Corky Laing-MAKIN’ IT ON THE STREET-CD - 01.01.1977/26.04.2004
- Elektra-Asylum Records/Voiceprint Group Of Companies-604388318421-400 grn
Repressing.
UK reissue of this 1977 album from the Canadian Rock legend. Makin It on the Street will appeal to fans of Mountain and adult contemporary Rock. Guests include Eric Clapton, Clydie King, Allman Bros and others.
Makin It on the Street is such a good album it should really get Mountain fans angry, as well as calling to arms the followers of the brief but important West, Bruce & Laing. The title track, Corky Laing co-write with F. Conroy, is in the pocket, vocally and instrumentally, and beyond that it is simply great. Laings voice is very appealing and the music drives with precision and heart. "See Me Through" of beats Bruce Hornsby at his own game (and predates his rise to fame by a good nine years). John Sandlins production is understated; it is your typical West Coast sound that Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles were emphasizing, but the feel is straight out of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett. Horns chirp in and out and there is none of Leslie Wests crunch, though he did co-write the first track with Laing and M. Jones. Remaking Barbara Georges 1961 R&B hit, "I Know," is a perfect New Orleans addition to this surprisingly fine record. Why it was released on Elektra is a mystery, as it sounds nothing like the Doors, Neil Sedaka, Carly Simon, Queen, or the Stooges. OK, maybe its a bit like Carly Simon when she and James Taylor did "Mockingbird", but still, it is not often that a hard rock drummer can deliver something so powerful straight out of left field. Eric Claptons appearances have made disks by Yoko Ono and others highly collectible, but Makin It on the Street seems to have slipped through the cracks. The bizarre cover, with Corky Laing as a guitar-strumming minstrel (drum sticks are in his back pocket), isnt as effective as the inside photo of a smiling shirtless Laing on horseback. Its not often a musician gets to step out of the genre hes associated with to make such a musical album totally on his terms. As stated above, it should make fans of both Mountain as well as West, Bruce & Laing quite angry; his talents were under-utilized on those projects and could have lifted them to loftier heights. The Southern rock slant and multitude of friends - including but not limited to Eric Clapton, Joe English, Paul Hornsby, Vanetta Fields, Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Randall Bramlett, and so on and so forth - combine to manifest a true musical anomaly that is as satisfying as it is surprising.
Comes In A Standard Jewel Case With Black Tray Includes 8-Page Booklet.
Made In The UK.
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