This release was not quite what I expected. Blue Image, with and without singer/guitarist Mike Pinera, was an underrated rock/blues band who released three studio albums during the years of 1966-1970 that are still worth tracking down. The commercial peak of their career was the hit single “Ride Captain Ride.” Pinera went on to become a member of Iron Butterfly, The New Cactus Band, and enjoyed a long solo career, which is where this album’s problems begin.

Pinera covered a lot of Blues Image and Iron Butterfly material during his solo career. Much of it is solid rock and roll, but it appears here under the Blues Image moniker, which is a tad misleading. There are no other members of Blues Image listed in the credits.  If you want a primer or overview of his solo career, then this is a good album to explore.  If you want to explore Blues Image or Iron Butterfly material, then look elsewhere.

“Ride Captain Ride,” “Love Is The Answer” with guest Jonathan Cain, and “Pay My Dues” with Pat Travers are songs that appeared on the second Blues Image album Open. Here, they are modernized versions of the songs. Travers adds a little edge to ”Pay My Dues” but moves it toward hard rock and away from its original blues foundation.

Pinera’s time with Iron Butterfly is represented on this disc by “In A Gadda Da Vida,” which is just too modern, and “Butterfly Blue,” which is saved by Pat Travers.

Four tracks are taken from his 1996 solo album In The Garden Of Eden and 2012’s Isla. “Fantasy Of Love” and the two title tracks are competent but do not rise above that level.

Timeless: Blues Image Featuring Mike Pinera is a disappointing release that in and of itself never rises above the ordinary. It also makes one yearn for what it could have been.

Rating: C-

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