Shadows Of Knight - Gloria (1966)

Shadows Of Knight - Gloria (1966)
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Biography by Richie Unterberger
"The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds took the Chicago Blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch." The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate. Although this mid-'60s garage band from the Windy City did not match the excellence of either their British or African-American idols, the teen energy of their recordings remains enjoyable, if not overwhelmingly original. The group took a tamer version of Them's classic "Gloria" into the American Top Ten in 1966, and also took a Yardbirdized version of Bo Diddley's "Oh Yeah" into the Top 40 the same year. Their patchy albums contained a few exciting R&B covers in the Yardbirds/Stones style and a few decent originals in the same vein. The group's original lineup splintered quickly, and the Shadows faded in the late '60s after briefly pursuing a more commercial pop sound. Vocalist Jim Sohns continued fronting various incarnations of the band and was ultimately arrested in 1980, although he only served a three-year sentence for drug charges. In the years that followed, the Shadows of Knight enjoyed something of a comeback as several labels reissued their material, and Sohns pieced together a new touring lineup. Shows with the Romantics and Cheap Trick followed, as did the release of two new albums: 2007's A Knight to Remember and 2008's Rock 'n' Roll Survivors.

Review by Cub Koda
Although revisionist historians will claim that any Shadows of Knight best-of that includes "Gloria" will cover just about everything you'll ever need on this Chicago punk band (and usually acting as if Van Morrison's and Them's original was the actual hit -- wrong), true believers have long championed their two original albums for the Dunwich label, especially their debut long-player named after their big hit. Why? Simply because it positively rocks with a raw energy of a band straight out of the teen clubs, playing with a total abandon and an energy level that seems to explode out of the speakers. Equal parts Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, and snotty little Chicago-suburb bad boys, the Shadows of Knight could easily put the torch to Chess blues classics, which make up the majority of the songs included here. Their wild takes on "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Oh Yeah," and "I Got My Mojo Working" rank right up there with any British Invasion band's version from the same time period. Original material was never plentiful on either SOK long-player, but worth checking out are "Light Bulb Blues," the blues ballad "Dark Side," and the why-me? rocker "It Always Happens That Way." Completing the package is the inclusion of three bonus tracks, the single-only "Someone Like Me" and an alternate version, and "I Got My Mojo Working," which is vastly superior to the take on the original album. A not-too-vastly-different alternate mix of "Oh Yeah" completes the bonus tracks, although the original album version is curiously missing from this otherwise excellent package. Nonetheless, a reissue well worth adding to the collection. If you're only going to own one Shadows of Knight package, you could, and should, start right here.


Tracklisting:
01.Gloria 2:34
02.Light Bulb Blues 2:32
03.I Got My Mojo Working 3:28
04.Darkside 2:00
05.Boom Boom 2:28
06.Let It Rock 1:52
07.Oh Yeah 2:45
08.It Always Happens That Way 1:52
09.You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover 2:37
10.(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man 3:52
11.I Just Want to Make Love to You 3:49
12.Oh Yeah 2:45
13.I Got My Mojo Working 3:14
14.Someone Like Me 2:18

The Shadows Of Knight:
Joe Kelley - Guitar
Jerry McGeorge - Guitar (Rhythm)
Jim Sohns - Vocals
Tom Schiffour - Drums
Warren Rogers - Bass