BGO brings together the first two
Savoy Brown albums in this double-disc set to great effect. Much of
Shake Down, recorded in 1968, has been forgotten -- which is easy to do given that virtually the entire band turned over after its release, including singer
Bryce Portius who was replaced on
Getting to the Point by the great
Chris Youlden. On the former album,
Portius relies on the early
Yardbirds philosophy to try and phrase like the great bluesmen -- from
Howlin' Wolf to
John Lee Hooker. It doesn't actually work. On the latter set,
Youlden, with bassist
Tony Stevens, drummer
Roger Earle, second guitarist
Kim Simmonds and bandleader
Lonesome Dave Peverett, dug deep into songwriting and interpreting the
blues their own way.
Youlden's totally unusual voice made that possible whether he was singing a standard such as
Muddy Waters'
"Honey Bee," or
Willie Dixon's
"You Need Love" or the smoky , steamy original tunes like
"Flood in Houston," and
"Mr. Downchild." Hopefully this means that
BGO -- one of the coolest labels in the reissue biz -- will be bring out remastered versions of all the
Savoy Brown classics. ~ Thom Jurek
![A Web of Sound [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0029667431026_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "A Web of Sound [Bonus Tracks]")
![Live 'N' Kickin' [Strictly Limited Collector's Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0850703003804_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Live 'N' Kickin' [Strictly Limited Collector's Edition]")
