LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Label: Mason Records

This 2-in-1 CD brings together the two studio albums recorded by Back Street Crawler, the band formed by former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. The Band Plays On has the loose, soulful confidence of musicians coming out of the British blues-rock tradition, with Kossoff’s guitar woven through songs that are more song-based and groove-oriented than Free’s heaviest moments.

Second Street followed in 1976 and carries a more reflective, bittersweet weight, partly because it became Kossoff’s final studio album appearance. With John “Rabbit” Bundrick joining the line-up, the music moves deeper into American-flavoured blues rock, soul and hard rock, giving the band a fuller and more mature sound. Heard together, the two albums form a compact but important chapter in Kossoff’s post-Free story.

The Band Plays On

1. Who Do Woman – 3:37
2. New York, New York – 4:05
3. Stealing My Way – 4:12
4. Survivor – 3:29
5. It's A Long Way Down To The Top – 5:57
6. All The Girls Are Crazy – 3:30
7. Jason Blue – 4:28
8. Train Song – 4:32
9. Rock & Roll Junkie – 3:12
10. The Band Plays On – 5:01

11. Selfish Lover – 3:25
12. Blue Soul – 3:46
13. Stop Doing What You're Doing – 3:23
14. Raging River – 3:13
15. Some Kind Of Happy – 4:59
16. Sweet Beauty – 3:14
17. Just For You – 6:20
18. On Your Life – 3:55
19. Leaves In The Wind – 5:12