Since time immemorial musical
aggregations have changed personnel with
sometimes alarming regularity, but few
if any have managed as many alterations
in as relatively as short a period as
that of the two first 'Savoy Brown' albums,
debut album 'Shake Down' in September
1967 and follow up 'Getting to the Point'
in July 1968. (Making 'Spinal Tap' look
positively stable. ) The band changed
lead singer's; 'Lonesome' Dave Preverett
came in on slide guitar to replace second
guitarist Martin Stone; two bass guitarists
and drummers had been and gone before
they settled on the pairing of Rivers
Jobe on bass and Roger Earle on the drums.
(Even then Jobe had departed before the
next album was released.) This only left
bandleader and guitarist Kim Simmonds
and piano player Bob Hall, who was never
really a full time member of the band,
preferring to keep his options open to
be available for his very lucrative session
work, from the band that recorded the
debut album.
But if it was Kim Simmonds' quest to
find the perfect British Blues and Boogie
Band, one listen to this album will leave
you in no doubt that he was already coming
very close.
Although this lineup of 'Savoy Brown'
had only been together a matter of days,
the Decca Record Company put them in the
studio with legendary producer Mike Vernon
(Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, etc) to record
this classic album.
Right from the get go, when the band
bump and grind their way into opener "Flood
in Houston", you know that you are
listening to something very special. The
band has a chemistry that makes you feel
they have been together for a lifetime.
Youlden's voice on this and the next three
Savoy Brown albums put him up there with
all of the great blues singers (many comparing
him favorably with the great Bobby Bland).
The guitar playing of Peverett and Simmonds
was the equal of anything Clapton or Green
were doing at the time. Jobe and Earl
held down a rock solid backbone, whilst
Hall's piano work shows why he was held
in such high regard by his contemporary
musicians.
Of the nine tracks on the original release
there are six band written songs and three
covers, but such is the high standard
of the songwriting, it is hard to tell
which is which.
The music is probably best summed up
by the eight minute long "You need
Love", the old Willie Dixon chestnut,
which rushes off at a brisk twelve bar,
whilst Youlden explains to the object
of his desires why she needs his affections,
before Simmonds takes over with a blistering
guitar solo, giving way to a thundering
bass section from Jobe. A pulsating drum
solo from Earl leads us into a 'dueling
banjo style' guitar battle between Simmonds
and Peverett. Then the whole band come
back to bring the song to a fitting climax.
For the CD release three extra tracks
have been added onto the original release.
A cover of Lane's "Walking by myself
" made famous on Gary Moore's album
"Blues Alive" and now a staple
of Pattaya's own Pop Jorilia's band "Satin
Soul". A wonderful Youlden original
"Taste and Try, before you Buy",
which could be Hendrix at his sauciest,
and a great Simmonds blues jam "Someday
People". So not only are you getting
great music, you get great value for money
too.
Kim Simmonds still leads Savoy Brown
today (probably on lineup number 467 by
now). Dave Peverett, Roger Earl with Jobe's
replacement Tone Stevens went and left
Savoy Brown in 1970 to find superstardom
in "Foghat". Sadly, over the
years Chris Youlden has released three
patchy solo albums to no great avail.
But whilst they were together, these boys
could really play.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
