Description
Smash & Grab World is an album by the Canadian composer Tedd Smith, released on Word Records in 1969. Featuring vocals by Joan Hettenhouser with music and poetry written by Tedd Smith. (Smith was Billy Graham’s pianist for more than 50 years, beginning in 1947.)
Let’s see – would that be the Tedd Smith who was Billy Graham’s piano man? Apparently so. I’d always figured his albums belonged in the same camp as all those lightweight teen musicals. That was until I saw a copy of Smash & Grab World listed in a catalog at over a hundred bucks. Say whaaaaa!!!??? Sure enough this is a fascinating recording, an artsy conceptual work that encompassed a variety of styles, including some powerful psych guitar and drums on the title track. «Jump For Joy» and «The Good I would Be» open and close the album respectively, both carrying a rock edge that jumps from melodic and sprightly to hard rock and heavy. Elsewhere the moods are more delicate – the gliding flower-power pop swirl of «Circles»; the classical-tinged «Games» and «A Little Understanding», both enveloped with mysterious strings and woodwinds. «The Running Man» is a lengthy track that features some impressive modern-sounding dissonant piano jamming (I assume it’s Tedd) backed by bongo percussion, incorporating the themes from «Love Is Blue» and «I Know My Redeemer Lives» along its 8-minute journey. A couple of the songs open with a poetry reading. Obviously there’s a band here but no credits are given on the cover save for “music and poetry written by Tedd Smith and vocals by Joan Hettenhouser”. I had never heard of her before but she certainly has the perfect voice and dramtic flair for this type of project. How on earth did this thing sneak onto the Word label? [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Jump For Joy” – 3:30
A2. “Games” – 3:29
A3. “Smash And Grab World” – 5:52
A4. “A Little Understanding” – 3:02
Side Two
B1. “Circles” – 2:44
B2. “The Runnin’ Man” – 8:20
B3. “Outside” – 3:41
B4. “The Good I Would Be” – 3:07
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