5 Stars *****
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 singers; ‘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.
Musicians
Chris Youlden - Vocals
Bob Hall -Piano
Kim Simmonds - Guitar
Dave Preverett - Slide Guitar
Rivers Jobe - Bass
Roger Earl - Drums
Tracks
Flood in Houston
Stay with me baby
Honey bee
The incredible gnome meets Jaxman
Give me a penny
Mr. Downchild
Getting to the point
Big city lights
You need love
Walking by myself
Taste and try, before you buy
Someday people
Book Review: Derailed in Uncle Ho’s Victory Garden
