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BERKELEY SOUL
Tracklist: Running Blue; Wherever I Lay My Hat; You Gotta Move; Talk to Me; Cryin For My Baby; Walk Slow; Stand by Me; The Rock; Livin In The House of Blues; Appetite For Love.
'Berkley Soul' is the first genuine 'blues' album that I have reviewed for New Horizons, and while in the past I have enjoyed artists such as Janis Joplin performing blues oriented numbers, I must be honest and say
that this is a style of music that I have never really paid full attention to - until now! From the first time I listened to this album I have found it to be truly inspirational, and since one of our stated
aims is to broaden the musical horizons of both ourselves and our readers, I think the inclusion of this album on our site is fully justified, even if the genre is not one that we originally envisaged covering.
The Sy Klopps Band has been a major player on the San Francisco blues scene since the early 1990's. The full story behind their creation is one that in many ways is far stranger than fiction. Initially
the whole concept was little more than a private joke between friends, which developed slowly over time. Eventually word was leaked to the press about a legendary blues outfit which played occasional gigs to
sell out crowds - and it was not long before promoters became desparate to contact the band to book them for shows even though, in reality, no such band existed at the time.
When the real truth was finally revealed, those behind the myth decided to put a band together and actually make some recordings, and although the basic line up has undergone some changes over the year, Sy Klopps has
always been at the head of the cast. The alter ego of singer Sy Klopps, while originally shrouded in mystery, is in reality Herbie Herbert - a man who over the years has managed and promoted bands like Journey
and Europe as well as working with the Steve Miller band.
In turning his attentions away from management and into performance, Sy has successfully assembled a top quality blues outfit with some very talented musicians.
The playing and production here is truly awesome and even if you have never really listened to blues music you cannot fail to be impressed by this album.
The core of the band consists of Ralph Woodson on rhythm and lead guitar, Herman Eberitzsch on keyboards, Ira Walker on bass and Bobby Cochran on the drums. In addition the band also has an awesome horn
section, made up of Michael Peloquin, Tom Poole and Danny Armstrong, not to mention backup vocalists Larry Batiste, Jeanie Tracy and Monet Owens.
The tracks are all cover versions and they capably demonstrate a variety of styles which include standard R&B, swing and gospel.
While some of the songs are more recent compositions, there are also a number of genuine classics that date back to the fifties and sixties. All of the music is played with consumate skill and expresses real enthusiasm and emotion. Consequently this album serves as a fitting tribute, not only to the current line up of musicians, but also to the original song writers whose songs are recorded here.
The album opens with 'Running Blue', a song written by Bozz Scaggs and Pat O'Hara and originally featured on the 1971 album 'Boz Scaggs and Band'. This song has a big swing opening, and it is not really until
the vocal cuts in that the song takes on a more bluesey edge.
From the begining Sy's vocals come across as being rich in tone and more than up to the job. The song is very up tempo and comes across strongly, with all the instruments playing well whether in lead or support capacity.
Next up is the Tamla classic 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' by Marvin Gaye and Norman Whitfield. This song topped the US R&B charts when it was first released back in 1969 and it achieved success as a single for
Paul Young in 1984. This is another big production number, but the sound is quite different to the aforementioned version with which I am familiar. Overall, while the instrumental work is more than
accomplished, there are moments when I cannot help feeling that the track lacks some of the punch that perhaps it could have packed, particularly when held up to some of the others featured here.
'You Gotta Move', was first released as the b-side to the single 'Little Red Rooster' way back in 1963, the year before writer Sam Cooke was sadly killed in a shooting incident.
This has a nice piano opening, and adopts a more traditional 12 bar blues style with an element of swing pitched in. The keyboard work throughout keeps things moving smoothly along, but also worthy of a mention is Woodson's lead guitar lick.
Another very old song is up next with 'Talk to Me', written by Joe Seneca in 1958. This song was a chart success in 1963 for Sunny and the Sunglows and has been recorded many times over the years, including a
version by the Beach Boys in 1976. it's a much slower number with a downbeat tempo. The song is very melancholic and comes across as a blues ballad.
Playing is subtle and the muted vocal delivery suits the song well.
A year younger than the previous track is a Harold Burrage composition, 'Cryin For My Baby'.
By contrast this is upbeat and the horns really blow large on this one. In fact, all the band members put in strong performances, improvising around the main theme, and perhaps the only minor niggle is that the incessant 'Wahoo' refrain can start to grate a little after a while.
Still very much in the same era is 'Walk Slow' (1960) by Little Willie John, another slow blues ballad with soulful horn playing and superb backing vocals. The rhythm section playing softly behind the main
vocal melody is excellent, the sound just seems to simmer nicely off the boil keeping everything nice and mellow, and the additional vocal harmonies set the whole thing off to perfection.
Not to be confused with the well known Ben E King track of the same name 'Stand by Me' is another composition from the pen of Sam Cooke, but this time jointly penned with James Alexander. This is quite a
downbeat number but with a strong bass line that rocks the song gently along, lead guitar work provides some strong instrumental contrasts without ever trying to grab center stage.
Probably my favourite track on the album is 'The Rock', which I believe to be a more recent composition written by Russell Smith (The Amazing Rhythm Aces) and Jim Varsos. This is a supremely powerful number
showing a good combination of blues style with stunning gospel harmonies.
Guitar work here has a quality in some ways reminiscent of The Eagles, but it is the vocals that really set this one apart. The interaction between the main vocal melody and the harmonising backing vocals just has to be heard.
Finishing off the album come two tracks with with very different natures, both written by Jerry Lynn Williams - a relatively unknown talent until a number of his songs were recorded by Eric Clapton on the
'Journeyman' album.
First up comes 'Living in the House of Blues', which is a much more rock oriented style of blues which I suspect is more familiar to many people than some of the previous tracks. The guitar really sings out sweetly, while the entire rhythm section pulls together to capture the essence of what playing the blues is all about.
Finally we come to 'Appetite for Love' which slows things down nicely with a quite a slinky little number with beautiful soft vocal melody.
After the passion and power of some of the previous numbers this is a perfect ending to what, for me, is an almost flawless album.
It should be fairly apparent that this album has really fired my enthusiasm.
As I said in my opening, this CD is not something I would normally have even thought about buying, but having heard it I really feel motivated to hear more and I hope as a result of this review others will be encouraged to embark on a similar journey. Whether you are a fan of the blues or not this CD is a real gem that could just open up whole new vistas for you - check it out!
Simon 18th February 2001
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