CHICKEN SHACK Vinyl & CDs

Review: Before we even get to the music, shall we talk about this album title? Easily up there with the best named records of all time, thankfully this is matched in the quality of the music itself. All-British blues rock 'n' roll at its grittiest and funkiest, and most musically impressive. A showcase of exquisite guitar and piano work, and songwriting, marks the debut of Chicken Shack, the group founded by Stan Webb, Andy Silvester, and Alan Morley, who also enlisted Christine Perfect, later Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie. Comprising ten predominantly rather short tracks (most are around three minutes), this format only leaves us wanting more as the record plays out. There's the classic heartbroken ode 'Lonesome Whistle Blues', the fraught six string solos of 'See See Baby', and the rowdy bar-in-a-track that is 'San Ho Zay' to get you started, but really everything on here is gold.