Savoy Brown Blues Band – Shake Down 1967 uk, classic blues rock

Savoy Brown Blues Band – Shake Down 1967 uk, classic blues rock

The Savoy Brown Blues Band's first Decca long player was recorded in just thirty hours spanning three consecutive days. Shake Down was a gritty collection of blues standards with just one original, Stone's "Doormouse Rides the Rails." Among the tracks were B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby," John Lee Hooker's "It's All My Fault," three Willie Dixon songs and "Black Night" by Fenton Robinson. The standout track was the group-arranged "Shake 'Em on Down," a raucous workout extending to just over six minutes. Shake Down was released in the U.K. in September 1967, but for reasons unknown, the LP didn't appear at all in the U.S.

The Savoy Brown Blues Band continued to gig extensively while Shake Down was in production, doing a punishing 24 gigs in just 21 days as backing band for John Lee Hooker. They also got a summer-long residency in Charlottenlund, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. At around the time of Shake Down's release, in an odd coincidence the band experienced a true drug-related "shake down" in Barnstaple, a town in Devon, England, during a short tour of the West Country. This incident led Harry to actually fire his brother Kim from the band after the dates in Denmark. Other changes ensued as Chappell and Portius left and were replaced by Bob Brunning on bass and Chris Youlden on vocals. Brunning had previously been Fleetwood Mac's bassist for a few weeks in August 1967.

Youlden had been in various outfits, including a band that had alternately called itself the Down Home Blues Band and Shakey Vick's Big City Blues Band, and another called the Cross Ties Blues Band.

Next, Manning quit and was replaced on drums by Hughie Flint, formerly of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Alexis Korner's band, Free at Last band. Finally, Stone departed and Kim asked O'Leary to rejoin the band. O'Leary agreed at first, then changed his mind due to "unreasonable conditions." Stone was instead replaced by "Lonesome" Dave Peverett.

Tracks
Shake Down 1967


1. I Ain't Superstitious (Willie Dixon) - 0:00

2. Let Me Love You Baby (Willie Dixon) - 3:32

3. Black Night (Jessie Mae Robinson) - 6:37

4. High Rise (Beverly Bridge, Sonny Thompson, Freddie King) - 11:32

5. Rock Me Baby (B.B. King, Joe Josea) - 14:21

6. I Smell Trouble (Deadric Malone) - 17:25

7. Oh, Pretty Woman (Albert King) - 22:02

8. Little Girl (Willie Dixon) - 24:36

9. The Doormouse Rides the Rails (Albert Stone) - 26:20

10. It's My Own Fault (John Lee Hooker) - 29:57

11. Shake 'Em on Down (Traditional) - 35:00


Savoy Brown
1967 Shake Down

*Brice Portius - Vocals
*Kim Simmonds - Lead And Rhythm Guitar
*Martin Stone - Lead And Rhythm Guitar
*Ray Chappell - Bass
*Leo Mannings - Drums, Percussion
*Bob Hall - Piano