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.
This arrived in the post today.
Buzzing with the enjoyment of hearing Streetwalkers live on the two 1977 recordings I referred to in my last post, I also decided to order this 2 CD + DVD package of the guys performing live on the German music TV show - Rockpalast.
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"
I have previously spoken of my love for Family, the rock band that existed between 1966 and 1973. Following their demise, the two main songwriters, singer Roger Chapman and guitarist John 'Charlie' Whitney continued working together and enlisting a group of musicians, as Chapman-Whitney they released an album in 1974 entitled 'Streetwalkers'.
Thereafter the band became known as Streetwalkers and between 1975 and 1977 they released a further three studio albums, 'Downtown Flyers', 'Red Card' and 'Vicious But Fair'. Probably to comply with contractual obligations in 1977 they also released a live album which unfortunately was poorly recorded and did not capture the band at their best, despite the fact that they had a deserved reputation as an awesome live act.
One such gig which saw the band at their best, took place at London's Rainbow on 25th February 1977. The following night they were back on Chapman & Whitney's home turf at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Both sets were recorded but nothing happened. The band broke up and the tapes appeared to have been lost.
That is until, if the story is to be believed, the tapes were recovered from a landfill site!
Last year, Mystic Records obtained the tapes and restored them to their former glory, subsequently releasing them as two separate albums, 'Streetwalkers Rip It Up at the Rainbow' and 'Streetwalkers Rip It Up at the Demontfort'.
And what an absolute delight they are!
True the setlists and performances are very similar but while in Leicester they performed Family favourite 'My Friend The Sun', in London they treated the crowd to a 12 minute version of 'Dice Man' from 'Vicious But Fair'.
Listening to these albums reminds one of just how great they were as a live outfit and it seems ironic that the rise of punk in the UK was instrumental in leading to the demise of this fine band. If you were a fan of Streetwalkers and want to hear them at their absolute best, then I suggest you get yourself a copy of at least one of these albums. Personally I got them both and have no regrets.
