This is the first album I have heard by the semi legendary garage / R&B rockers "Shadows of Knight".
Wikipedia says: "At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds took the Chicago Blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch.", to which noted rock critic Richie Unterberger commented: "The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate."
"Shadows of Knight" are generally referred to as a garage band and I suppose that is right but they do, at least on this album, straddle the white R&B genre. A little bit further along the track to R&B and there isn't much difference between them and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band or The Blues Project. Not that there is anything wrong with that. What edges them into garage is the punchy delivery both vocally and musically. The sound is surprising clean, the guitars bite and the vocals are positively "punk". It's nor surprising that they were influential on later punk bands.
By way of bio suffice it to say the band was from Chicago in the mid-60s, so blues was second nature to them as Chicago had one of the biggest blues scenes (if not the biggest) in the US at the time. More surprising is the fact that the singer, Jim Sohns, is 19 and the other four members are between 18 and 20. There is a lot of confidence despite their youth. Their youth also explains why there are no musical surprises either. But when you rock this hard and with this much conviction you don't have to be original.
I prefer the first side to the second side of the album … the "punk" attitude is turned up on the first side where there is more blues hollering on side two. This album is as good as anything put out by any English R&B bands and more than often, better, though unfortunately missing that one killer, iconic track.
Tracks (the best in italics)
-
Gloria (Van Morrison) – a great cover of the great Van Morrison penned Them song, and oddly, despite what I have said above, not as wild as the Them version. Apparently their live version was wild but for whatever reason the song was toned down for this record.
-
Light Bulb Blues (McGeorge, Sohns) – an original, which though highly derivative (there is a touch of Dylan), is definitely a nasty piece of rock.
-
I Got My Mojo Working (Morganfield) – the great Muddy Waters track from the 1950s that has been done by everyone including Conway Twitty (1964), Manfred Mann (1964), The Zombies (1964), Jimmy Smith (1965), The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965), Canned Heat (1969), Elvis Presley (1970), Rory Gallagher (1971). This version is certainly raw though it can't top some of the other covers.
-
Darkside (Rogers, Sohns) – another original but this time a blues ballad.
-
Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker) – Hooker's signature song.
-
Let It Rock (Chuck Berry) – Is there a bad Chuck Berry song? A great version with some great guitar work … only the harmonica break slows the song down where it should have pumped it up. Still, it rocks.
-
Oh Yeah (McDaniel) – The Bo Diddley track done well though it doesn't top the original.
-
It Always Happens That Way (Rogers, Sohns) – an original that slowly smokes with some great lyrics and a repetitive guitar dirge backbeat.
-
You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover – (Willie Dixon) – Willie Dixon … always coverable.
-
(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon) – ditto … you have to be confident to pull this one off. A good version.
-
I Just Want to Make Love to You (Willie Dixon) – A frantic version which explodes (a la The Who).
And …
This isn't the best album in this genre that I've heard but it still smokes … I'd be a fool to get rid of it.
Chart Action
The album went to #46 in the US charts. "Gloria" went to #10 and "Oh Yeah" went to #39 in the singles charts.
Sounds
Gloria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxBDj5YVkj8&feature=related
Light Bulb Blues
attached
Let It Rock
attached
Oh Yeah
It Always Happens That Way
attached
Review
Bio
Website
(originally posted: 31/12/2009)
