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Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated—BBC Sessions
#1 1962-1965—Rhythm and Blues RANDB097

There is no doubt that Alexis Korner is a hero of British
blues music. Along with many of us, fresh from the
copy-cat delights of skiffle, he (we) wanted more.
Surrounded by some of the best musicians in the field
Cyril Davies, Graham Bond, Jack Bruce, Herbie Goins,
Charlie Watts, Long John Baldry, Dick Heckstall-Smith
and many more, Alexis led the charge.

In hindsight, there were three incarnations of Blues
Incorporated. First a band fronted by Cyril Davies and
later Long John Baldry, resident at the Marquee.
Secondly a band fronted by a black American vocalist
Herbie Goins and finally a period (1965-66) when the
band relied on Alexis as the vocalist. Not surprisingly at various times during those incarnations
the band visited beeb studios and did their thing.

For your delight here we have 24 tracks of ‘British music history’ taken from six on-air sessions,
and including all three lineups. The music ranges from Muddy (’Hoochie Coochie Man’) to
Herbie Hancock (‘Watermelon Man’) and traditional folk-blues (’Trouble In Mind’) and all
this comes with a twelve page booklet of pics and supporting text. What more could you ask
for?

If you want to remember the way it was, or alternatively you don’t know and want to find
out, this one’s for you!

Ian K McKenzie

Alan Price Set—BBC Sessions 1966-68—Rhythm
and Blues RANDB104 (Two CDs)

There are occasionally some pieces of music that,
when you first hear them, grab you by the ears and
won’t let go.: For example, ‘The House of The Rising
Sun’ by The Animals. Not an earworm for the powerful
delivery of the vocal by Eric Burdon, but for the
stunning whole-chorus break played by Alan Price on
his (then) very rare Wurlitzer electric piano, soaring
and darting above the comping chords. It was a
masterful and stirring descant which at first hearing,
made the hair on the back of your neck stand up!

It’s pretty hard to realise that was sixty-one years ago!
But it is wonderful to realise that Alan Price has a massive back catalogue which includes
these recordings for the BBC.

There are two CDs in this set, the first with 34 tracks and the second with 29. Ten of those
tracks are so called ‘interviews’ which are kind of commentary on the music. The music itself
ranges from out and out pop music like ‘Simon Smith & The Amazing Dancing Bear’ (written
by Randy Newman) or the movie theme ballad, ‘Hi-Lilly, Hi-Lo’, through passionate soul
(’When A Man Loves A Woman’. Or ‘What A Wonderful Feeling’ ) and pot boilers (Tickle
Me’, ‘Don’t Stop The Carnival’), to some rock ‘n’ roll classics (’Rip It Up’) and blues (’Going
Down Slow’, ‘I Put A Spell On You’).