BGO Records www.bgo-records.com [Release date 17.03.23]
For most readers of a certain age (i.e. ancient, this writer included) Redbone may be best known for their one big hit single ‘Witch Queen Of New Orleans’ which made No.2 in the UK single charts in 1971.
I’ve always wondered if their albums were worth checking out on the basis of the rather cool groove of the “big hit”. By way of introduction, BGO have very kindly brought together the band’s A and B sides from 1970-1977. There is the immediate shock that there are 36 tracks over 2 discs which means 18 singles.
The band have achieved wider notice since 2014 when ‘Come And Get Your Love’ was included in the Marvel franchise and ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ (the song is included here).
This compilation reveals that at their best they were a rootsy, southern funk flavoured brew. But it does leave the impression that they never truly realised the promise of ‘Witch Queen’ and the later singles in particular are really quite ordinary. It’s fair to say at least by 1974 the band had lost their way and the later albums were less rock and funk and more pop/soul.
Of the stronger tracks ‘Maggie’ has got a similar ‘Witch Queen’ vibe and has a spiky funk playout. ‘Already Here (Brujo)’ is an instrumental showcasing guitarist Lolly Vegas who apparently influenced Hendrix. Lolly did most of the writing with his brother Pat.
‘Day To Day Life/Chant Wovoka’ has the intriguing lyric ‘a day to day life with my common law wife. Still got my love for you’ and together with ‘Wovoka’ comes from the 1973 album generally recognised as the band’s finest. ‘Clouds In My Sunshine’ introduces Philadelphia-style strings along with ‘Suzi Girl’ but the latter sounds like the sixties never went away. And it’s 1974.
But tracks like ‘Alcatraz’, ‘Who Can Say?’, ‘When You Got Trouble’ and ‘Speakeasy’ don’t sit easily with the funkier and jazzier elements which were certainly present when the band released their debut album.
As the band developed they sought to emphasise their Native American heritage (their sometime drummer was also known as Last Walking Bear) which at the time was brave as any celebration of (perjorative term) “redskins” was frowned upon in the USA. The song ‘We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee’ was banned by some US radio stations for its controversial lyrical content. It was a definite setback.
This two-disc set is perhaps all you need to know about the band and it does get better on Disc Two (covering the years 1973-1977). But if you wish to explore further, BGO have four albums on two CDs to keep you occupied. ***
Review by David Randall
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In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
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