Album review: Jim Cregan and The New Acoustic Band - All Those Dreams Ago

It might sound stupid to call a guitar solo iconic – but how else could one describe the series of Jim Cregan acoustic vignettes on “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)” by COCKNEY REBEL, one of many classics by quite a few bands the British guitarist was part of, including also FAMILY and BLOSSOM TOES – and one must not forget his long stint as a sidekick to Rod Stewart. The veteran’s not been as prolific on a solo, or quasi-solo, front, however, with CREGAN & CO.’s discography numbering only one studio platter, “Spreading Rumours” from 2021, yet now there’s a new collective he’s leading, JIM CREGAN & THE NEW ACOUSTIC BAND, and a new record in the pipeline.

To be issued on July 18th, “All Those Dreams Ago” – titled after Jim’s original – collects familiar pieces, those from various points of his long career and even ventures into his work with Murray Head, with a fresh look at a certian THE BEATLES ballad, which opens the album, and a take on John Martyn’s evergreen evoked without any link, apart from emotional, to Cregan’s past. And yes, the aforementioned hit is there too – and how could it not make the cut if the group’s drummer is his old compadre Stuart Elliott, who also played on it.