Back Street Crawler - Southend 1975

Special review for Paul's 73rd Birthday

Back Street Crawler

Kursaal Ballroom, Southend - May 31, 1975

Angus Manwaring

 

I remember in 1976 or 1977 shortly after my Free and Paul Kossoff journey had moved from fandom to fixation, a friend showed me an article in the music press announcing a double Kossoff album, with one record being "live" and there just being "a few legalities to sort out" before it was released.

That was the June 15th Fairfield Halls, Croydon concert that John Glover had control over and used for the album "Koss" - amongst other things. When the album finally arrived, the live record was, in my view, not bad, with some good moments, but definitely not a great concert. Since then it has become clear to me that the band were, on occasion, capable of a great deal more than that. The '76 Starwood performance, for example, sounds to me like a much better band. What I hadn't appreciated until recently however, was that they, Kossoff in particular, had actually turned in some truly excellent performances. The Southend gig (some two weeks before the Croydon concert) is one such an example. The sound leaves something to be desired on this recording, but Kossoff is as clear as a bell (well, nearly) through most of it. I assume the person recording the concert is right in front of Kossoff, which would explain the relative levels between the guitar and the rest of the band.  

Excuse my nostalgia here, but I remember a guy, from around 1980, that I used to see in my local secondhand record shop, in Tunbridge Wells. He had seen Back Street Crawler, and was therefore a person of interest for me. Dave, I think it was. Long hair, bald on top with a cowboy hat, white afghan and, as often as not, a Patti Smith T-shirt. I asked him about to tell me about the gig, but he wasn't a very chatty type. What he did say, and was still angry about, was that according to him Kossoff had to pretty much ask permission from the band to play The Hunter, and they were reluctant and dismissive about it, He (Dave) felt they were not even worthy to be playing with the man, much less to be dictating what was played. I have no idea if there's any truth in his recollection, I've certainly not got that impression from any of the recordings I've heard, and I only mention it as a personal anecdote from over 40 years ago. But I'm sure Dave (not that Dave!) believed it to be true, but he did seem like a pretty angry guy.

Anyway, on to the concert itself.....

"What happened to his white guitar?" asks somebody standing close to the recorder.  Not a completely unreasonable question; the band's debut album wouldn't be released for another 4 months or so  (which doesn't seem like brilliant marketing to me) and the last Kossoff release was the solo album with the white Strat from 2 years before.

'The Band Plays On' starts the proceedings, sounding tight and assured. Kossoff's rhythm playing sounds very good, with the powerful chords in the chorus on the edge of feedback, and the odd fill ringing out in excellent style. The keyboard solo is unfortunately pretty much drowned out. Then Kossoff takes the first solo which he executes flawlessly. The song progresses to the "I wanna hear you play" build up, culminating in the second solo and again, it's flowing and effortless.   A million miles from those nights when Koss was playing okay but you could tell he was struggling to keep it together. It's as if he decided to demonstrate exactly how he'd developed as a guitarist since Free, laying it out for everybody, happy to be judged and confident in his ability.

The more up tempo 'Sidekick to the Stars' follows, and it starts off slightly clumsily, but things are soon organised with everybody performing well. Aggressive rhythm guitar, with superbly played fills and a frantic solo add to a song that is very well received by the audience. After the song, Sless introduces the band as they slide into 'Long Way Down to the Top'.

Koss pours on the fills with seemingly infinite sustain. The Phase shift solo works much better than the Croydon version with waves of sound burying the audience in molten Kossoff. The microphone struggles with the nature of Koss' playing here and the sound seriously drowns out the band, before possibly some manual adjustment to the recording levels improve things.

Sless gives his "recording in Cornwall" introduction to the 'Train Song' before Kossoff knocks out the riff, still in phase shift mode. This sounds like full on Koss (Free style) riff playing. A song that would perhaps fit in with the 'Free at Last' album very well. His playing is tasteful and inventive with some nice country inspired touches. Again, the audience respond enthusiastically. 

 Mike Montgommery takes over the lead vocal for 'Survivor' and there is more muscular rhythm guitar - although I'm not quite convinced about how well the keyboard rhythm playing works with such a powerful guitar sound. It's a bit like Rambo marching round the block accompanied by his elderly mother, nagging him about his unshaven chin, the fact that he needs to go clothes shopping, as well as his various other shortcomings.... There's a great full on solo with Kossoff effortlessly switching between fully committed rhythm and wailing lead guitar. The song ends powerfully with some great chords.

Sless introduces 'Jason Blue' and his "Had to have a taste" comment elicits an "Ooh Betty" response from  our intrepid recording crew, a reference to the 'Some Mother's Do 'ave 'em' TV series, for some reason. The keyboards sound much better here, and there's fine singing from Sless. The band mix is much better and this is a mature arrangement with the band working really well together. Koss lights it up again with some majestic playing in his solo, and I'm convinced if any Free fan was there, they'd have had nothing to grumble about with his playing, far from it. Again, very positively received by the audience.

'New York, New York' is next and the funny thing in this version of the song, once it gets going it sounds not so much "the city that never sleeps" as a really nice country rock vibe, more West Virginia than New York to my ear, but it sounds great, especially the guitar. Kossoff is clearly enjoying himself and throws in another spectacular ending.

At this point, there seem to be some microphone issues, and there's some fumbling around until somebody says, "How about 'Just for the Box'?". I am really glad they did, because dear reader, if you haven't heard this before, you are in for a treat. In fact, if on the strength of this review, you are wondering if I'm just gushing, and whether you should indeed obtain this recording, you can find this track on Youtube and judge for yourself. If you're like me, it'll take a couple of listens to properly appreciate it - but in my book, this is huge. The sound is awash with phase shift on chords in particular, in a good way. After he strums the "chorus" chords he fills out the sound with (I think) some arpeggio of that chord, and it sound huge, orchestral even. We're pretty much in Koss-cam mode, or rather Koss-mic mode here, it's like fate has descided to give us an up close study on his playing. More Koss than you could shake a repaired neck at. Although they're a fair way back, from what you can hear, the band are doing a great job of supporting him. I'm reminded of an interview with Kossoff when he described going to see Clapton and wondering if he still had his former ability: "That bastard's better than he ever was!" Seriously, his playing is superb, very assured and inventive. It's rather different from the esteemed studio version, but like Hendrix, this is a man who can take things to the limit of the particular situation he is in; recording studio or live venue, and tonight he's playing live, and he's had his three Shredded Wheat (and seemingly nothing else). This is a master at play. He throws in the Kitchen sink, dish washer, oven and ironing board, and they all land smack in the right place.

                           ['Just For The Box' Southend Audience recording]

 Kossoff does a quick tuning check and they're off with 'Stealing My Way'. The band sounds very good, as does Sless' vocal. The sound balance is better between Koss and the band here. Again some superb lead from Koss, giving a clear idea of the sort of sound he'd been moving towards since Free at Last. Sometimes molten and thick, sometimes incisive, always appropriate.

I always really liked Koss' lead playing on the studio version of 'All the Girls are Crazy'. They take it with a slightly more aggressive attitude here. Koss comes shrieking in on the first bit of lead, and keeps up the tension with some razor sharp playing, a short but very cool bit incorporating an open string with a fretted string and even throwing in some unison bends at one point, I believe. He's certainly not holding back.

'We Won' is another fine song, and I felt it was perhaps underated. Koss drives it along with some hard rock chord work. I don't think they'd fully ironed out the slower tempo sections, which are actually very nice, and the song sounds like it had massive potential. In the slow section here with the solo it sounds like some extra improvisation is going on, but whatever the case, it's an environment that Koss thrives in and he sounds very good.  

There are calls for 'Songs of Yesterday' and 'Wednesday Morning' (!). But the band go into 'Molten Gold'. I never fully clicked with the song, personally. The original just sounded too sad for me, and perhaps not quite finished. The BSC studio version didn't quite reach the songs potential either, for me, but this version works really well,with some extra bite to it.  Less defeated, more resolute and indefatigable. In short, less sad, more defiant. The band (though difficult to hear) are doing a solid job, Mike Montgomery's keyboards working nicely with the guitar riff. There's tons of power and spirit in Koss' rhythm playing and a poignant mid song solo and fine playing in general. He goes into full wail in the song's extended finish, and the ending itself is Epic. It must have been awesome to witness.

And so to 'The Hunter'. Comparisons seem inevitable... so, okay, this is perhaps a bit too plonk, plonk, plonk and fast paced for me in the rhythm department. Sless sounds good in a less is more way. Koss is playing very well and gets off a fine initial solo but later, I suspect something is going on, on stage or he gets distracted, he goes out of key for a rather "curious" section, then sorts it out, and the song ends really well, to enthusiastic applause as the band say goodnight. The call for an encore is sustained, insistent and passionate.

Finally the band return with 'Bird Dog Blues', based around 'Steppin' Out' from the Mayall/Clapton Beano album, something very close to Koss' heart, I would think. There's some fairly outlandish playing here, with Koss employing some of those fast licks and staccato picking he started using around this time, amongst his more usual lyrical playing. There's another slightly alarming departure from key, and an ending that sounded a bit like a Hendrix guitar sacrifice. I think it's a "you had to be there" moment. The audience are certainly delighted and appreciative.

And that is the end of the concert. I hope you'll seek it out and judge for yourself, as you can probably tell, I thought it was an outstanding performance. I didn't know there was any live material as good as this, full of energy and confidence, as it is. This isn't a case of "He sounds as good as he was in '70/'71". This is Paul Francis Kossoff in 1975, with the development and refinements that he'd made over those years..... on a really good night.

It is, for me, a performance I will turn to on those anniversaries and occasions when I want to remember, in his words, what a "bastard" of a guitarist the guy was, and what a massive potential he had. Perhaps you'll feel the same way. I hope so.

Photographs © Dick Polak & Michael Putland