ALEX HARVEY & HIS SOUL BAND

He would come to fame in the 1970s for offering eccentric, theatrical rock, but Alex Harvey came from an R&B background that was, like so many other groups from the British Isles, cultivated by long residences in Hamburg, Germany. This LP was apparently the first full-blown rock & roll album by a Scottish artist, and though it hardly stands up as one of the era's major statements, it's likable enough in its own way. Apparently the backing group on this recording -- made at a Hamburg club, or simulated to sound like a show -- doesn't feature the actual Soul Band, but musicians from the obscure Liverpool group Kingsize Taylor And The Dominoes. Anyway, the music is pretty standard British R&B, perhaps a bit more soul-oriented than most, including horns. The set features some "usual suspect" covers -- "Let The Good Times Roll," "I Just Wanna Make Love To You," "New Orleans," "I've Got My Mojo Working" -- along with less well-traveled warhorses. Standouts include the sax-driven instrumental "Teensville USA" and the acoustic blues "The Blind Man." A pleasant, though not trailblazing, historical document with warm and sincere vocals by Alex. A German version of this album, oddly, includes a bonus studio track from the same era, a scorching cover of Chuck Berry's "Reeling And Rocking" that's better than anything on the original LP. ~ Richie Unterberger