VARIOUS ARTISTS
''THE KNIGHTS OF THE BLUES TABLE''
MAY 13 1997
LIGHTYEAR
1/Send for Me
Cyril Davies /Jack Bruce , Dave "Clem" Clempson/3:24
2/If You Live
Mose Allison /Georgie Fame/4:20
3/Go Down, Sunshine
Traditional /Duffy Power/4:53
4/Racketeer's Blues
Lonnie Johnson /Chris Jagger , Mick Jagger/3:52
5/Rocks in My Bed
Leroy Carr /Pete Brown, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Phil Ryan/3:28
6/Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Bennie Benjamin / Gloria Caldwell / Sol Marcus /Miller Anderson/3:47
7/Blind Man
Deadric Malone /Maggie Bell, Jim Sullivan/4:56
8/Traveling Riverside Blues
Robert Johnson /Peter Green, Nigel Watson/3:57
9/Drop Down Mama
Sleepy John Estes /Tony (T.S.) McPhee/3:01
10/I've Got News for You
Ray Alfred /Jack Bruce, Dave "Clem" Clempson/4:52
11/Nine Below Zero
Sonny Boy Williamson /Nine Below Zero/3:55
12/Judgement Day
Bryan Morrison /The Pretty Things/3:43
13/Play on Little Girl/T-Bone Shuffle
T-Bone Walker /Otis Grand/6:02
14/One More Mile
James Cotton /Mick Clarke, Lou Martin/5:08
15/You Shook Me
Willie Dixon / J.B. Lenoir /Max Middleton, Mick Taylor/10:21
16/K.C. Moan
Tewee Blackman /Cyril Davies/3:46
Robert Ahwai /Guitar (Rhythm)
Skip Alan /Drums
Jeff Allen /Drums
Miller Anderson /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Maggie Bell /Vocals
Pete Brown /Percussion, Vocals
Jack Bruce /Bass, Harmonica, Vocals
Mick Clarke /Guitar, Vocals
Dave "Clem" Clempson /Guitar
Les Davidson /Guitar
Cyril Davies /Vocals, Harmonica
Georgie Fame /Organ
Mark Feltham /Harmonica
Otis Grand /Guitar
Dennis Greaves /Guitar, Vocals
Peter Green /Guitar, Vocals
Kuma Harada /Bass
Dick Heckstall-Smith /Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Mike Hobart /Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Chris Jagger /Guitar, Vocals
Mick Jagger /Harmonica
Bob Jenkins /Drums
Paul Jones /Harmonica, Vocals
Alex Keen /Bass (Acoustic)
Ronnie Leahy /Organ, Piano
Chico Lopez /Bass
Lou Martin /Piano
Phil May /Vocals
Gerry McAvoy /Bass
Tony McPhee /Guitar, Vocals
Max Middleton /Keyboards
Malcolm Mortimore /Drums
John Povey /Harmonica
James Powell /Drums
Tristan Powell /Guitar
Duffy Power /Arranger, Guitar, Vocals
Phil Ryan /Organ, Piano
Jim Sullivan /Guitar
Dick Taylor /Guitar
Mick Taylor /Slide Guitar, Vocals
Henry Thomas /Bass
Wally Allen Waller /Bass
Nigel Watson /Guitar, Vocals
Neal Wilkinson /Drums
Steve Wren /Organ, Piano
REVIEW
by Pemberton Roach
Knights of the Blues Table is truly a labor of love. Originally conceived as a tribute to the "Godfathers of British Blues," Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner, the album ended up as a more general celebration of the genre's origins and rich history. The record includes uniformly great performances from members of virtually every important blues-influenced British rock group, including Humble Pie, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann, and scores of others. The disc is a rock family-tree lover's dream, as it reveals the incestuous nature of the scene. What makes Knights of the Blues Table truly stand apart from other tribute records, though, is the obvious love and enthusiasm apparent in every performance. There's no musty musical grave robbing or label politics here. These guys love this music, and it's easy to forget that they once had to buck convention and risk ridicule just to play it. There are so many highlights it's hard to pick just a few, but obvious treats include great harmonica work from Mick Jagger on Lonnie Johnson's "Racketeer Blues" (with brother Chris Jagger on vocals), a rare vocal performance by Cream lyricist Pete Brown on Leroy Carr's "Rocks in My Head," an absolutely blistering take on "Blind Man" by ex-Stone the Crows vocalist Maggie Bell, and a sandpaper-voiced version of Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues" by the legendarily reclusive and rarely recorded Peter Green. To top it all off, the album also includes a 1954 home recording of "KC Moan" performed by Cyril Davies himself. In short, Knights of the Blues Table is a recording of extreme historical and cultural importance, a must-have treasure trove for lovers of British blues, and a damn good listen to boot.
''THE KNIGHTS OF THE BLUES TABLE''
MAY 13 1997
LIGHTYEAR
1/Send for Me
Cyril Davies /Jack Bruce , Dave "Clem" Clempson/3:24
2/If You Live
Mose Allison /Georgie Fame/4:20
3/Go Down, Sunshine
Traditional /Duffy Power/4:53
4/Racketeer's Blues
Lonnie Johnson /Chris Jagger , Mick Jagger/3:52
5/Rocks in My Bed
Leroy Carr /Pete Brown, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Phil Ryan/3:28
6/Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Bennie Benjamin / Gloria Caldwell / Sol Marcus /Miller Anderson/3:47
7/Blind Man
Deadric Malone /Maggie Bell, Jim Sullivan/4:56
8/Traveling Riverside Blues
Robert Johnson /Peter Green, Nigel Watson/3:57
9/Drop Down Mama
Sleepy John Estes /Tony (T.S.) McPhee/3:01
10/I've Got News for You
Ray Alfred /Jack Bruce, Dave "Clem" Clempson/4:52
11/Nine Below Zero
Sonny Boy Williamson /Nine Below Zero/3:55
12/Judgement Day
Bryan Morrison /The Pretty Things/3:43
13/Play on Little Girl/T-Bone Shuffle
T-Bone Walker /Otis Grand/6:02
14/One More Mile
James Cotton /Mick Clarke, Lou Martin/5:08
15/You Shook Me
Willie Dixon / J.B. Lenoir /Max Middleton, Mick Taylor/10:21
16/K.C. Moan
Tewee Blackman /Cyril Davies/3:46
Robert Ahwai /Guitar (Rhythm)
Skip Alan /Drums
Jeff Allen /Drums
Miller Anderson /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Maggie Bell /Vocals
Pete Brown /Percussion, Vocals
Jack Bruce /Bass, Harmonica, Vocals
Mick Clarke /Guitar, Vocals
Dave "Clem" Clempson /Guitar
Les Davidson /Guitar
Cyril Davies /Vocals, Harmonica
Georgie Fame /Organ
Mark Feltham /Harmonica
Otis Grand /Guitar
Dennis Greaves /Guitar, Vocals
Peter Green /Guitar, Vocals
Kuma Harada /Bass
Dick Heckstall-Smith /Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Mike Hobart /Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Chris Jagger /Guitar, Vocals
Mick Jagger /Harmonica
Bob Jenkins /Drums
Paul Jones /Harmonica, Vocals
Alex Keen /Bass (Acoustic)
Ronnie Leahy /Organ, Piano
Chico Lopez /Bass
Lou Martin /Piano
Phil May /Vocals
Gerry McAvoy /Bass
Tony McPhee /Guitar, Vocals
Max Middleton /Keyboards
Malcolm Mortimore /Drums
John Povey /Harmonica
James Powell /Drums
Tristan Powell /Guitar
Duffy Power /Arranger, Guitar, Vocals
Phil Ryan /Organ, Piano
Jim Sullivan /Guitar
Dick Taylor /Guitar
Mick Taylor /Slide Guitar, Vocals
Henry Thomas /Bass
Wally Allen Waller /Bass
Nigel Watson /Guitar, Vocals
Neal Wilkinson /Drums
Steve Wren /Organ, Piano
REVIEW
by Pemberton Roach
Knights of the Blues Table is truly a labor of love. Originally conceived as a tribute to the "Godfathers of British Blues," Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner, the album ended up as a more general celebration of the genre's origins and rich history. The record includes uniformly great performances from members of virtually every important blues-influenced British rock group, including Humble Pie, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann, and scores of others. The disc is a rock family-tree lover's dream, as it reveals the incestuous nature of the scene. What makes Knights of the Blues Table truly stand apart from other tribute records, though, is the obvious love and enthusiasm apparent in every performance. There's no musty musical grave robbing or label politics here. These guys love this music, and it's easy to forget that they once had to buck convention and risk ridicule just to play it. There are so many highlights it's hard to pick just a few, but obvious treats include great harmonica work from Mick Jagger on Lonnie Johnson's "Racketeer Blues" (with brother Chris Jagger on vocals), a rare vocal performance by Cream lyricist Pete Brown on Leroy Carr's "Rocks in My Head," an absolutely blistering take on "Blind Man" by ex-Stone the Crows vocalist Maggie Bell, and a sandpaper-voiced version of Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues" by the legendarily reclusive and rarely recorded Peter Green. To top it all off, the album also includes a 1954 home recording of "KC Moan" performed by Cyril Davies himself. In short, Knights of the Blues Table is a recording of extreme historical and cultural importance, a must-have treasure trove for lovers of British blues, and a damn good listen to boot.
