Alexis Korner Kornerstoned: Anthology 1958-1983 CD - Import

Gravel-voiced Alexis Korner is arguably the most important figure in the history of British blues - the inspiration for several generations of star musicians, from The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin & beyond. This first-ever full-career retrospective spans everything from mid-50s skiffle to his final blues outings, via groundbreaking 60s R&B & his pop hits with CCs in the 70s. Two CD set. Castle. 2005.

While MUSICALLY RICH...AND FAMOUS documents the second half of British blues godfather Alexis Korner's career, KORNERSTONED adopts a more comprehensive approach, following the pioneering singer/guitarist from the very beginning of his musical life, all the way through every subsequent phase of his development. So we get not only his mid-1960s work with burgeoning blues-rock giants like Paul Rodgers and Steve Marriott, but also his `50s skiffle recordings (basically the British version of jug-band music) with the Ken Colyer band and his own skiffle group, and even an early acoustic guitar duel with famed fingerpicker Davey Graham on "3/4 A.D." Over the course of its two discs, this collection examines pretty much every aspect of this seminal bandleader's historic career.
Although his name may not be as instantly recognizable stateside as Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin, Alexis Korner played an enormously large role in helping launch the British blues explosion of the '60s. After all, such soon-to-be household names as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ginger Baker, and Robert Plant either recorded with Korner, or credit the singer/guitarist as an early inspiration to follow their blues calling. The double-disc. 40-plus-track Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1954-1983 chronicles Korner's entire recording career, from Alexis Korner Skiffle Group in the early '50s, to fronting various bands later in the '50s and throughout the '60s (as Alex Korner's Blues Incorporated, Alex Korner's Blues All Stars, etc.), all of which are included here. Individual standouts include the recently unearthed "Steal Away," which features a 20-year-old Robert Plant (evidence that he had his whole "shrieking sex god" thing down -- even pre-Zeppelin), as well as a laid-back yet funky cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Mighty-Mighty Spade & Whitey" (credited to New Church), which features Free's then-lead singer Paul Rodgers on vocals. Also included is a mostly instrumental cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" (which long served as the theme music for the popular British TV show Top of the Pops), as well as another laid-back funk-rock cover, "The Gambler." Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1954-1983 is a fitting testament to one of rock's most oft-overlooked yet important figures. ~ Greg Prato