The band featured on the programme twice, first on 25 March 1975 when they were still being billed as Chapman-Whitney Streetwalkers and then two years later on 19 April 1977. Both sets are included in this package not only as audio CD's but also as a DVD.
The 1975 lineup consisted of Roger Chapman vocals, harmonica and tambourine bashing, Charlie Whitney and Bob Tench on guitars Jonathan Plotel on bass and Nicko McBrain on drums. By 1977 Chapman, Whitney and Tench were joined by Michael Feat on bass, David Dowle on drums and Brian Johnstone on keyboards.
The 1977 set is of particular interest as, ignoring Chappo's dodgy T-shirt, the band were playing pretty much the same set as they had on the Rainbow and De Montfort Hall gigs I referred to in my last post. There were after all, only two months separating these gigs. Also, for some reason the band did two takes of 'Toenail Draggin'', 'Mama Was Mad' and 'Me an' Me Horse an' Me Rum' although the first take of the latter song is omitted from the CD. As to why two takes were recorded remains a mystery as neither Chapman or Tench can recall the reason. The best suggestion is that such recorded TV shows tended to be beset by "technical problems".
Anyway we are treated here to 20 audio tracks and 21 video tracks, so there is plenty of fine music to enjoy including Chappo 'inventing' rap music during 'Toenail Draggin''. Two years later, Roger Chapman would be back at Rockpalast, but with The Shortlist. That however, is another story and probably for another time.
As the late, great John Peel once said of Family and equally applicable to Streetwalkers, - "a fine band"
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