made his mark with Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, and the Electric Prunes. He created recordings — both live and in the studio — with crisp innovative production, forward-looking arrangements, and killer sound effects. No one, however, expected him to make his own records. Nonetheless, in 1968 his first concept work, ‘Song of Innocence’, was issued under the EMI imprint. His inspiration was Songs of Innocence, English poet William Blake’s watershed collection of poems; Axelrod set seven of them to music using a bevy of studio musicians and a lot of clout at the label. Using a rock orchestra, Axelrod created a suite that blended pop, rock, jazz, theater music, and R&B that has withstood the test of time
