"SKIN 'N' BONE" - Savoy Brown
10/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
""With this 1976 release, the follow-up to 1975's WIRE FIRE,
the songwriting team of Kim Simmonds & Paul Raymond (later of
UFO) came up with 5 great songs plus a cover of Hank Ballard's
"She's The One". The songs hint at a more rocking direction
that the band (minus Raymond) would later take to the max on their
next release, 1978's SAVAGE RETURN. Simmonds,Raymond & drummer
Tom Farnell are joined by newcomer Ian Ellis (replacing WIRE
FIRE bassist Andy Rae). Ellis would later take over lead vocals
(from the departing Raymond) on the rockin' SAVAGE RETURN.
All in all, this ranks as one of Savoy Brown's most accessible
albums. Highlights include the almost UFO-like "Get On Up & Do
It" & the only non-studio cut "Walkin' & Talkin'". This track
was recorded live at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. Almost
13 minutes long,it features dual vocals from Simmonds & Raymond.
Besides Simmonds' stunning guitar playing,it also features him
on an impressive,extended harmonica solo. 5 stars!!""
Brown Bones!!!
chris meesey Food Czar | The Colony, TX United States | 06/11/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Alas! The year was 1976, Savoy Brown had recently released two of their more lackluster albums in Boogie Brothers and Wire Fire, and head SB shaman Kim Simmonds was still in the midst of a creative dry spell that would haunt him at least until the start of the next decade. What to do? For Simmonds, the answer was business as usual; give the fans the very best you possibly can, and try to work through the tough times until the Muse and better days return sometime in future. Of the first four numbers on Skin N Bone, only "This Day Is Gonna Be Our Last" is really any good, a slow 3AM blues with fine singing and playing. Luckily, things pick up at the very end with two numbers built from tried-and-true Simmonds techniques: the studio jam and the live boogie jam. The title track is seven and a half minutes of impassioned mid-tempo rock, with Simmonds and keyboard master Paul Raymond turning in some wonderful soloing, while rhythm section Ian Ellis on bass and Tommy Farnell on drums keep the time impressively. Finally, Savoy Brown has always been a most formidable live act, and "Walkin' and Talkin'" is more than thirteen minutes of delightful blues strut before a very appreciative audience. Kim and Paul share vocals on this number, proof that in lean times, the band continued to make excellent music live. (See Live at the Record Plant, the band's outstanding live offering from 1975, as furthur proof of this.) The resulting album is a laudible effort, while Kim continued his search for the elusive muse, which would return with a vengence with the 1981 neo-hairband classic Rock 'N Roll Warriors."
