Easy Rider

If Alexis Korner were here in 2011 to see this double-CD set, he likely would be astonished -- the British blues pioneer did become well known in the '60s, putting together amplified blues outfits that spawned the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Pretty Things, Cream, et. al, and becoming a familiar exponent of blues on the BBC. But this set is devoted to Korner's early acoustic work from the mid-'50s, when he labored -- often teamed with his longtime music collaborator Cyril Davies -- in near-complete obscurity. At that time, homegrown blues barely existed (and then mostly in an American folk context), and while Big Bill Broonzy had paid some celebrated calls on the British public in mid-decade, it wouldn't be until three years later (when Broonzy was already gone) before a real audience was established in England for the music. And here is Korner strumming seemingly for dear life, trying (and succeeding to a surprising degree) to sound authentically African-American -- the first disc has the bracing directness of a soul finding liberation in this sound -- and not just Korner, either, Cyril Davies, who is featured on much of this, is similarly exuberant. On a technical musical level, much of it might sound primitive or overly clean and polite, especially compared to what some American bluesmen were doing with this repertory ("Boll Weevil," "Ella Speed," etc.) at the time, but there's a verve and excitement in the playing and, to a lesser degree, the singing that bridges those gaps and makes this essential listening, even for those who may take a jaundiced view of British blues. And some of it may sound too close to folk music, especially to those who associate Korner exclusively with his relationship to the Rolling Stones et. al. But this is how and where it all started, 16 tracks worth that have just enough raw honesty in the man's own expressiveness to justify the purchase. Disc One closes with -- and Disc Two is made up of -- Korner and Cyril Davies as accompanists for other artists (Beryl Bryden, Ken Colyer, Guy Carawan). Those recordings are more derivative and commercial, and less interesting, though they retain some entertainment value, and they do fill in the picture on Korner's early years very handily. The annotation is a bit thin, but the sound quality is excellent, and considering the sheer rarity of many of these sides, this set is a bargain several times over.