Good Ol' British R&B
P.S. | Japan | 12/02/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you like the early Stones albums and the Yardbirds then this band will be right up your alley. I bought this album because I wanted it for my Deep Purple Family collection (Jon Lord played with the Artwoods) and I was really impressed with the band. Currently I listen to half the songs on a daily basis over and over since getting this CD a few days ago. Some songs are 60s British Rock pop songs, some are raunchy British R&B complete with note snapping, staccato guitar solos, and some are more jazz oriented. Jon Lord plays as great here as he ever did with DP, but the biggest surprise is guitarist Derek Griffiths. He lays some solid licks down for many of the solos and shows a range of diversity to match the style of the music. On Brother Can You Spare A Dime, his style and talent are reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore. On another track I was reminded of Jimmy Page, and on yet another I thought of Jeff Beck, and later Eric Clapton. It seems Griffiths had the ability and diversity to shift with the music. Also notable is one track where Lord and Griffiths solo together playing the same notes, just like Deep Purple often did and still does.
Vocalist Art Wood is no Rod Stewart or Robert Plant but sings more like early Mick Jagger or a bit like Kieth Relf. A couple of enjoyable tracks are Molly Anderson's Cookery Book and I'm Looking for a Saxophonist Doubling French Horn Wearing Size 37 Boots for both musical interest and the humour in the spoken parts. 100% British for sure!
Malcolm Pool (bass) and Keef Hartley (drums) provide an excellent and talented rhythm section. The band comes off as one of the more talented and entertaining of the British Beat bands but seems never to have secured their place well enough in classic rock history. But we can still enjoy their music today at home and forget the repeats on the radio stations!"
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1