Alexis KORNER & Snape - Accidentally Born In New Orelans 1972

Alexis KORNER & Snape - Accidentally Born In New Orelans 1972

Blues

Unfortunately, the music itself hasn't improved with age. What could have been an astounding collaboration between British blues granddaddy Alexis Korner and Snape, featuring CCS slide guitarist Peter Thorup and former King Crimson members Mel Collins, Ian Wallace, and Boz Burrell, never gets up to speed. The musicians fail to match the emotional fervor that tracks like "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" or "Rock Me" demand, while the remaining tunes definitely needed to be brightened up. Part of what makes this date so frustrating are the few shining moments that provide a window into what could have been. For instance, the overdubbed horn section in the middle of "Country Shoes" begins to boil with a dynamic blend of R&B and free jazz, before the tune inexplicably droops into generic hard rock filler. Evidently the chemistry of the band's short existence was lost somewhere between the initial tracks recorded in San Francisco and the finishing touches applied in a London studio with a smattering of special guests who included Steve Marriott, Zoot Money, Patto members Ollie Halsall and Mike Patto, and keyboardist Tim Hinkley, who was working at the time with Alvin Lee and Humble Pie. With that kind of talent, you would have expected more from this aggregation than the flat production and the overall forgettable arrangements.
By Al Campbell. AMG.
**
Boz Burrell- Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
Mel Collins- Flute, Piano, Horn,(Alto, Baritone,Soprano,Tenor Sax)
Ollie Halsall- Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Tim Hinkley- Piano, Vocals (bckgr)
Alexis Korner- Guitar, Arranger, Vocals, Tiple
Sappho Gillett Korner- Vocals, Vocals (Bckgr)
Steve Marriott- Organ, Vocals (Bckgr)
Zoot Money- Piano, Keyboards
Mike Patto- Piano, Vocals (Bckgr)
Peter Thorup- Guitar, Arranger, Vocals, Slide Guitar
Ian Wallace- Drums
**
A1. Gospel Ship 3:35
A2. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer 3:02
A3. Sweet Sympathy 3:46
A4. Rock Me 6:29

B1. Don't Change On Me 3:43
B2. You Got The Power (To Turn Me On) 4:44
B3. Lo And Behold 6:56
B4. Country Shoes 4:43
**
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Alexis KORNER - Me 1979

Alexis KORNER - Me 1979

Blues

After a well-received appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival in the early 1980s, there were rumors afterward that he intended to become more active musically, but his health was in decline by this time. A chain smoker all of his life, Korner died of lung cancer at the beginning of 1984.
By Bruce Eder, All Music Guide.
**
A1. Honkey Tonk Woman   4:56
A2. Louise   4:05
A3. Hammer and Nails   3:41
A4. Santa Fé Blues   2:49
A5. Hong Long Blues   3:42

B1. Roberta   4:35
B2. Precious Lord   4:23
B3. Honour the Young Men   3:28
B4. And Again   0:50
B5. East St. Louis   3:01
**
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Alexis KORNER'S Blues Incorporated - Red Hot From Alex 1964

Alexis KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - Red Hot From Alex 1964

Blues

One of Alexis Korner's better and more obscure albums, Red Hot From Alex, features the 1964 version of Blues Incorporated, supported by alumnus Dick Heckstall-Smith on tenor sax on a handful of tracks, recreating their live sound in the studio. The results are reasonably successful, the group at times achieving a fairly intense, swinging ensemble sound that, at its best, carries an infectious level of excitement. This band's sound is a lot slicker throughout than that of the version of Blues Incorporated that played the Marquee Club in 1962 and 1963 and left behind the album R&B From The Marquee. The opener, "Woke Up This Morning," has a convincingly funky sound, driven by Herbie Goins' vocals, and a fairly together rhythm section, though Dave Castle's alto sax seems a little too lightweight to pull off the authenticity. The group leaps back to somewhat purer blues on "Skippin'," featuring Heckstall-Smith's tenor, Korner playing some suitably animated rhythm guitar, and Ron Edgeworth aggressively attacking his organ. The first minute of "Herbie's Tune" offers a great showcase for Korner's guitar, soon joined by Heckstall-Smith's sax, and Edgeworth's organ, while "Stormy Monday" throws a flute into an otherwise similar mix -- one can easily imagine Brian Jones dueting with Korner on those cuts. The only real flaw in the album, apart from an over-reliance on jazz at the expense of blues, is the lack of any real charismatic presence within the band, vocally or instrumentally -- "Stormy Monday" shows off the group to best advantage, with Korner in the spotlight playing some of the flashiest and most compelling blues licks of his career, and if the album could have had a few more tracks like that, it just might have found an audience not far from the listenership that John Mayall and Graham Bond were cultivating; a little too much of what surrounds the blues here, however, is significantly less exciting jazz, played well enough, but otherwise not really terribly diverting -- "Roberta," "It's Happening," and "Jones" probably went over big at the group's club dates, but just don't make for great moments on record, and Korner's own "Cabbage Greens," showcasing his low-wattage guitar pyrotechnics (which just might prove refreshing to those weary of, or only versed in, the Jimi Hendrix/Jimmy Page school of blues guitar) and Edgeworth's organ playing, isn't much more interesting. "Chicken Shack" is the track that best captures the group's sound at its most engaging, and the album is a welcome document of their work, but it's more of a historic curio than an essential acquisition, on a musical par with, say, John Mayall Plays John Mayall.
By Bruce Eder, All Music Guide.
**
01. Woke Up This Morning  2.44
02. Skipping  2.19
03. Herbie's Tune  4.10
04. Stormy Monday  4.48
05. It's Happening  2.11
06. Roberta  2.34
07. Jones  3.59
08. Cabbage Greens  2.17
09. Chicken Shack  2.31
10. Haitian Fight Song  3.37
**
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Alexis KORNER - Lost Album 1977

Alexis KORNER - Lost Album 1977

Blues

Gilt by association ... that's the story of Alexis Korner, the acknowledged founding father of British rhythm and blues. From his emergence as one of the country's biggest musical catalysts in the mid to late Fifties until his untimely death in 1984 at the age of 55, he recorded and performed with scores of musicians who went on to make names for themselves, profiting from their time spent with the great man and very often exceeding him in fame and fortune.
The roll call is immense, from Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Brian Jones through Manfred Mann's Paul Jones and Cream's Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to lesser known but still influential musicians like Dick Heckstall-Smith and Duffy Power. All had gravitated towards Blues Incorporated, acclaimed as one of the first white electric blues bands in the world. The Paris-born son of Austrian-Greek Turkish parentage proved not only a serviceable guitarist (in which role he'd started in the Fifties with Chris Barber's band) and distinctive, gravel-voiced vocalist but more importantly a bandleader of some renown. In short, a musician's musician.
Though many of his most famous associations happened in the Sixties, Alexis found his greatest commercial success in the Seventies with CCS. A brass-laden ensemble in which he shared the spotlight yet again, this time with Peter Thorup, their hits included "Tap Turn On The Water" and an instrumental version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" that was for many years the theme tune for TV's Top Of The Pops.
The album we are considering here takes up the story later in the decade and documents a period in early 1977 when Alexis recorded at Foel Studios in Wales with a quartet known as Bandit: unearthed in January 1990, the master tape had been lying on a shelf gathering dust for years. Much had happened during this time: Alexis had passed away, while Bandit's lead singer Jim Diamond had carved himself an international solo career, most notably via the Number 1 single "I Should Have Known Better".
Back at Foel Studios, there were a number of old hands on hand – besides Alexis, of course. Bassist Cliff Williams had experience as a member of Home, with Wishbone Ash's Laurie Wisefield (and was later to join Australian megastars AC/DC) while guitarist Jimmy Litherland could already point to a lengthy stint with Colosseum (alongside Dick Heckstall-Smith) as evidence of his experience.
Drummer Graham Broad and another guitarist, Danny McIntosh, were the other band members. For vocalist Jim Diamond, still in his early twenties, in particular it was a learning experience – and one the stocky Glaswegian will clearly never forget.
"It was a great privilege to work and sing with Alexis," he recalls. "He was a hard man to please, he knew his stuff, and when you pleased him it was a buzz for him. Alexis was the boss: he told you what to do"
"There was a lot of laughing, a lot of serious – very serious – musical discussion about why we were doing it and what we were trying to do. It was a very friendly situation ... not like bands."
The material here is varied in source and sound, but always shot through with Alexis's characteristic warmth and feeling. And even though some of the titles included in this recording would later appear in other versions, most notably tracks "Lend Me Some Time", "Day Time Song" and "The Gambler" on the album "Just Easy" (Intercord Records, 1978), this still remains an interesting example of work in progress.
At the time of recording, Alexis had been playing mainly with his daughter Sappho, his son-in-law and Zoot Money. Jim Diamond had gone to LA when Bandit split ("We were trying to be a serious band," he lamented, "but everybody wanted to hear the Sex Pistols") to sing with an abortive supergroup featuring Carmine Appice and Earl Slick, but returned to produce an album for Money, who became a firm friend: the spirit of co-operation and fellowship Alexis fostered that's so apparent on this recording was clearly contagious.
On German release as "The Lost Album" (Nibelung Records, 1990), background vocals were erroneously credited not to Diamond but Steve Marriott – like Alexis, another influential and inspirational man since sadly lost to British rock. These recordings may not be the jewel in the Korner crown, being a little rough and ready I places, but are certainly worth examination, particularly for those who may have picked up on Jim Diamond's later recordings.
Diamond's worldwide success in 1984 saw him country-hopping by air for the inevitable promotional appearances. He carried around with him not only warm memories of the recording sessions which gave rise to this album but a tangible souvenir. "I keep a piece of Welsh heather that Alexis gave me in my passport."
With this album's long-awaited British release, he has another memento of the sessions. Alexis aficionados may well find it just the ticket.
By Michael  Heatley.
**
Alexis Korner- Vocals, Guitar
Jim Diamond- Backing Vocals
Jimmy Litherland- Guitar
Danny McIntosh- Guitar
Cliff Williams- Bass
Graham Broad- Drums
**
01. Lend Me Some Time (Korner) 3:48
02. Daytime Song (Korner) 4:44
03. New Orleans (Korner/Hodgkinson) 2:49
04. Medley: Hit The Road Jack (Mayfield), Working In A Coalmine (Toussaint) 5:01
05. Honour The Young Man (Korner) 2:49
06. The Road Is The Road (Korner) 4:05
07. Sweet Sympathy (Korner) 4:24
08. The Gambler (Andrew) 4:37
09. To Whom It May Concern (Korner) 3:27
**
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Alexis KORNER - Got My Mojo Working 1963

Alexis KORNER - Got My Mojo Working 1963

Blues

Korner and Davies made their first record in 1957, and in early 1962, they formed Blues Incorporated, a "supergroup" (for its time) consisting of the best players on the early '60s British blues scene. Korner (guitar, vocals), Davies (harmonica, vocals), Ken Scott (piano), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (saxophone) formed the core, with a revolving membership featuring Charlie Watts or Graham Burbridge on drums, Spike Heatley or Jack Bruce on bass, and a rotating coterie of guest vocalists including Long John Baldry, Ronnie Jones, and Art Wood (older brother of Ron Wood). Most London jazz clubs were closed to them, so in March of 1962 they opened their own club, which quickly began attracting large crowds of young enthusiasts, among them Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones, all of whom participated at some point with the group's performances--others included Ian Stewart, Steve Marriott, Paul Jones, and Manfred Mann. In May of 1962, Blues Incorporated was invited to a regular residency at London's Marquee Club, where the crowds grew even bigger and more enthusiastic. John Mayall later credited Blues Incorporated with giving him the inspiration to form his own Bluesbreakers group.
By Bruce Eder, All Music Guide.
**
01. Robert Johnson (Korner/Edwards) 4:12
02. Honky Tonk Woman (Jagger/Richard) 5:57
03. I Got My Mojo Working (Foster) 4:14
04. King B.B. (Korner) 3:41
05. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) 3:28
06. I Got A Woman (Charles) 3:37
07. Operator (Korner/Miller/Plant) 4:39
08. Louisiana Blues (Waters) 4:59
09. She Fooled Me (Williams) 2:20
10. Corina Corina (Chatman/Williams/Parish) 3:06
**
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Alexis KORNER - A New Generation Of Blues 1968

Alexis KORNER - A New Generation Of Blues 1968
Label: Castle 2006
Orig. Rec.Lp Label: Liberty 1968
Recorded at Sound Techniques Studios, London, March-April 1968

Blues

A New Generation of Blues is a basically competent, though hardly enthralling, effort from Alexis Korner that alternates between minimal, acoustic-flavored production and fuller arrangements with jazzy touches of flute and upright bass. Korner wrote about half of the material, leaving the rest of the space open for R&B/blues covers and adaptations of traditional standards, helped by Pentangle rhythm section (and former Korner sidemen) Danny Thompson and Terry Cox. "The Same for You" has a strange, ever-so-slight psychedelic influence, with its swirling flute, fake fadeout, and odd anti-establishment lyrics. Korner's voice is (and always would be) a tuneless bark, but it sounds better here than it did on the first album to prominently feature his vocals (I Wonder Who, 1967). As such, this album is one of the best representations of Korner as a frontman, though it certainly would have sounded better had he enlisted a different singer -- perhaps one of his numerous ex-employees, like Duffy Power -- to handle most or all of the vocals. The 2006 CD reissue on Castle adds historical liner notes by Korner biographer Harry Shapiro and nine bonus tracks, seven of them (four previously unreleased anywhere) originating from 1967-1969 BBC sessions, the others being two September 1968 studio recordings ("Operator" and "Steal Away") with Robert Plant on lead vocals. Those Plant-sung items are perhaps the rarities that will gain the most attention here, though "Operator" first came out way back in 1972 on the Bootleg Him! LP, and "Steal Away" previously appeared on the 1996 CD On the Move. Of the BBC cuts, three (including a surprising cover of Joe Tex's "The Love You Save") are from a November 1967 session he did as part of a duo with singer/multi-instrumentalist Victor Brox, while the final four are from a March 1969 session on which he sang and played solo with acoustic guitar. Though not entirely keeping in character with the tone of the A New Generation of Blues album (which featured a full band with entirely different players), the bonus tracks help round out the picture of the diverse territory Korner covered in his late-'60s music. [The 2006 reissue contains bonus tracks of BBC sessions and previously unreleased versions.]
By Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide.
**
Alexis Korner- Vocals, Electric Guitar (except for 4,7,9,11), Acoustic Guitar (4,7,8,9,11)
Ray Warleigh- Flute (1,2,5), Alto Sax (3,6)
Danny Thompson- String Bass (1,2,3,4,6)
Steve Miller- Piano (6,10,)
Terry Cox- Drums (1,2,3,5,6)
**
01.Mary, Open the Door, Duffy Power Alexis Korner (3:30)
02.Little Bitty Gal Blues, Traditional Alexis Korner (6:28)
03.Baby Don't You Love Me, Traditional Alexis Korner (3:25)
04.Go Down Sunshine, Alexis Korner  (4:06)
05.The Same for You,  Alexis Korner (4:10)
06.I'm Tore Down,  Alexis Korner (2:09)
07.In the Evening, Traditional Alexis Korner (4:36)
08.Somethin' You Got, Chris Kenner Alexis Korner (2:24)
09.New Worried Blues,  Alexis Korner (2:37)
10.What's That Sound I Hear?,  Alexis Korner (3:17)
11.A Flower, Alexis Korner (2:13)
12.Louisiana Blues, [BBC Session] Roger Waters Alexis Korner (3:14)
13.Corrina Corrina, [BBC Session] Traditional Alexis Korner (3:08)
14.The Love You Save, [BBC Session] Joe Tex Alexis Korner (5:39)
15.Operator,  Alexis Korner, Robert Plant  (4:39)
16.Steal Away,  Alexis Korner, Robert Plant  (4:45)
17.Go Down Sunshine, [BBC Session] Alexis Korner (4:09)
18.Stump Blues, [BBC Session] Big Bill Broonzy Alexis Korner (3:36)
19.Sweet Home Chicago, [BBC Session] Robert Johnson Alexis Korner (3:18)
20.Just the Blues, [BBC Session] Alexis Korner (2:53)
**
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