To be enjoyed best on vinyl, not least if you want to soak up the 1970s vibe that drips from each bar of perhaps the best-loved Oblivion Express release. After sorties into various genres post the demise of The Trinity – and a move towards prog – Auger finally hit funk pay dirt with Closer to It!. Still challenged in the vox department, Auger steps up, but this is principally an instrumental release, and all the stronger for it.

From the Shaft-style guitar intro to ‘Whenever You’re Ready’, to that inimitable bass of ‘Inner City Blues’, Auger sets controls for the heart of the era’s funk fusion. To that end, he even cuts back on his beloved Jimmy Smith style Hammond. Instead, he unwraps the Fender Rhodes, notably on ‘Happiness is Just Around the Bend’. The album’s success lined the band up to open for the likes of Earth, Wind and Fire and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters.

This is a real ensemble production too. Mills stretches out to wrap up Side A on ‘Light On The Path’. Meanwhile Dean, McLean and Laignton know just what to do in the engine room, laying down irresistible grooves that the band could not quite mine again.