Chris Farlowe Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
Veteran British soul man Chris Farlowe, who turned 68 shortly before the release of this album, his first new studio recording in five years, is more than four decades removed from his brief period as a U.K. pop star in the mid-'60s, and he has long since reverted to the bluesy style he had used before then, back in the days of Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds, before "Out of Time" gave him his only chart-topper. On Hotel Eingang, he leads an effective guitar/organ/bass/drums quartet, with some occasional horns, background vocals, and a harmonica joining in. The songs either sound like old electric blues and R&B numbers or really are. "It Should've Been Me," which was a Top Five R&B hit for Ray Charles in 1954 but could've been one for the Coasters, gets a workout, for instance. On the other hand, "I've Got Your Love" comes from the pen of Boz Scaggs, who is closer to Farlowe's age, and dates from only 1997, while "Fog on the Highway" is an original by the band's guitarist, Miller Anderson, and is a statement of purpose for this journeyman performer and his accompanists. Farlowe is sometimes described as sounding like the American R&B singers who were his models, but with his foggy, phlegmy, occasionally gritty voice, he is more suggestive of other, better known British singers of his generation, say a cross between Gary Brooker from Procol Harum and Joe Cocker. Hotel Eingang is not an album that is going to re-establish him as a star, but it may assure listeners (especially in Europe, where he plays primarily) that a night out seeing him in a club is likely to be an enjoyable experience. (The title track is actually a comic reminiscence by Farlowe of his first trip to Hamburg in 1961, and to get the punch line it is necessary to know that "Hotel Eingang" means "hotel entrance" in German. In the story, the young Farlowe supposes it to be the name of his hotel when he gets lost.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Still possessed of one of the crunchiest growls in rock, Chris Farlowe divides his time these days between the sporadically re-formed Colosseum and a solo career that just won't quit. Hungary for the Blues spotlights the latter, a live set recorded at the Gastroblues Festival Parks in Hungary (hence the awful pun of the CD title) back in 2000, and it's as powerful a representation of his live show as you could hope for. Spinning back and forth throughout his career, the repertoire hits all the high spots. "Out of Time," "Handbags and Gladrags," and a terrific take on the Small Faces' "All or Nothing" spin him back to the days when he was a bona fide pop star; a clutch of bluesier numbers (a deliciously protracted "Stormy Monday," "This Guitar Don't Lie," "Lonesome Road") exemplify the music that he's always loved the best; and Randy Newman's "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" and Glenn Frey's "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed" remind listeners just what a great ear for a song Farlowe's always had. It's a terrific-sounding disc, all the more so if you can listen to it just a few decibels below the pain threshold. Farlowe's vinyl recordings have always lacked a certain something; they have never truly captured the might and magic that goes into his performance. Hungary for the Blues, on the other hand, smells of hard-rocking sweat before you ever open the jewel case. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Born Again was the second phase of Chris Farlowe's return to recording after almost a decade away from his own career -- the production is more opulent than the sound on its predecessor, Out of the Blue, but he still holds his own as the blackest-sounding white soul singer most of us have ever heard. The title track, "One Night Stand," and "Never Too Old to Rock" are the highlights, but there's not a bad song here, with Farlowe in top form. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Out of the Blue marked Chris Farlowe's return to American soul music and blues, after a decade-long hiatus caused by a road accident injury and a series of gigs with other players. It was as though he'd picked up right where he'd left off at Immediate Records in 1970, without skipping a beat -- opening with Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious," he sounds so American and so black that listeners could still do double-takes after 20 years in the spotlight for the singer. "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" are among the best cuts, but the whole album is worthwhile and then some. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'From Here to Mama Rosa'
Release Date 1/1/1970
Tracks 9
Label Polydor
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What The Critics Say
Following the dissolution of Immediate Records, Chris Farlowe cut this album with the band the Hill, which was comprised of Bruce Waddell on bass, Colin Davey on drums, Peter Robinson on keyboards, Steve Hammond -- late of Fat Mattress -- on guitar. with Paul Buckmaster (the same man who arranged the accompaniment on albums by Elton John, among others) filling in the last spot on cello. The results were a strange but beautiful amalgam of bluesy hard rock and progressive rock, highlighted by "Black Sheep" and "Mama Rosa" (a song about a drug dealer). It was all a new style for Farlowe -- a British soul shouter who was good enough to share billing with Otis Redding on the latter's Ready, Steady, Go debut -- and one that worked astonishingly well, and served as something of a bridge to his work with Colosseum. He shares the spotlight here with a very busy organist (with lots of cadenzas) and an extremely talented guitarist, but it all holds together and, in fact, is some of the most powerful progressive rock you're likely ever to hear. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Paint It Farlowe was one of several compilations of Chris Farlowe's work released late in the history of Immediate Records, as the label sought to exploit one of their relatively few major artists by recycling his past work. In this instance, it was a U.S. release, offered through distributor Columbia Records and a chance for American fans to buy "Out of Time" and Farlowe's soul covers from the two prior albums and various singles and EPs. It wasn't a bad album -- in fact, most of what's here is better than good -- but it was a little bit late, coming at a point where the audience for soul music was splintering amid late-era psychedelia and other rival sounds. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'The Art of Chris Farlowe'
Release Date 1/1/1966
Tracks 14
Label Immediate
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What The Critics Say
Chris Farlowe's second Immediate Records LP (and his second album of 1966) was probably generated more by Andrew Oldham's need for ready cash than any real need for a second long-player -- he'd had a number one hit with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' "Out of Time" and an accompanying LP was the way to go; luckily, he had the pipes and the inspiration to pull it off. He roars out of the starting gate with a sizzling rendition of "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted" and "We're Doing Fine," but then Oldham had him look in-house for a song, "Life Is but Nothing" by Skinner and Rose (aka Twice as Much) (which isn't nearly as strong as their "You're so Good to Me," also here), and threw on two too many additional Jagger/Richards songs, in the violin-laden "Paint It Black" and the lightweight "Yesterday's Papers" ("I'm Free," by contrast, does work), interspersed with the harder "Open the Door to Your Heart," "It Was Easier to Hurt Her," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," and "Reach Out I'll Be There," and even the Farlowe co-authored "Cuttin' In." Except for the two weaker Jagger/Richards covers (we'll forgive "Out of Time," as it sort of had to be here) and the one Skinner/Rose miscalculation, this is as strong a soul album as Farlowe's debut, and only somewhat diluted from that perfection, at the weak points. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'14 Things to Think About'
Release Date 1/1/1966
Tracks 14
Label Immediate
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What The Critics Say
Chris Farlowe's debut LP for Immediate Records actually offers one a lot to think about and even more to enjoy, while pondering how this white Englishman could pour forth such convincing gutbucket soul. One of the finest soul albums to come out of England (or anywhere else) that year, 14 Things to Think About, was spawned by Farlowe's successful U.K. charting -- albeit at a low level -- with his version of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' "Think." The latter opens the LP about as strongly as any record issued in England that year, the horns and the beat and Farlowe all giving us a very vivid idea of how Otis Redding might've handled the song in Memphis. The other material here is a decidedly mixed bag, ranging from the Kander & Ebb "My Colouring Book," Ira and George Gershwin's "Summertime," and the Bacharach/David "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" to Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" -- every track here is worth hearing, though the Kander & Ebb number comes close to not working; and on the Bacharach and Dylan songs, and "Lipstick Traces," "Don't Play That Song," "Looking for You," "Why Don't You Change Your Ways," and "My Girl Josephine," it's very easy to forget that one is listening to a white vocalist working out of England. It was to be Farlowe's most consistent and -- apart from a cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday" -- his most exciting album, and his purest soul album. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
