"RONNIE LANE'S SLIM CHANCE" 1974-1975

Since nobody has reviewed this fine collection of songs, let me be the first to highly recommend it. This album includes all but two songs from Lane's '74 and '75 albums, "Slim Chance" and "One For the Road." Like Billy Bragg says, the former (Small) Faces bassist got about as close to that old-timey sound that the Band had as anyone else from Britain did. This collection finds Lane with a great big group of acoustic and electric instrument players, digging into blues, folk, Americana, British folk, and everything else you can imagine, as long as it has some tradition. Overall, this is uptempo music--not quite as loose-cannon as the Faces, but definitely optimistic and meant for a good time. My personal favorites include the reincarnation tale, "Stone," "You Never Can Tell," the sweet groove that "Don't Try To Change My Mind" works up, and the rollicking unison sing along of "One For The Road." The instruments perfectly fit each song--mandolins, fiddle, acoustic guitar, dobro, whatever fits the barroom mood. Lane's a great, underrated songwriter--under the veneer of the good-time rockers is some real reflective writing, an independent spirit as well as a unique, understated voice (his growl sometimes reminds me of his friend Roy Harper). The only downside to this beefy one-disc collection is that, in order to fit the bulk of both albums on, 2 tracks had to be cut ("Single Saddle" from Slim Chance, and "Snake" from One for The Road). This probably only bothers obsessive music collectors like me--most people would be happy to get the excellent platter of tunes served up by this album. Plus, it beats buying both albums individually, since they're both out of print and much more expensive than this combo. Highly recommended to fans of the Band, the Faces, Rod Stewart's early solo records, and generally to people who like good-time rock that digs deep into roots. Enjoy! (Amazon)trax:
01 Little Piece Of Nothing 02 Stone 03 Bottle Of Brandy 04 Street Gang 05 Anniversary 06 Im Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter 07 I'm Just A Country Boy 08 Ain't No Lady 09 Blue Monday 10 Give Me A Penny 11 You Never Can Tell 12 Tin And Tambourine 13 Don't Try And Change My Mind 14 32nd Street 15 Burnin' Summer 16 One For The Road 17 Steppin' And Reelin' (The Wedding) 18 Harvest Home 19 Nobody' Listenin' 20 G'morning
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