Chris Farlowe. The UK’s finest blues export finally gets his due in the U.S. with this latest anthology Rock ‘N’ Roll Soldier (1970-2004) Sixteen of his finest accomplishments over the past three decades, culled from over a dozen albums and singles. “Trouble” kicks things off. The track was culled from his most recent studio effort, “Farlowe That”. Chris’s voice is second to none, and if this is just the preview sample of what is to follow, then this 75 minute collection [Read More...]
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The first two discs contain tracks selected from Chris’ solo albums from the last three decades. There’s rock from the seventies and romantic songs from the nineties. Spicy hot stuff like “Miss You Fever” contrasts with the icy cold “Ain’t No Big Deal”. The third disc contains some live recordings and some previously unreleased tracks such as Peter Green’s “Man of the World”, and every Chris Farlowe fan will love to hear him sing this song.
Chris Farlowe is a (British) national treasure. For my money, his “Out of Time” is one of a handful of timelessly classic rock ‘n’ roll cuts from the sixties. Give it a listen through headphones if you haven’t heard it in a while (or ever) — a terrific blend of voice, London fatback soul sax (who knew there was such a thing?) and a Spector-like wall of sound.
In the years since, Farlowe has had his downs and ups, but for the last decade he has been back with an artistic bang, giving exciting shows in tiny venues — do yourself a favor, check him out if you’re ever in Europe — and producing one great blues-tinged album after another. It’s a crying shame that he has to function out of the limelight as a cottage industry, because his recorded output since the early nineties deserves to be the envy of Ray, Nina, Aretha, Joe Cocker and even Clapton. How the guy manages such great song selection and production values on a shoestring budget is a mystery.
“Rock ‘n’ Soldier” covers all the Chris Farlowe bases admirably. If it’s too expensive for you, beg, borrow or steal a copy of the now hard-to-get “Waiting in the Wings.”