The Nick Gravenites & John Cipollina Band – Monkey Medicine (1982)

Two great musicians:

Nick Gravenites (born October 2, 1938) is an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influential bands and individuals of the generation springing from the 1960s and 1970s. He has sometimes performed under the stage names Nick “The Greek” Gravenites and Gravy.

In the early 1980s, Gravenites performed and recorded with a revolving group of San Francisco Bay area rock, blues, and soul musicians called the Usual Suspects. Their first album, The Usual Suspects, was released in 1981.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Gravenites played with Cipollina as Thunder and Lightning. Gravenites and Sears played together in front of 100,000 people on Earth Day 1990 at Crissy Field, San Francisco. Sears also joined him for a tour of Greece. Gravenites still performs live in northern California. Gravenites’ song “Born in Chicago” was honored by the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003. He has toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion and a new Electric Flag Band.

John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he formed the band Copperhead, was a member of the San Francisco All Stars and later played with numerous other bands.

Cipollina died on May 29, 1989, at age 45. His cause of death was alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, which he suffered from most of his life and which is exacerbated by smoking.

In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Cipollina 32nd on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. (wikipedia)

The short-lived * The Nick Gravenites-John Cipollina Band * originated in Nick Gravenite’s 1980 solo album * Blue Star *. The musicians Nick Gravenites (vocals, guitar), Al Staehely (bass, vocals), Marcus David (drums) and Quicksilver messenger service legend John Cipollina came together and went on tour together. After the tour ended, they went to the studio in Hamburg to record the only studio disc * Monkey Medicine *.

The music is based on the blues rock of the late 70s. The sound is combined with country and folk influences. Since the songs on the previous tour had already been presented to the audience live, it was easy to capture the live feeling in the studio. The songs were mainly written by Nick Gravenites (pronounced Gr-ä-ven-ei-tiss-). His whiskey-soaked, powerful voice has a lot of blues. Bassist Al Staehely is included as a composer and singer on three songs and offers a very good opposite pole with his bright, clear voice. The characteristically scratchy game by John Cipollina, which is not named as the author, but with his game contributes a lot to the soul of the songs.

As playing tips you can confidently name * Blues In The Bottle *, * Trust Me *, * Buried Alive In The Blues *, * Bad Luck Baby * and * Signs Of Live *. As a surprise and as one of the highlights, the CD offers a new recording of * Pride Of Man * by Hamilton Camp, the Quicksilver Messenger Service, which was already published in the late 60s and which can probably also be seen as a contribution by Cipollina to songwriting. Another highlight is * Small-Walk In Box *, a song on which only the two guitars sing, rock each other and Gravenites, and Cipollina present all their skills in a beautiful melody (by Markus Schmidl)

The German edition:

This album was first released in Germany on the legendary Line Records label.

And here is the french edition with 2 bonus tracks !

Personnel:
John Cipollina (guitar)
Marcus David (drums)
Nick Gravenites (guitar, vocals)
Al Staehely (bass, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Blues In The Bottle (Hopkins) 4.06
02. Six Weeks In Reno (Gravenites) 4.31
03. I’ll Pull The Trigger (Gravenites) 3.34
04. Trust Me (Staehely) 3.50
05. Buried Alive In The Blues (Gravenites) 5.16
06. Bad Luck Baby (Gravenites) 7.35
07. Signs Of Life (Staehely) 3.50
08. Pride Of Man (Camp) 3.52
09. Hot Rods And Cool Women (Staehely) 3.33
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10. Small Walk-In Box (Staehely) 7.44
11. Born In Chicago (Gravenites) 4.10

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The German CD edition:

More from Nick Gravenites in this blog:

More from John Cipollina in this blog:

Moody Marsden Band – Never Turn Our Back On The Blues (1992)

‘Never Turn Our Back On The Blues’ is the first album by The Moody Marsden Band, formed by the two former Whitesnake guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden. The album was originally released in 1992 by Castle.

It is a live album recorded at various shows in England in December 1991. It features classic blues songs by the likes of Jimmy Reed (“Baby What You Want”), Elmore James (“It Hurts Me Too”), Billy Myles (“Have You Ever Loved A Woman”, and B.B. King (“How Blue Can You Get”). The set also includes Free’s “The Stealer” and Whitesnake’s hit singles “Here I Go Again” and “Fool For Your Loving”, which were co-written by Marsden and Moody with David Coverdale. (propermusic.com)

What a blues rock gem!

“Never turn our back on the blues”: an apt title given by the Moody Marsden Band to their debut album released in the early 1990s. The two guitarists and singers Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden have in fact always remained more or less connected to the blues throughout their careers. Before the two formed the guitar team of Whitesnake from 1978, Moody in particular was close to the blues in the combos Juicy Lucy and Snafu. Marsden initially had less contact with this genre with UFO and Babe Ruth. With the early Whitesnake, both of them let their blues rock side out. After Whitesnake moved away more and more from blues rock and turned to the widescreen rock that was popular in the USA, the guitar duo said goodbye to the band. This marked the beginning of a musical dry spell for both musicians. Marsden was not particularly successful with his band Alaska. Moody kept his head above water with part-time collaborations and session work. With the Moody Marsden Band, the two came together again and paid homage to their favoured blues rock concept. In his liner notes to “Never turn our back to the blues”, Neil Jeffries quite in his liner notes to “Never turn our back to the blues”, Neil Jeffries quite rightly writes that the disc presents “honest-to-god, straight from the heart rock, rhythm and blues”.

The two warhorses Moody and Marsden give their all on guitar and throw the balls at each other. Great solos pour out of the loudspeakers in abundance. Both also have something to offer as singers. The duo is accompanied by the powerful Zak Starkey (dr) and Jaz Lochrie (bg) on this recording, which was made at various concerts in the UK in December 1991. It is also a successful live album in terms of sound. The eleven tracks on the setlist don’t contain a single failure. The guys celebrate four blues classics at once. And with a joy of playing that is unrivalled. Jimmy Reed’s “Baby what you want me to do”, also covered by Wishbone Ash, and Big Joe Turner’s “Wee wee baby” thunder out of the speakers. During the slow blues medley “Have you ever loved a woman/How blue can you get”, Jazz Lochrie stands out with his powerful bass playing alongside Mickey and Bernie’s string skills. Elmore James’ evergreen “It hurts me too” then gives Moody the opportunity to set off real fireworks on his slide guitar.

The number even rivals the outstanding version by Foghat, British blues rock colleagues of the Moody Marsden Band. With “The stealer”, the band also brilliantly torches a free song. And Don Nix’s R&B song “Going down”, which has been covered many times, really steams out of the grooves. It almost goes without saying that the band pays tribute to the work of Whitesnake. There’s the thumping blues rocker “Fool for your lovin'” and the rousing interpretation of the Whitesnake hit “Here I go again”. Also from the Whitesnake repertoire is the old Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland number “Ain’t no love in the heart of the city”. It’s marvellous how the boys let themselves drift through this slow blues rock song. That leaves two tracks written by Moody/Marsden, which celebrate their premiere on the live album. One is the bluesy hard rock song “Foolin’ with my heart” with a great hookline. And finally the powerful blues rock track that gives the concert recording its name. Neil Jeffries should be quoted again here. In his liner notes, he says that the two rock veterans “played with a feeling and passion that remains as timeless as it is rare”. We can only agree with that. The Moody Marsden Band’s later live albums were no longer able to top the level of quality set by “Never turn your back on the blues”. (by birddog)

If you have never listened to these guys, then this is the album to start with. I forst heard this nearly 10 years ago and it hasn’t diminished with age. The singing is clear, guitar solos excellent and sharp but more importantly the love, excitement and tunes are to die for. (Graham Hort)

A hidden treasure! Phenonemenal blues album featuring two of the most underrated guitarists in rock. (by tryggeset)

Personnel:
Bernie Marsden (guitr, vocals)
Micky Moody (guitar, slide guitar, vocals)
Jaz Lochrie (bass, background voclas)
Zak Starkey (drums)

Tracklist.
01. Baby What You Want (Reed) 4.57
02. The Stealer (Rodgers/Fraser/Kossoff) 4.20
03. Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Myles) /How Blue Can You Get (King) 10.02
04. Foolin’ With My Heart (Moody/Marsden/Hinkley) 5.29
05. It Hurts Me Too (James) 5.48
06. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City (Price/Walsh) 6.11
07. Never Turn Our Back On The Blues (Moody/Marsden) 6.20
08. Fool For Your Lovin’ (Coverdale/Moody/Marsden) 6.23
09. Going Down (Nix) 3.55
10. Here I Go Again (Coverdale/Marsden) 4.45
11. Wee Wee Baby (Turner/Johnson) 4.32

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More from Micky Moody in this blog:

More Bernie Marsden in this blog:

Ally Venable – Texas Honey (2019)

Ally Marie Venable (born April 7, 1999 in Kilgore, Texas) is an American blues rock guitar player, singer, and songwriter.

She is the 2014, 2015 ETX Music awards female guitar player of the year, and she and her band were the ETX Music Awards 2015, 2016 blues band of the year.

Ally Venable was just 14 when she released her debut EP, Wise Man (2013), which earned her a reputation as a rising star in the Lone Star State’s blues community.

Venable’s third album, No Glass Shoes, with Connor Ray Music finished at number 16 in the RMR Electric Blues Charts for 2016. Venable is touted a must-see act for under-30-year-olds by America’s Blues Scene. Her second album, Puppet Show, debuted at No. 7 in the Billboard Blues Albums Chart. The album Texas Honey was released in 2019; video directed by John Chambers.

In 2019, Venable was a third of Ruf Records Blues Caravan 2019, who played over 60 shows across Europe. She toured with Finland’s Ina Forsman and the Serbian Katarina Pejak.

She resides in Kilgore, Texas, United States. (wikipedia)

And here´s her third album;

Ally Venabale is one of those artists that you hear and instantly wonder how you didn’t know about them already. We first discovered her when she opened for Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and bought all of the CDs she had in stock at her mercy table after the show. Texas Honey was the only one not available at the concert, and might just be my favorite of all of them.

It grabs you by the front of your shirt right out of the gate with “Nowhere To Hide” and doesn’t turn loose for the next 38 minutes. Along the way, my favorite stops were the title track, “One Sided Misunderstanding”, badass anthem “Come and Take It”, and a faithful cover of SRV’s “Love Struck Baby”.

Like Kenny Wayne, she started young and seems like she’s just getting warmed up. Make a note of the name. You’ll be hearing it again. (J. Bengel)

And listen to “Running After You” with a brilliant slide-guitar !

Personnel:
Elijah Owings (drums, percussion)
Ally Venable (guitar, vocals)
Bobby Wallace (bass)
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Eric Gales (guitar on 05.)
Lewis Stephens (keyboards)
Mike Zito (guitar on 07.)

Tracklist:
01. Nowhere To Hide (Venable) 2.56
02. Broken (Venable) 3.34
03. Texas Honey (Venable) 2.28
04. Blind To Bad Love (Venable) 3.41
05. Come And Take It (Venable/Zito) 4.50
06. Love Struck Baby (Vaughan) 2.32
07. One Sided Misunderstanding (Venable) 3.59
08. White Flag (Venable) 2.49
09. Long Way Home (Venable) 3.17
10. Running After You (Venable) 3.55
11. Careless Love (Traditional/Williams/Koenig) 3.56

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Ally Venable is a guitarist and singer who puts a fresh spin on blues-rock traditions. Blessed with a powerful voice and a down-and-dirty guitar attack that blends Texas blues with no-frills rock & roll, Venable was just 14 when she cut her debut EP, Wise Man, which earned her a reputation as a rising star in the Lone Star State’s blues community. While stronger rock influences would be heard on later albums, such as 2018’s Puppet Show and 2019’s Texas Honey, the blues remained Venable’s bread and butter as her talent won her awards and a growing audience. She showed off a greater lyrical maturity and musical sophistication on 2021’s Heart of Fire, and worked with blues giants Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa on 2023’s Real Gone.

Born on April 6, 1999, in Kilgore, Texas, Ally Venable first discovered her love for music at the age of four, singing at church in a youth choir. By the time Venable was 12, she had picked up the guitar to accompany herself as she sang. While she originally focused on pop and country music (Miranda Lambert was a personal favorite), Venable’s view of the guitar changed when she heard Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Texas Flood and began digging deep into Vaughan and other Texas blues artists. While Vaughan was her biggest influence, Venable was also a fan of classic rock players such as Jimi Hendrix, contemporary blues artists like Joe Bonamassa, and Chicago blues legends including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Buddy Guy. Venable’s natural talent was so great that she soon formed her own band and began playing gigs, and in June 2013, she released a seven-song EP titled Wise Man that showed off her tough, blues-based style.

A second and more raucous effort, Train Wreck Blues, followed in May 2015, and Venable was voted Female Blues Guitarist of the Year for both 2014 and 2015 at the EXT (East Texas) Music Awards, while Venable and her band took home ETX trophies for Best Blues Band in 2015 and 2016. Not resting on her laurels, she was back in July 2016 with the album No Glass Shoes, which won Venable another ETX Award for Best Blues Album. With Puppet Show, which arrived in May 2018, Venable began folding more hard rock influences into her songs, though she and her band were still steeped in heavy blues. Gary Hoey and Lance Lopez both made guest appearances on the sessions, and the album rose to number seven on the nationwide blues charts. More recognition of her gifts followed, as she and her band were nominated for Best New Artist and Best Blues Rock Band at the 2018 Independent Blues Awards. Venable and her band were back in action in March 2019 with the album Texas Honey. Later that year, she collaborated with Ina Forsman and Katarina Pejak as part of Ruf Records’ Blues Caravan 2019.

Venable displayed a more mature lyrical outlook on 2021’s Heart of Fire, named one of the year’s 20 top releases by Blues Rock Review. It featured a guest appearance from guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Shepherd also took Venable out on the road as his opening act. In 2022, the Independent Blues Music Awards gave Venable their Road Warrior trophy, reflecting her busy touring schedule, both as a headliner and opening act for major blues stars. 2023 saw the release of Real Gone; produced by Tom Hambridge, it featured a vocal cameo from the legendary Buddy Guy as well as guitar work from Joe Bonamassa. (b< Mark Deming)

The official website:

Mick Clarke Band – Tell The Truth (1991)

Mick Clarke (born 12 July 1950) is a British blues rock and pop rock guitarist and songwriter based in Surrey, England. He is a founding member of the British band Killing Floor. He also co-founded SALT in 1975 and The Mick Clarke Band in the early 1980s. Clarke began his professional music career in 1968 and has released 22 solo albums as well as four studio albums with Killing Floor on various record labels.

Clarke was born to Fred and Vie Clarke, in 1950, in Merton Park, London. He attended Rutlish Grammar School where he took violin lessons and joined the school orchestra. In 1964, Clarke formed Stonewall Blues Band with his school friends and performed at local youth clubs. In 1966, he left Rutlish Grammar School and joined Advision Studios as an assistant engineer where he worked on sessions with Vic Flick, Big Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page, Graham Bond and other.

In 1968, Clarke formed Killing Floor with Bill Thorndycraft in London. Stuart McDonald, Bazz Smith and Lou Martin joined the band later that year. In 1969, the band recorded their first album Killing Floor which was released on Spark Records as well as Sire Records in the United States. Later that year, the band toured to multiple locations in England alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Spann and Freddie King. Killing Floor toured in Europe several times, and played with The Nice and Black Sabbath at the Hamburg Easter Festival in 1970. The same year, the band released their second album Out of Uranus on Penny Farthing Records.

In October 1971, Clarke joined Funky Fever, a rock band formed by Lenny Zakatek and toured extensively with them to Germany and the United Kingdom. In 1972, Clarke performed with Killing Floor at Huntington College in London after which Killing Floor disbanded and did not perform for the next 32 years. Later that year, he joined Cliff Bennett’s band Toefat along with Lou Martin. Toefat released their first single Brand New Band shortly which received good airplay on British radio.

Between 1973 and July 1974, Clarke joined Daddy Longlegs who were signed with Vertigo Records and continued to gig with them. In 1975, Clarke formed a new band, SALT with Steve Smith, Stuart McDonald and Tony Fernandez. From 1975 to 1977, SALT toured across England and Germany and played at multiple locations including at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, the biggest festival in England at the time. By the end of 1978, SALT disbanded and Clarke moved to California.

Clarke returned to London in the early 1980s and formed The Mick Clarke Band. In 1984, he was offered a deal with an Italian record company, Appaloosa Records. Three albums were released subsequently; Looking For Trouble in 1984, Rock Me in 1986 and All These Blues in 1988. During those years, Clarke performed at various festivals and concerts throughout Europe including Italy, The Netherlands and Belgium.

Between 1986 and 1989, Clarke toured to the United States with his band and performed at various locations including concerts with C. J. Chenier and Linda Hopkins in Los Angeles, California, with Johnny Winter in Olympia, Washington and with Canned Heat in Eugene, Oregon. Subsequently, an album with the name West Coast Connection was released in 1989 by Brambus Records.

In 1991, Mike Vernon produced Clarke’s fifth album, Steel and Fire which was released on the German label Line Records as well as on the British label BGO Records. Steel and Fire was followed by Tell the Truth in 1991 and No Compromise in 1993. Tracks from No Compromise spent six weeks on the Virgin Radio playlist in the United Kingdom. Roll Again featuring Chris Sharley, Lou Martin and Dave Newman was released on Taxim Records and BGO in 1995.

In 1998, Lou Martin and Clarke collaborated for a duo album Happy Home followed by the release of New Mountain featuring Chris Sharley, Lou Martin and Ian Ellis in 2000. In 2004, Killing Floor recorded and released their reunion album, Zero Tolerance featuring all the band members including Clarke. The album was released by Appaloosa Records after which the band travelled and performed at various festivals around Europe. In the meanwhile, Clarke toured with The Mick Clarke Band to England and Luxembourg. They played with Bo Diddley at the Big Blues Festival in Luxembourg which was released as an album, Live in Luxembourg, in 2003, and with The Yardbirds at the Rocking The Blues Festival in England.

After a pause of five years, Solid Ground was released on the German label Taxim Records, in 2008. The Rambunctious Blues Experiment featuring the drummer, Russell Chaney, was released in 2011. Later that year, Clarke embarked on the project for reforming SALT and subsequently an album, The Cobra’s Melodies, was released featuring all the band members. In 2012, Clarke toured India and played at the Simply The Blues festivals in Mumbai and Bangalore.

In 2013, Clarke produced and recorded Ramdango which was released by BGO. Between 2014 and 2021, Clarke produced nine albums that were released by BGO including one album with Killing Floor known as Rock’n’Roll Gone Mad released on Rockfold Records. In 2018, Clarke toured Sweden and played at Sweden Rock Festival with The Mick Clarke Band. (wikipedia)

And here´s the 5th album from the Mick Clarke Band:

Clarke likes nothing better than laying out stinging guitar solos over Hammond organ-supported rhythms and then playing tag with harmonica player Dave Newman, as he does on songs like Earl Hooker’s “Swear to Tell the Truth.” Clarke’s most recent release, his second in the U.S., also includes covers of Muddy Waters’s “Gypsy Woman” and “She Moves Me” as well as a bunch of originals that display his affinity for rocking blues. (by Roundup Newsletter)

Connoisseurs of British blues considered Tell The Truth one of the Mick Clarke Band’s finest hours. The band was maturing like a fine wine. (dereksmusicblog.com)

Indeed … if you like that damn old blues rock from Britain, you should definitely listen to this album …

Personnel:
Mick Clarke (guitar, slide guitar, vocals)
Mike Hirsh (drums)
Lou Martin (keyboards)
Dave Newman (harmonica)
Mick Phillips (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Swear To Tell The Truth (Hooker) 3.26
02. Murderer’s Home (Clarke) 3.34
03. Cheap (Clarke) 4.25
04. Gypsy Woman (Morganfield) 6.30
05. Rockin’ The Blues (Clarke) 3.43
06. Walking In The Dark (Clarke) 3.33
07. Bear With Me (Clarke) 4.00
08. She Moves Me (Morganfield) 4.11
09. The Killingest Place (Clarke) 3.39
10. Crazy ‘Bout A Woman (Clarke) 3.14
11. Second Hand Dream (Clarke) 4.44
12. New Star Over Texas (Clarke) 4.28

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More from Mick Clarke in this blog:

The official website:

Chicken Shack – Heidelberg (Germany) (1990)

Chicken Shack are a British blues band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb (guitar and vocals), Andy Silvester (bass guitar), and Alan Morley (drums), who were later joined by Christine Perfect (later McVie) (vocals and keyboards) in 1967. Chicken Shack has performed with various line-ups, Stan Webb being the only constant member.

David ‘Rowdy’ Yeats and Andy Silvester had formed Sounds of Blue in 1964 as a Stourbridge-based rhythm and blues band. They invited Stan Webb, who was leaving local band The Shades 5, to join them. The band also included Christine Perfect and Chris Wood (later to join Traffic) amongst others in their line up. With a new line-up Chicken Shack was formed as a trio in 1965, naming themselves after Jimmy Smith’s Back at the Chicken Shack album. ‘Chicken shacks’ (open-air roadside chicken stands) had also been frequently mentioned in blues and R&B songs, as in Amos Milburn’s hit, “Chicken Shack Boogie”. Over the next few years the band had a residency at the Star-Club, Hamburg with Morley, then Al Sykes, Hughie Flint (who was John Mayall’s drummer when Eric Clapton was in the band) and later Dave Bidwell on drums.

They made their first UK appearance at the 1967 National Jazz and Blues Festival, Windsor and signed to Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon record label in the same year;[1] releasing Forty Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve in early 1968. A mainstay of the British blues boom, and a regular at UK festivals (Stan Webb’s wandering through the crowd with a 200 ft extension to his guitar lead during the band’s set was a regular occurrence[citation needed]), Chicken Shack enjoyed some commercial success, with Christine Perfect voted Best Female Vocalist in the Melody Maker polls two years running. They had two minor hits with “I’d Rather Go Blind” (c/w “Night Life”), and “Tears in the Wind”, after which Perfect left the band in 1969 when she married John McVie of Fleetwood Mac. She was replaced by Paul Raymond from Plastic Penny.

After being dropped by Blue Horizon, pianist Paul Raymond, bassist Andy Silvester, and drummer Dave Bidwell all left in 1971 to join Savoy Brown. At this point Webb reformed the band as a trio with John Glascock on bass and Paul Hancox on drums, and they recorded Imagination Lady. The line-up did not last; Glascock left to join Carmen, while Webb was recruited for Savoy Brown in 1974 and recorded the album Boogie Brothers with them.

Since 1977 Webb has revived the Chicken Shack name on a number of occasions, with a rotating membership of British blues musicians including, at various times, Paul Butler (ex-Jellybread, Keef Hartley Band)(guitar), Keef Hartley, ex-Ten Years After drummer Ric Lee and Miller Anderson, some of whom came and went several times. The band has remained popular as a live attraction in Europe throughout.

Webb remains as their only constant band member. (wikipedia)

And here´s another audience tape from my collection:
Stan Webb was very successful in Germany and so he went on tour in this country again and again. Here is one of his concerts from the early 90´s phase.
And he also plays “Georgia On My Mind” , which didn’t happen very often. But … no “Poor Boy”.

A highlight from this concert is “Sweet Little Thing”

Enjoy this rare live recording !

Recorded live at the Schwimmbad Music Clu, Heidelberg/Germany, January 1, 1990
very good audience recording.

Personnel:
Gary Davis (guitar)
James Morgan (bass)
Bev Smith (drums)
Stan Webb (guitar, slide guitar, vocals)
David Wilkinson (keyboards)

Tracklist:
01. Everyday I Have The Blues (A.Sparks/M.Sparks) 6.08
02. The Thill Is Gone (Darnell/Hawkins) 9.49
03. Keyboard Instrumental (Wilkinson) 2.40
04. Everything (unknown) 7.41
05. Broken Hearted Melody (Webb) 9.018.21
06. Baby What You Want Me To Do (Reed)
07. Announcement 1.00
08. Nightlife (Webb) 5.06
09. Sweet Little Thing (Webb) 13.05
10. C.S. Opera (Webb)
11. Last Night (unknown) 8.38
12. Dust My Broom (James) + Dr. Brown (Brown) 5.52
13. Georgia On My Mind (Gorrell/Carmichael) 5.04
14. I´ d Rather Go Blind (Jordan/Foster/James) 4.43
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15. The Heidelberg (Germany) 1990 concert (uncut edition) 1.45.11

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More from Chicken Shack in this blog:

The official website:

Savoy Brown – Let It Ride (1992)

Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English blues rock bandformed in Battersea, south west London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where they promoted their albums with non-stop touring. Founder, guitarist and primary songwriter Kim Simmonds was the sole constant member of the band from its formation in 1965 until his death in 2022.

Kim Maiden Simmonds (5 December 1947 – 13 December 2022) was a Welsh rock singer and musician. He was the founder, guitarist, primary songwriter and only consistent member of the blues rock band Savoy Brown. Simmonds led Savoy Brown since its inception in 1965 to its peak and multi-sales. He performed and appeared on every album the band recorded.

When still a young teenager, Simmonds learned to play from listening to his brother’s blues records. Considered one of the architects of British blues, he started the Savoy Brown Blues Band in October 1965, who began playing gigs at the Nags Head in 1966 in London. Early gigs included performing with Cream at Klooks Kleek and accompanying John Lee Hooker.

Live performances led to Savoy Brown signing with Decca. But it was 1969 before its classic line-up gelled around Simmonds, rhythm guitarist Lonesome Dave Peverett, and the monocle and bowler hat-wearing vocalist Chris Youlden. That year’s Blue Matter and A Step Further albums conjured up at least three classics heard on The Best of Savoy Brown (20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection): “Train To Nowhere”, the live show-stopper “Louisiana Blues” (a Muddy Waters number), and “I’m Tired”.

Since its first US visit, Savoy Brown has criss-crossed the country, and “I’m Tired” became the group’s first hit single across the ocean. The band would find a greater following in America than in its native England throughout its career.[citation needed]

1970’s Raw Sienna followed, featuring “A Hard Way To Go” and “Stay While The Night Is Still Young”. When Youlden then departed for a solo career, Lonesome Dave took over the lead vocals. Looking In, also in 1970, featured not only “Poor Girl” and “Money Can’t Save Your Soul” but one of the era’s memorable LP covers, a troglodyte-like savage staring into an eye socket of a monstrous skull. Later, Peverett, bassist Tony Stevens and drummer Roger Earl left to form the successful but decidedly rock band Foghat. Simmonds soldiered on, recruiting from blues band Chicken Shack keyboardist Paul Raymond, bassist Andy Silvester and drummer Dave Bidwell, and from the Birmingham club circuit the vocalist Dave Walker.

The new line-up was a hit. On stage in America, the group was supported by Rod Stewart and the Faces. On the album Street Corner Talking (1971) and Hellbound Train (1972) launched favourites “Tell Mama”, “Street Corner Talking”, a cover of the Temptations’ Motown standard “I Can’t Get Next To You” and the nine-minute epic “Hellbound Train” (decades later Love and Rockets adapted it as “Bound For Hell”). Walker then quit to join Fleetwood Mac, pre-Buckingham/Nicks.

In 1997, Simmonds released his first solo acoustic album, entitled Solitaire. He toured worldwide with various configurations of Savoy Brown. The 2004 live set You Should Have Been There, recorded in early 2003 in Vancouver with Simmonds handling lead vocals – and also as a solo acoustic act. In 2011 he celebrated 45 years of touring with the Savoy Brown album Voodoo Moon.

In 2017, his album with Savoy Brown, Witchy Feeling, reached number one on the Billboard blues charts.

As a soloist and leader of Savoy Brown, Simmonds released over 47 albums through 2016. He was also a painter; the cover of his 2008 solo release, Out of the Blue, featured his original art. In 2008, Simmonds appeared in the Rockumentary “American Music: OFF THE RECORD”, Dir. by Benjamin Meade of Cosmic Cowboy Studio in Fayetteville, Arkansas, alongside Jackson Browne, Noam Chomsky, Douglas Rushkoff, Les Paul, Johnny and Edgar Winter and countless other musicians and musical acts.

On 15 August 2022, Simmonds announced via the Savoy Brown website that he had been receiving chemotherapy for stage four colon cancer. Due to the side effects of his treatment, all scheduled live performances were cancelled. Simmonds died of the disease on 13 December 2022 in Syracuse, New York, at age 75. The news was announced via the Savoy Brown fanpage on 15 December. (wikipedia)

KIM SIMMONDS DOES IT AGAIN!!
It is simply amazing how Kim Simmonds has continued to put out top notch music with an ever changing line up. Some say he had a period where he went through a slump. I don’t know when that slump was, but I have a ton of SAVOY BROWN c.d.s, and I can find no evidence of it anywhere. This c.d. is outstanding. I left off the fifth star. That, I think should be reserved for the output from the Chris Youlden and Dave Walker days (probably the two best vocalist in SAVOY BROWN history). If you enjoyed the line up from those days, I feel it is safe to say you will enjoy this release as well. Simmonds guitar is, as always, excellent on this release. I believe that he ranks up there as one of the top three blues/rock guitarists of all time. He has put together a fine line up. The vocals on this one are split up between four of the band members, including Simmonds himself. The results are brilliant. All the vocalists seem to be a great match for the songs assigned to them. You will have no use whatsoever for the skip button when you pop this one in. Great songs all around, from slow blues to complete rock outs, all done in that great SAVOY BROWN tradition. This is a superb c.d. I highly recommend it. (Thomas D. Christianson)

Personnel:
Rick Jewett (keyboards, background vocals)
Joe Pierleoni (drums)
Andy Ramirez (bass, background vocals)
Kim Simmonds (guitar, vocals on 11., harmonica on 08.)
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Pete McMahon (vocals on 01. + 10., harmonica on 01., background vocals)
Phil McCormack (vocals on 03. + 06.)
Jumpin’ Joe Whiting (vocals on 08.)

Tracklist:
01. Yesterdays Blues (Simmonds) 4.26
02. Flat Out (Simmonds) 4.13
03. Let Me Be Your Driver (Simmonds) 3.09
04. Feel Like Crying (Simmonds) 3.56
05. Looking Out (Simmonds) 2.42
06. Let It Ride (Simmonds) 4.11
07. Cruisin’ Speed (Jewitt) 2.30
08. Don’t Tell Me Nothing (Dixon) 4.51
09. Ain’t No Sunshine (Withers) 3.36
10. Nothing But The Blues (Zacholl) 3.43
11. Down All The Days (Simmonds) 3.23

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The official website:

Micky Moody – I Eat Them For Breakfast (2000)

Michael Joseph Moody (born 30 August 1950) is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden he founded the Moody Marsden Band, and later, The Snakes, having previously collaborated with unofficial 5th Status Quo member Bob Young in Young & Moody. Along with Marsden and ex-Whitesnake bassist, Neil Murray, he formed The Company of Snakes and M3 Classic Whitesnake with which they mainly performed early Whitesnake songs. From 2011 to 2015, Moody toured and recorded with Snakecharmer, a band he co-formed.

Besides this, Moody has also toured with Roger Chapman, Frankie Miller and Chris Farlowe. He has also performed live alongside the likes of Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee, Mick Taylor, Bruce Dickinson, Sam Brown, Gary Brooker, Suggs, Dennis Locorriere, Paul Jones, P. P. Arnold, James Hunter, Rick Wakeman, Jon Lord, Newton Faulkner, Uriah Heep, Alice Cooper, Mark King, Alfie Boe, Sandi Thom, Brian Auger, Paul Weller, Eric Bibb, Meat Loaf, Boy George, Elkie Brooks, Nona Hendryx, Mud Morganfield and one of his early guitar heroes, Duane Eddy.[citation needed] Since 2000 he has released several solo albums: I Eat Them For Breakfast (2000), Don’t Blame Me (2006), Acoustic Journeyman (2007) and Electric Journeyman (2009). A versatile guitarist, Moody has been an active session musician and his own website lists over 100 albums to which he has contributed musically. 2006 saw the release of the autobiographical Playing With Trumpets – A Rock ‘n’ Roll Apprenticeship, a memoir about his early days on the music scene. Another book of memoirs, Snakes and Ladders, was released in 2016. His library music has been featured on such TV programmes as Waking the Dead, Bo’ Selecta!, America’s Next Top Model, How to Look Good Naked, Top Gear, Horizon, Jersey Shore, Mad Men, Wife Swap and Paul Hollywood’s Bread. More recently, Moody has worked alongside Ali Maas Moody and they have co-written and released two albums, Black & Chrome and Who’s Directing Your Movie?

Micky Moody in 1965:

While at school in Middlesbrough and attending private guitar lessons, Moody formed The Roadrunners with others from the area including Paul Rodgers (later of Free and Bad Company). They were subsequently joined by bass player Bruce Thomas, later to play with Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The band performed covers in local halls and clubs. By 1967 they had developed and outgrown the local music scene and turned professional, changing their name to The Wildflowers and subsequently moving to London. They had some success and undertook some touring, but relationships within the band frayed and they eventually split without making any recordings. Moody returned home to Middlesbrough where for a while he widened his musical horizons by taking classical guitar lessons. He also became increasingly interested in slide guitar techniques (a style he would later be closely associated with). While living in Middlesbrough he was asked by local singer and entrepreneur John McCoy, to form a group which became Tramline. A deal for two albums was signed with Island Records, but by the time the second album was released the band had broken up. Moody joined Lucas and the professional Soul band Mike Cotton Sound who became Gene Pitney’s backing band for UK tours as well as others such as Paul Jones.

In 1970 he joined recently repatriated keyboard player Zoot Money as guitarist. He then replaced Neil Hubbard in Juicy Lucy with whom he recorded three albums and toured extensively before the group disbanded. After the band split, Moody co-founded Snafu which combined his funk-rock guitar style with U.S down-home stateside grooves. The band recorded three albums SNAFU, Situation Normal and All Funked Up. They also appeared on a 1974 “Sounds Sounds of the seventies” session and both a 1974 [Bob Harris] The Old Grey Whistle Test and 1975-08-28 (broadcast 1975-09-04) John John Peel radio session and the TV series Supersonic.

Extensive touring followed before the band broke up. At this time Moody undertook occasional work as a session player most notably for Graham Bonnet. He also contributed to one track on Gerry Rafferty’s City to City. He performed with the former Status Quo drummer John Coghlan’s Diesel Band, then recorded an album with the band’s tour manager and lyricist Bob Young which became Young & Moody.

Young & Moody:

He then toured with Frankie Miller and stood in as a guest with Hinkley’s Heroes before joining his friend David Coverdale. Moody knew Coverdale – who had fronted Deep Purple and was looking to undertake a solo venture – from the Middlesbrough music scene in the late sixties. Coverdale invited Moody to work with him and the album White Snake was released in 1977. Moody shared writing credits on four songs including the title track. A second album Northwinds followed in 1978, on which Moody contributed to three songs. Following the demise of Deep Purple MkIV, Coverdale and Moody joined forces with Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Dave ‘Duck’ Dowle and keyboardist Brian Johnston to form a band that took its name Whitesnake from the title of Coverdale’s first solo album. In 1978 they recorded the E.P Snakebite followed by two studio albums, Trouble (1978) and Lovehunter (1979), recorded by a modified lineup with Jon Lord on keyboards. Moody is credited with cowriting four of the tracks on Trouble and was sole writer of ‘Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick’, an instrumental. While working with Whitesnake he also played slide guitar on Roger Chapman’s debut solo album Chappo.
1980s

Moody contributed slide guitar to three tracks on former Lindisfarne member Ray Jackson’s solo debut In the Night, which was released in 1980. By this point Whitesnake now featured Ian Paice from Deep Purple on drums, who had been brought into the group to replace Dowle. In 1980 this line up released the album Ready an’ Willing, from which two UK singles were taken, Fool for Your Loving and the album title track, both co-written by Moody. The band also released the double album Live…in the Heart of the City in the same year. At his time he recorded two singles with Bob Young, with all tracks written by Moody.

In 1981, Graham Bonnet’s Line-Up featured Moody playing guitar on all tracks and three songs written by Moody with Bob Young. Moody maintained a busy schedule with Whitesnake and the band released the album Come an’ Get Itin the same year. Relationships within the band were beginning to sour and Moody’s guitar partner Bernie Marsden left prior to the final completion of the next album Saints and Sinners. Moody himself followed soon after. Whitesnake took time out for much of 1982 and Moody undertook some session work, with Sheena Easton and others.[citation needed] By late 1982 Whitesnake was reformed with Mel Galley replacing Marsden and Moody joining Galley on the album’s backing vocal sessions. In 1983 Coverdale replaced Ian Paice and Neil Murray with Cozy Powell and Colin Hodgkinson. Moody was unhappy with the direction the new band was taking and felt increasingly sidelined by Coverdale.[5] Despite this deteriorating situation, he recorded Slide It In – a process he described as an ‘unhappy experience’ – but then left the band in 1983.

Moody returned to session work with Mike Oldfield, Gary Glitter, Mike d’Abo and Roger Chapman, as well as selected TV music library work. He toured with Chris Farlowe and worked with former Meal Ticket singer Willy Finlayson and his band the Hurters. Taking a wry, witty view of some of the people and experiences they’d encountered over the years, he and Bob Young wrote a book on musicians’ humour, the acclaimed Language of Rock and Roll. He also put together the first version of the Micky Moody Band, featuring former Taste bassist Charlie McCracken and drummer Chris Hunt. Towards the end of the decade, he and Bernie Marsden played selected venues with their own Moody Marsden Band.

During the early 1990s, Moody toured extensively with Roger Chapman. “What a bloke,” marvelled the singer. “Every hotel we stayed in, he used to get his black bin-liners out and start taping them to the windows – can’t sleep if there’s any light in the room. They used to think he was mad. Lovely fella though. A great guitarist. And intelligent too. Too intelligent for Coverdale.”

Moody reunited on a more permanent basis with Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, to tour and record as the Moody Marsden Band in U.K and Europe. They issued two live albums, Never Turn Our Back on the Blues and Live in Hell and a studio set, Real Faith. In 1996, Moody toured the US as part of the Best of British Blues tour, also featuring Eric Burdon, Alvin Lee, Aynsley Dunbar, Boz Burrell and Tim Hinkley. The following year, Moody and Marsden teamed up with Norwegian rockers Jørn Lande, Willy Bendickson and Sid Ringsby to form The Snakes, a band that specialised in reproducing the sounds of the original Whitesnake. Don Airey would often be brought in to augment them on keyboards. The band recorded two albums, Once Bitten and Live in Europe before making way for The Company of Snakes, which featured former Bad Company vocalist Robert Hart, original Whitesnake bass player Neil Murray and ex-Manfred Mann’s Earth Band drummer John Lingwood. Hart was eventually replaced by ex-Snakes in Paradise frontman Stefan Berggren, and the band released two albums, Burst the Bubble and a live set Here They Go Again.

In 2000, Moody wrote and produced library music prior to the release of his first official solo album, I Eat Them For Breakfast. Continuing to perform with Company of Snakes and take on occasional session work, Moody joined his former Juicy Lucy bandmate Paul Williams to arrange and record a selection of acoustic classic Chicago blues tracks for the album Smokestacks, Broomdusters and Hoochie Coochie Men. He also played occasional duo gigs with bluesman Papa George.[citation needed] ‘Snake’ metamorphosed into M3 Classic Whitesnake and also released a live CD (featuring former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin) and a live DVD with the former The Company Of Snakes singer Stefan Berggren back, and with the special guest appearance from former Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen frontman Doogie White. The DVD also featured sessionman Jimmy Copley (who worked with bands such as Go West and Tears for Fears) on drums and Mark Stanway from Magnum on the keyboards.

Around this time Moody played on Nah Aufnahme by German musician Westernhagen, which eventually appeared in the national charts. 2006 saw the release of Moody’s self-produced solo album Don’t Blame Me, released at the same time as his memoirs Playing with Trumpets – A Rock ‘n’ Roll Apprenticeship. M3 broke up later that year, after which Moody performed more shows with Roger Chapman plus selected dates with a line-up of the Micky Moody Band that featured his eldest son Micky Moody Jr. on drums. In 2008, he toured Japan as special guest of Jimmy Copley and Japanese guitarist Char. Also featured was ex-Herbie Hancock bassist Paul Jackson and keyboard player Yoshinobu Kojima. The shows were recorded and released on DVD as Jimmy Copley & Char: Special Session. To celebrate his love of instrumental music, Moody wrote and produced the albums Acoustic Journeyman (2007) and Electric Journeyman (2009).

In 2011, Moody co-wrote library music for both Warner/Chapell and Universal before co-forming Snakecharmer, a line up which also included former Whitesnake colleague Neil Murray, former Wishbone Ash guitarist Laurie Wisefield, singer Chris Ousey (Heartland), drummer Gary James (Thunder, Magnum) and Ozzy’s keyboardist Adam Wakeman. In 2015, Moody left “Snakecharmer” to pursue his solo career. In recent years, Moody also made regular appearances alongside blues guitarist Papa George and has been an active member of the “Sunflower Jam” house band and the Bad Apples.[citation needed]. In 2016 he and Ali Maas Moody released their first album together. They also played live regularly with their Ali Maas and Micky Moody Band.

In 2020, Micky and Ali Maas Moody released their second co-written album and continued to work together. (wikipedia)

And here´s his first solo album:

Moody has earned the good reputation of a very versatile guitar player His work has been often requested by so different bands such as Meat Loaf, Elkie Brooks or Gerry Rafferty He has also worked with Eric Burdon, drummer Aynsley Dumbar, Roger Chapman or Juicy Lucy.

For television, he has put his guitar in many music spots and he has also written a song for a Levi’s Jeans spot Concernig to the blues (that as he says is the kind of music he likes), this good piece of work is the result of the rich variety of all his musical influences fed by down-home, jazz, flamenco, rock or ragtime All this clever tasteful mixture has given up a refreshing, varied, powerful and vitaminic record. (lahoradelblues.com)

If you like vintage blues this is one for your collection. (Steve Lally)

And YES … I Iike these vintage blues very much !

Personnel:
Don Airey (keyboards)
Micky Moody (guitar, vocals)
Andy Pyle (bass)
Henry Spinetti (drums)
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Robert Hart (vocals on 05.)
Paul Jones (harmonica on 02. + 08.)
John Lingwood (drums on 07., 09. + 12.)
Bernie Marsden (guitar on 05., 09. + 11., background vocals on 01, 02., 07.
Neil Murray (bass on 07., 09. + 12.)
Neigel Neill (organ on 12.)
Paddy Sample (uilleann drone on 13.)
Paul Williams (vocals on 01. + 12.)

Tracklist:
01. On Common Ground (Moody/Marsden) 2.23
02. Alimony (Jones/Young/Higginbotham) 4.53
03. Delta Bluesman (Moody) 4.10
04. Mixed-Up Blues (Moody) 2.31
05. My Lady Friend (Marsden) 3.30
06. 14-String Rag (Moody) 2.21
07. Me And My Guitar (Russell/Blackwell) 3.41
08. Just Leave Me Alone (Moody) 3.52
09. Turning Point (Parts 1-5) (Moody/Marsden/Airey/Murray/Lingwood) 10.11
10. Obsession (Moody/Marsden/Hart) 3.18
11. Let This Boy Boogie Moody Rate
12. My Word For Trouble (W.O.M.A.N.) (Moody/Marsden) 4.26
13. Journey Home (Moody) 4.48

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Daddy & The Steamers – Live In Zermatt (1989)

Daddy & The Steamers ???

Daddy & The Steamers were a live project involving musicians such as Jon Lord, Pete York, Miller Anderson, Tony Ashton and Chris Farlowe. Sometimes they also called themselves Rock & Blues Circus.

Here is an extremely rare live recording from Zermatt/Switzerland

Jon Lord and Zermatt have a long history together … Lord about his first visit there 36 years ago:

I first visited the village in December 1971 and fell in love with it on the spot. Since then, I come back at least two or three times every year, mostly in winter to ski, but now and again in summer too for hiking. We have even had a small flat here for the last eight years.

Unfortunately it is only an “audience recording”, but it shows very well what great music this band played … many well-known songs … listen and enjoy this power of music !

What a line-up … And I have a large MC collection of rare live recordings of this kind …

Recorded live at the Hotel Post, Zermatt/Switzerland, February 1989
very good audience recording

Personnel:
Miller Anderson (guitar, vocals)
Tony Ashton (piano, vocals)
Chris Farlowe (vocals)
Colin Hodgkinson (nass, vocals)
Jon Lord (organ)
Pete York (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Lord´s Tune (Lord) 6.33
02. Part Time Love (unknown) 10.29
03. Gimme Some Lovin´ (S.Winwood/Davis/M.Winwood) 3.04
04. Ain´t No Love In The Heart Of The City (Price/Walsh) 6.25
05. One Room Country Shack (Dee) 7.24
06. Resurrection Shuffle (Ashton) 5.56
07. Out Of Time (Jagger/Richards) 5.56
08. Instrumental (Lord) 4..50
09. Dimples (Hooker) 3.55
10. Announcement 0.33
11. Temp `Em Up Solid (Traditional) 4.43
12. It´s Weird (Ashton) 5.44
13. San Francisco Bay Blues (Fuller) 2.33
14. Watch The River Flow (Dylan) 4.42
15. The Thrill Is Gone (Darnell/Hawkins) 6.15
16. I Love That Woman (unknown) 4.06
17. Green Onions (Jones/Cropper/Steinberg/Jackson, Jr.) 5.37
18. Sweet Home Chicago (incomplete) (Johnson) 3.37

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Rory Gallagher- Etched in Blue (1998)

William Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish blues and rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer.

Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, and brought up in Cork, Gallagher formed the band Taste in the late 1960s and recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

His albums have sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

Gallagher received a liver transplant in 1995, but died of complications later that year in London at the age of 47.

And her´s one of the many compolation albums by Rory Gallagher, released 3 years after his death.

Etched in Blue is a solid, if not exactly definitive, retrospective of Rory Gallagher’s career that offers a fine introduction to the Irish blues star. (by Thom Owens)

Personnel:
Rory Gallagher (guitar, vocals)
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various studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Loanshark Blues 4.32
02. Bought And Sold 3.27
03. Bad Penny 4.02
04. Cruise On Out 4.44
05. Crest Of A Wave 6.01
06. I’m Not Surprised 3.39
07. Unmilitary Two-Step 2.51
08. Alexis 4.09
09. Edged In Blue 5.32
10. They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore 4.08
11. The Devil Made Me Do It 2.58
12. Too Much Alcohol (live) 8.27
13. I Could Have Had Religion (live) 8.22
14. Shin Kicker (live) 3.43

All songs written by Rory Gallagher,
except 12.: written by J.B.Hutto

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Robin Trower – 20th Century Blues (1994)

Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.

20th Century Blues is the fifteenth studio album by Robin Trower.

This was the sixth album cover created by Paul Olsen. When asked to create a cover for the album, Paul presented transparencies of a batch of paintings, intending for the photos to be a starting point. However, Robin picked a specific one that he wanted. Afterwards, Paul researched the original design, and discovered he had actually created the basic design in 1974, yet had not painted it until 1990. Ironically, it was originally an alternative he had done for the Long Misty Days cover, but had never shown to Robin because he preferred the autumn leaf design. Therefore, Robin had unknowingly selected a design that was meant for him almost twenty years earlier. (wikipedia)

Whooping, howling, slipping and a-sliding – and that’s just the guitar player! Yes, here is another outing by British virtuoso Robin Trower expressing a whole gamut of emotions. It’s left to singer Livingstone Brown to match the passion with his very human voice on an album that really captures the spirit of the blues. First released in 1994, this was the album fans claimed was Trower’s best since the days of Bridge Of Sighs that launched his career in the Seventies. This 12-track LP contains such spirited performances as Prisoner Of Love and the ultra slow and menacing Extermination Blues. More funky tracking like Step Into The Dark lighten the mood, while Chase The Bone shows Trower getting up to speed. (press release)

Brilliant Song Set from a Living Blues Legend:

Twelve original, gut-wrenching, smoking blues songs – and as smoking as the vocalist’s own pipes (Livingstone Brown; singer with Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry, ABC, The waterboys & Bill Withers). This album is a high mark in Trower’s carrer as a master of blues guitar, and truly one of his most unique and interesting of his catelog. All the familiar technical effects are here: wah-wah, fuzz, the perfect string-bends… Paul McCartney was recently asked how he’d explain his own voice, and he said, “maturity”. This perfectly describes “20th Century Blues” – the soulful expressions of a career blues guitarist, never afraid to grow old with his trade. The album cover art was painted by artist, Paul Olsen, who had already provided six covers for Trower’s earlier albums. Interestingly, Olsen found this in storage from 1974, when he was running ideas by Trower for his “Long Misty Days” release. Therefore, Robin had unknowingly selected a design that was meant for him almost twenty years earlier… “Reconsider Baby” is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it became Fulson’s first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. “Reconsider Baby” has become a standard of the blues and has been recorded by numerous blues and other artists. Here you finally get Robin’s version. There isn’t a ‘filler’ song on the entire CD. You’ll listen to is multiple times. (by StratoMaster)

Personnel:
Livingstone Brown (bass, vocals, keyboards)
Clive Mayuyu (drums)
Robin Trower (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. 20th Century Blues 3.09
02. Prisoner Of Love 3.41
03. Precious Gift 4.01
04. Whisper Up A Storm 4.01
05. Extermination Blues 4.46
06. Step Into The Dark 6.02
07. Rise Up Like The Sun 2.59
08. Secret Place 4.31
09. Chase The Bone 3.16
10. Promise You The Stars 3.26
11. Don’t Lose Faith In Tomorrow 5.38
12. Reconsider Baby 4.26

All songs written by Robin Trower
except 12., written by  Lowell Fulson

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