What an album! Not to take anything away from Van Morrison but if you lived on the NW side of Chicago, or in the NW suburbs in the Mid-60's, this was THE version of "Gloria." I don't want to analyze it too much but I think by taking the organ out, The Shadows made it a bit more primitive. - amazon![Shadows-Of-Knight-gloria-1.jpg]()
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. - AllMusic Review by Cub Koda![Shadows-Of-Knight-gloria-2.jpg]()
trax:
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. - AllMusic Review by Cub Koda
trax:01 Gloria 02 LightBulb Blues 03 I Got My Mojo Working 04 Dark Side 05 Boom Boom 06 Let It Rock 07 Oh Yeah 08 It Always Happens That Way 09 You Can't Judge A Book (By The Cover) 10 (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man 11 I Just Want To Make Love To You 12 Someone Like Me