Click below for a David Axelrod sample:

The Fly

My Family

The original trip hop producer, Axelrod's blend of sweeping string arrangements and thick drum tracks are a sampler's delight. He started out as a producer for Capitol records, where he presided over some of the most commercially lucrative periods of the careers of Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls.  While working a side gig producing the Christian rock band Electric Prunes, Axelrod began developing his own unique style, frequently utilizing the crack musical skills of drummer Earl Palmer and pianist Don Randi.  He formally branched out on his own in 1968 and emerged with the William Blake inspired Songs of Innocence. Very trippy, druggy and definitely ahead of its time. He moved on to tackle environmental issues on Earth Rot before following Cannonball over to Fantasy in the early 1970s. In the 1980s he released the classical piece Requiem, which he considers his finest accomplishment. DJ Shadow asked him to remix "Rabbit in the Headlights" from his Unkle project in the late 1990s and he's working furiously on his first collection of funky material in nearly 30 years.

David Axelrod's Deepest Grooves

Songs Of Innocence (Capitol, 1968)

Songs of Experience (Capitol, 1969) 

Earth Rot (Capitol, 1970)

Heavy Axe (Capitol, 1974)

1968 to 1970: An Axelrod Anthology (Stateside, 1999)
Finally, a compilation of his best known work as an artist and producer for the Capitol stable. Some of these songs have been available only to deep-pocketed collectors for years. Expect to hear plenty of familiar samples. Nice liner notes too.

Axelrod Chronicles (Fantasy, 2001)
This compilation focuses mostly on the Heavy Axe album.  Also includes songs by Gene Ammons, Funk Inc., and Nat Adderley that Axelrod produced.

David Axelrod (Mo Wax, 2001)

Copyright ©2001 B.Graff.  All rights reserved.