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"…I'm Going Down The Road…You
Won't See Me Again…"
UK released September 2006 - "Street
Corner Talking/Hellbound Train" by SAVOY BROWN on Beat Goes On BGOCD 717
(Barcode 5017261207173) gives you two rare Decca/Parrot Records LPs Remastered onto
one CD - "Street Corner Talking" from 1971 and "Hellbound
Train" from 1972. And its hairy-assed bottom-wiggling boogie breaks down
as follows (76:38 minutes):
1. Tell Mama
2. Let It Rock
3. I Can’t Get Next To You
4. Time Does Tell
5. Street Corner Talking
[Side 2]
6. All I Can Do
7. Wang Dang Doodle
Tracks 1 to 7 are the album
"Street Corner Talking" issued on Decca TXS 104 in the UK and on
Parrot PAS 71047 in the USA in September 1971
8. Doin’ Fine
9. Lost And Lonely Child
10. I’ll Make Everything
Alright
11. Troubled By These Days
And Times
12. If I Could See An End
[Side 2]
13. It’ll Make You Happy
14. Hellbound Train
Tracks 8 to 14 are the album
"Hellbound Train" issued on Decca TXS 107 in the UK and on Parrot
XPAS 71052 in the USA in February 1972
The cartoon on the outer
gatefold sleeve of "Street Corner Talking" is partially reproduced in
the 12-page booklet - as are the band photos on the inner gatefold - and the
black and white "Hellbound Train" cartoon on the inner gatefold of
the LP is fully reproduced as a 2-page spread on the center pages also. There's
very good liner notes by JOHN O'REGAN on the band history and the making of the
two albums (they charted in the USA at 75 and 34 respectively on the back of
the Blues boom).
The sound quality is great -
really clear and ballsy (it doesn't say who did what). But the remaster of
“Street Corner Talking” gives full reign to the Lead Guitar of Kim Simmonds on
tracks like "Tell Mama" where the band sounds not unlike Juicy Lucy
meets Ten Years After meets The Allman Brothers...a combination that will
appeal to many who like their boogie with a slice of Blues in it. The covers of
The Temptations "I Can't Get Next To You" and Koko Taylor's
"Wang Dang Doodle" (written by Willie Dixon) are very well done too -
suitably funk-rocked up. Tracks like “Tell Mama”, “Time Does Tell” and “Street
Corner Talking” are all Kim Simmonds originals whilst “Let It Rock” and “All I
Can Do” are co-written by Simmonds with Paul Raymond.
Produced by the legendary
NEIL SLAVEN and Engineered by ROY THOMAS BAKER - 1972’s “Hellbound Train”
(despite its title) gets a bit more contemplative and even soulful on tracks
like "Lost And Lonely Child" and "Troubled By These Days And
Times". I particularly like the organ-driven funk of "It'll Make You
Happy" and the nine minutes of "Hellbound Train" (lyrics above)
which sounds almost like an American Gypsy or Atlanta Rhythm Section tune -
with Dave Bidwell's drumming and Paul Raymond's keyboards slinking through the
entire number - it's very good indeed. And once again Simmonds dominates in the
writing – “Lost And Lonely Child”, “I’ll Make Everything Alright” and “It’ll
Make You Happy” being his own whilst the others are co-writes with Keyboard
Player Paul Raymond and Bassist Andy Silvester. Singer Dave walker also has a
great set of lungs on him…
The original vinyl versions
of these albums in the UK are extremely hard to find now and expensive as well
- so this is a welcome CD reissue.
Never quite as commercially
winning as say Ten Years After nor as visible as Wishbone Ash or as hip as
Chicken Shack – Savoy Brown have nonetheless always been a cult amongst
Blues-Rock fans. And on the strength of this rather cool little CD reissue –
you can easily hear why…
