McLuhan -

McLuhan was an American symphonic/jazz-rock band that released the 1972 album Anomaly on Brunswick.

Members: David Wright (trumpet, vocals, narration, slide whistle), Paul Cohn (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone, flute), Neal Rosner (bass guitar, lead vocals), John Mahoney (drums, vocals), Micahael Linn (drums), Dennis Stoney Philips (guitar, vocals), Tom ‘Tojza’ Laney (organ, piano, vocals), Bobby Christian (timpani, xylophone, chimes)

Background

McLuhan was an American symphonic jazz-rock band from Chicago centered on trumpeter and composer David Wright, who developed the group as a multimedia concept with theatrical staging, sound effects, and live visual components. McLuhan’s music combined brass rock, art rock, funk, and symphonic elements into a stylistically unbound suite-like format that gained the band a cult following decades after their dissolution.

Anomaly

McLuhan released their singular album, Anomaly, in July 1972 on Brunswick.

The album consists of four extended tracks (two per side), blending tightly arranged horn rock with psychedelic and progressive elements, structured as multi-part suites with rich instrumentation and conceptual themes.

David Wright wrote most of the album, apart from the Side A centerpiece “Spiders (In Neal’s Basement)” by original keyboardist Marvin Krout. The lineup features multi-instrumentalist Paul Cohn (sax, flute, clarinet), guitarist Dennis Stoney Phillips, keyboardist Tom “Tojza” Laney, drummer John Mahoney, bassist/vocalist Neal Rosner, and Wright himself on trumpet and vocals. Percussionist Bobby Christian contributes timpani, chimes, and xylophone on the bookend tracks.

The album’s title and concept reflect Wright’s interest in media theory and cultural critique, influenced by the writings of Marshall McLuhan, whose name inspired the project.

A1. “The Monster Bride” (10:36)
A2. “Spiders (in Neals Basement)” (5:57)

B1. “Witches Theme and Dance” (9:46)
B2. “A Brief Message from Your Local Media” (9:59)
— a. The Garden
— b. The Assembly Line
— c. Electric Man
— d. Question

McLuhan recorded Anomaly over a two-day session with noted engineer/producer Bruce Swedien.

Legacy

McLuhan disbanded shortly after completing Anomaly and never toured behind the album. Despite minimal exposure at the time, Anomaly later gained recognition among collectors of obscure brass-psych and experimental American prog. Its unique fusion of horn-rock and avant-garde ideas placed it in stylistic company with early Chicago, Zappa, and Canterbury fusion, but with a distinctly Midwestern theatrical edge.

Discography: