After 1970's
Looking In album, Peverett,
Roger Earl, and
Tony Stevens left to form
Foghat, leaving
Kim Simmonds with yet another dilemma. But for
Simmonds, things went a little smoother than he might have imagined, picking up piano player
Paul Raymond, bassman Andy Silvester, and drummer
Dave Bidwell, all from
Chicken Shack. He also hired singer
Dave Walker, who was the former frontman with
the Idle Race, and together the new lineup recorded
Street Corner Talking, one of
Savoy Brown's finest moments. Gelling almost instantaneously,
Walker's cozy yet fervent voice countered with
Simmonds' strong, sturdy guitar playing, and an exuberant mixture of British blues and boogie rock prevailed. All of
Street Corner Talking's efforts are solid examples of the group's blues-rock power, from the slick cover of
Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" to the deep feel of "All I Can Do" to the subtle strength of "Tell Mama,"
Walker's best-sung tune. The album's blend of sultry guitar blues and upfront rock & roll flavor give it a multi-faceted appeal, with every musician contributing his talents uniformly, which is something that's rather difficult to achieve after there's been a wholesale change to the personnel. Although they stayed together for the
Hellbound Train album,
Silvester was replaced by
Andy Pyle for 1972's Lion's Share release, and a year after that
Walker left to join
Fleetwood Mac. ~ Mike DeGagne