Streetwalkers - I'm Walking, Complete Streetwalkers 1974-77

On receiving the news that a Streetwalkers box set was about to be released, I experienced that initial tingle of anticipation that has become so familiar in recent years.

Then, I recalled that I had felt similar excitement upon hearing of the release of the box set featuring the forerunners to Streetwalkers, namely Family.
My experience on that occasion was of course recorded in these pages and you can if you wish, read it again here.





One of my disappointments with the Family box set was the fact that none of the excellent BBC sessions had been included. I certainly can' t level the same complaint against  'I'm Walking, Complete Streetwalkers 1974-77' as one of the fifteen CD's included in the set, does feature all of Streetwalkers BBC recordings.

Also included in the set are the five official albums released by Streetwalkers between 1974 and 1977, a 92 page coffee table book, two replica singles with unique B-sides and a certificate signed by Roger Chapman and Bob Tench. Oh, and there are no fewer than eight discs of live material including the one containing the BBC recordings. And this, I think, is where my criticism of this package lies.

Don't get me wrong, Streetwalkers were a terrific live act, in fact it could be claimed that they never quite created the same magic in the studio as they did live. It was therefore unfortunate that the official live album they chose to issue at the time was a rather lacklustre affair that did not feature them at their best.

For this package the live discs feature the CD's entitled 'Rip It Up at The Rainbow' and 'Rip It Up at De Montfort' two sets that were recorded on consecutive nights in February 1977 in London and Leicester. They were issued separately a couple of years ago and though they are fine recordings demonstrating the band at their best, the two setlists are almost identical. Then, we have another two CD's ('Vicious But Live') of live material from February and March 1977 which of course feature pretty much the same material again. And then yet another disc of live performances from the UK tour of 1977 and yes you guessed, more of the same material.

The final three live discs are brought together under the heading 'Walkers Put The Boot In' and feature previously unreleased bootleg recordings of three 1976 concerts in Charlton, Lincoln and Toronto. With a few exceptions, the sets feature pretty much the same material as those from 1977.

So, it all leaves me feeling rather underwhelmed and wondering where the market is for such a package. Surely fans of Streetwalkers must have all of the officially released albums and I suspect that like me will also have the Rainbow and De Montfort Hall sets. Additionally I suspect that also like me they will already own the two sets that Streetwalkers recorded at Rockpalast in 1975 and 1977 which are not included in this package.

I have therefore decided that I certainly won't be forking out £125 for this even though it is a limited edition (1500 copies) and despite the lure of the live BBC recordings. On this occasion, I will be keeping my hands firmly in my pockets.