Too Much of a Good Thing: the Savoy Brown Collection 1992-2007

Performer: Savoy Brown
Engineer: Ron DeRollo; Ben Elliott
Producer: Greg Spencer; Kim Simmonds
Distributor: Blue Wave Records

Notes: Personnel: Kim Simmonds (vocals, guitar); Pete McMahon (vocals, harp); Joe Whiting, Nathaniel Peterson, Jr., Joe Whiting, Lonesome Dave Peverett, Phil McCormack, Nathaniel Peterson (vocals); David Malachowski, Duke Robillard, Hubert Sumlin (guitar); Paul Oscher (harp); David Maxwell (piano); Rick Jewett, Rick Jewett (keyboards); Dennis Cotton (drums, percussion); Joe Pierleoni, Dave Olson, Alex Cash, Joe Pierleoni, Ric Lee, Roger Earl, Tom Compton, Mario Staiano (drums); Ron Keck, Ron Keck (percussion). Audio Mixers: Ron Keck; Ron Keck; Ron DeRollo; Ben Elliott. Recording information: Lakewood Studios; Showplace Studios. Photographer: Daniel Coston. Simply put, we just plain didn't need this. Since 1980 at the very latest, guitarist Kim Simmonds and whatever group of ringers he chooses to call Savoy Brown have been playing bad, late-'70s boogie rock disguised as the blues. It doesn't matter whether it's an "original" or a cover, Simmonds and Savoy Brown sound tired on virtually every cut of this set, which covers the years 1992-2007. And his playing, while capable, is simply a reflection of the guitar god imagery of the '70s. Check out his Robin Trower-ized version of Lowell Fulsom's classic "Monday Morning Blues," both the author and Trower (a true electric bluesman) should be insulted. In Simmonds' hands, the tune becomes a generic, wah-wah-pedaled, psychedelicized blues number with a hint of faux soul thrown in, as does his reading of Willie Dixon's brilliant "That's All I Want Baby," which wrings all the Chicago out of the tune and replaces it with biker boorishness. His own tunes, which make up almost the entire record, fare much worse. The lyrics aren't even clever -- the blues tradition gave us this as part of its elemental makeup -- the 12-bar sounds plodding, and when Simmonds does something unusual like play slide, its tone is so shrill (especially when listening on headphones) it is literally unbearable. With the exception of the hardcore fans who go out to the endless slew of roadhouses that Savoy Brown plays in the 21st century, this collection is not only uninteresting, it is completely unnecessary. ~ Thom Jurek

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