LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

For over five decades Chas McDevitt has been a key figure in British popular music. In common with the legendary Lonnie Donegan, Chas was a major player in the mid-50s skiffle phenomenon and is now widely regarded as official custodian for the genre he helped bring to the fore. 1972 saw the release of their first President album comprising contemporary and vintage material, and in 1976, as the Rock’n’Roll revival took hold, Chas turned in Takes Ya Back, Don’t It, a nostalgic tribute to the influences that had inspired him.With 29 tracks - more than half of which make their CD debut here - Freight Train Takes Ya Back! brings together two albums’ worth of recordings taken from 1972’s Old, New, Borrowed And Blue and the aforementioned TYBDI, with a selection of lesser-heard bonus tracks drawn from Chas McDevitt’s mid-60s’ Columbia period. This stunning package also includes the 1972 reworking of Freight Train, rated by Chas as his best version to date. Under the musical direction of Gus Galbraith, their first album showcases a variety of songs from pop hits of the day such as Rose Garden and Everything I Own to folk standards such as Tom Dooley and Walk Right In, whilst TYBDI revives rock’n’roll favourites such as Kansas City, Bloodshot Eyes and the skiffle anthem Rock Island Line amongst others, with Chas ably assisted by session stalwarts Joe Brown and Wizz Jones to name but two. Boasting superior packaging, bonus tracks, detailed liner notes, rare photos and memorabilia, Freight Train Takes Ya Back! is the first time both of Chas McDevitt’s President albums have been available in their entirety on one CD - a must for all fans of this trailblazing skiffle great.
Track listing: Takes Ya Back, Don’t It1. Bloodshot Eyes2. Thirty Days3. Peggy Sue4. La Bamba5. Crazy World6. Freight Train7. Walk Right In8. Cottonfields9. San Francisco Bay10. Rock Island Line11. Tom Dooley12. Wabash Cannonballfrom: Old, New, Borrowed & Blue 13. Rose Garden14. Everything I Own15. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face16. Kansas City17. I Could Say18. La Bamba (1972 version)19. Walk Right In (1972 version) 20. Mummy Out The Light21. She’ll Be There22. Snowbird23. Try To Remember24. Freight Train (1972 version)Bonus Tracks25. Don’t Blame Me26. Don’t Believe Them27. When The Good Times Come 28. Can It Be Love29. One Love