Savoy Brown

Savoy Brown - Looking In - 1970 - Parrot Records

Savoy Brown were one of the great blues rock groups of the sixties and seventies. They had a large following Stateside, but never received the same acclaim at home. This is a great blues/rock album with smooth, laid back, tight arrangements. Check out their " Raw Sienna " album.

TRACKS

1. Gypsy 0:57 (Simmonds)
2. Poor Girl 4:05 (Stevens)
3. Money Can't Save Your Soul 5:31
( Simmonds/Peverett)
4. Sunday Night 5:23 (Simmonds)
5. Looking In 5:14 (Simmonds/Peverett)
6. Take It Easy 5:41 (Simmonds/Peverett)
7. Sitting An' Thinking 2:49 (Simmonds)
8. Leavin' Again 8:26 (Simmonds/Peverett)
9. Romanoff 1:00 (Simmonds)

LINE-UP

Kim Simmonds: guitar, piano
Lonesome Dave: vocals, guitar
Roger Earl: drums
Tone Stevens: bass

REVIEW

Savoy Brown's blues-rock sound takes on a much more defined feel on 1970's Looking In and is one of this band's best efforts. Kim Simmonds is utterly bewildering on guitar, while Lonesome Dave Peverett does a fine job taking over lead singing duties from Chris Youlden who left halfway through the year. But it's the captivating arrangements and alluring ease of the music that makes this a superb listen. The pleading strain transformed through Simmonds' guitar on "Money Can't Save Your Soul" is mud-thick with raw blues, and the comfort of "Sunday Night" is extremely smooth and laid back. "Take It Easy" sounds like it could have been a B.B. King tune as it's doused with relaxed guitar fingering. The entire album is saturated with a simple, British blues sound but the pace and the marbled strands of bubbly instrumental perkiness fill it with life. Even the Yardbirds-flavored "Leaving Again" is appealing with its naïve hooks, capped off with a heart-stopping guitar solo. This album along with Street Corner Talking best exemplify Savoy Brown's tranquilizing style. © Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide


BIO (Wikipedia)


Originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, their 1969 single "Train to Nowhere" (with singer Chris Youlden), was viewed by many as the last gasp of the blues scene in Great Britain. Although Savoy Brown never reached much acclaim in their home nation, they developed a loyal core following in the United States, due to songs such as "I'm Tired" (from their album, A Step Further), a driving, melodic song. They were one of that UK Decca (US London/Parrot) stuck with through the lean times until they started selling records (it took 4 or 5 albums until they started to sell in the US). In the late 1960s and 1970s, the band managed to penetrate the Billboard Hot 100. Superstardom perpetually evaded them, perhaps in part because of their frequent line-up changes, but despite that, "Hellbound Train" was a big album for them in the US. Indeed, while the band is still active today, only one founding member, Kim Simmonds, has been with the band since the beginning. Guitarist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, bassist Tony Stevens, and drummer Roger Earl went on to form Foghat. Original member and harmonica player, John O'Leary, is still active on the British blues circuit with The John O'Leary Band. Savoy Brown's first album, Shake Down, featured lead vocalist Bryce Portius. Portius was one of the first black blues musicians to be a part of a British rock band. Another singer, Dave Walker, would later join Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath. Savoy Brown also provided an outlet for the keyboardist and guitarist, Paul Raymond, who later went on to join UFO.