SHAKE DOWN / GETTING TO THE POINT

2 LPs on 1 CD: SHAKE DOWN (1967)/GETTING TO THE POINT (1968) Savoy Brown: Brice Portius (vocals); Martin Stone, Dave Peverett (guitar); Ray Chappell (bass guitar); Leo Mannings (drums); Chris Youlden, Rivers Jobe, Roger Earle, Kim Simmonds. Personnel: Chris Youlden (vocals); Kim Simmonds (guitar); Bob Hall (piano); Rivers Jobe, Ray Chappell (bass guitar); Roger Earle (drums). Additional personnel: Bob Hall. Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson . Liner Note Authors: Neil Slaven; John O'Regan. While Savoy Brown later became proponents of hard-edged 1970s boogie-rock (a formula with which one of their splinter groups, Foghat, achieved some commercial success), they started out as one of the many bands in the British blues scene of the late-'60s. This two-fer features the band's debut and sophomore releases and shows Savoy Brown launching from several of the most common reference points for British blues. 1967's SHAKE DOWN, for example, includes covers of songs by Willie Dixon, B.B. King, and John Lee Hooker. Though not a British blues essential, the album is distinguished by the guitar work of bandleader Kim Simmonds. 1968's GETTING TO THE POINT contains a fair bit of original material, and was the first album to feature vocalist Chris Youlden, who brings a new confidence to the band. This well-assembled and nicely remastered re-issue should be of interest to fans of the genre.