Released By: Angel Air Music
Genre: Classic Rock
Links : http://www.angelair.co.uk/sjpcd328.htm
Lineup:
John Fiddler – Guitar, Vocals
Morgan Fisher – Synths, Pianos
Dale Griffin – Drums
Ray Majors – Vocals, Guitar
Pete Watts – Bass
Tracklist:
1. One More Chance To Run
2. Fork Talkin’ Man
3. Break this Fool
4. Come On
5. International Heroes
6. My Life In Your Hands
7. Love Now
8. Wild In The Streets
9. Booster
10. Medley
11. Eat The Rich
12. One More Chance to Run (Demo)
13. Wild In The Streets (Demo)
14. Booster (Demo)
BRITISH LIONS were a band that was formed from the ashes of classic rockers MOTT, who of course formed from the remnants of Ian Hunter’s MOTT THE HOOPLE. When Ian Hunter decided to leave MOTT THE HOOPLE, the remaining members chose to ‘drive on’ without him (pun intended) as the refreshed and renamed MOTT. MOTT’S first album was a bit of a flop but they certainly came into their own on their second release SHOUTING AND POINTING, which is regarded as being equal to anything from the HOOPLE days. Once again the band found themselves without a lead singer and opted for Folk Rock hippie JOHN FIDDLER, who changed his entire persona to take his shot at fronting a rock band. With a new singer and a new direction the band was renamed once again to BRITISH LIONS. Two albums were released under this moniker, the self-titled debut which is a highly regarded British classic rock album, and the follow-up album TROUBLE WITH WOMEN, an album that even members of the band admit was very ordinary.
This new album, recorded live in San Francisco back in 1978 for a one-off radio broadcast is seeing the light of day for the first time. The first thing I noticed about the album was how good the sound quality is for something that was recorded so long ago, each instrument is clearly audible and individually prominent when required.
The band is in fine form on this release and you can hear why there was a buzz around them at the time, especially when you hear the crowd while the band bring out the favorite songs. There is also a three bonus tracks that are demo versions of some of the bands most popular songs, which while some good additions to die-hard fans, aren’t really necessary if you have to full versions of them anywhere.
The usual ANGEL AIR treatment has been given to the release with a great booklet that features informative sleeve notes and also a picture of the gig poster used to promote the event. If you are a follower of MOTT THE HOOPLE or any of the side bands that were created from them, this a great album to have in your collection and serves as a stark reminder of how good the British Rock of the era was.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating: 8/10
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