Jackie Lomax (and friend). Forever pigeonholed as a Fab Four Accessory.

Jackie Lomax, in concert at The Savoy in San Francisco on December 12, 1976 and broadcast by KSAN-FM.

Unless you’re a diehard Beatles fan, the name Jackie Lomax may not ring any bells. The fact that, even in his obituary on the occasion of his death in 2013, he was initially referred to as “closely associated with The Beatles”, and then it sort of drifts off from there. True, he was closely associated with George Harrison, who not only gave him his first hit, but also recorded and produced it, along with the help of Paul and Ringo. Still – it’s as if he did nothing else and achieved instant obscurity when Sour Milk Sea eventually faded from the charts.

Not so – Jackie Lomax was a brilliant singer, with an engaging voice and immaculate range – not to mention an ability to fuse everything he did with a sense of urgency and drama; making just about everything he did (including Sour Milk Sea) as his own.

Sometimes you’re damned by your associations; good or bad – one or two photo ops and you’re inextricably linked for the rest of your career. But Jackie Lomax was a brilliant talent in his own right, and his solo work and live concerts were a tour de force – I can vouch for that. He was, if anything, vastly underrated and criminally neglected in the years since his passing – and above everything else, he was a good person. Proof of that were those who happily joined him, either on tour or in the studio. His collaborations read like a who’s who in the 70s music scene. The Music business isn’t generally known for a preponderance of good and ethical people – the grifters and shits are legendary. But there are those whose talent and warm nature shine through everything – it’s those people who make it all worthwhile.

At any rate, if you aren’t familiar with Jackie Lomax or only know him based on one song, do yourself a favor and sit quietly and listen to this one. The sound mix borders on the occasional strange, but it’s all listenable and 100% Jackie Lomax.

It couldn’t be anyone else. Dive in and enjoy.