Best known for having replaced Bryce Portius as one of Savoy Brown's original lead singers, during his tour of duty with the band Chris Youlden rivaled Kim Simmonds in serving as the band's focal point. In addition to being blessed with a voice that was perfectly suited for the band's bluesy rock moves, his reputation wasn't hurt by his onstage attire - often a bowler and monocle, or a tux. It also didn't hurt that Youlden was a capable writer, responsible for penning roughly half of Savoy's classic early-'70s material.
Unhappy with Savoy Brown's constant touring and drift towards what he considered to be mindless boogie, in May 1970, Youlden tendered his resignation. He effectively vanished for the next three years, unexpectedly reappeared in 1973 signed by London Records as a solo act (coincidently Savoy Brown's label). Produced by Barry Murray, 1973's "Nowhere Road" was notable for the fact it bore little resemblance to his Savoy Brown catalog. With Youlden penning all eleven tracks, material such as 'Chink of Sanity' and 'Mama Don't Talk So Loud' retained a bluesy base, but injected a distinctively sinewy funky edge into selections such as the title track (boasting a great guitar solo), 'One October Day' (with some tasty horns) and the blazing 'Cryin' In the Road'. Chris Spedding and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan provided sterling support throughout. A commercial disappointment, the set barely charted, peaking at #210. (Sporting one of the year's ugliest covers certainly didn't help sales.) The lack of sales was unfortunate since Youlden's instantly recognizable voice remained in prime form. Without wanting it to sound like hype, had Savoy Brown recorded an album this good, they would've been stars ... A fantastic debut album that I play over and over !!!
Having listened to 1974's "City Child" dozens of times over the years, I'm still on the fence in terms of my final opinion. Youlden had a great blues voice and was capable of writing classic material. Unlike the debut album, on his second solo release the results were kind of hit-or-miss. Part of the problem may have been associated with the fact this time around Youlden handled production duties depriving himself of an independent second set of ears. Self-produced, the ten original tunes were more varied than his debut, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. While the bluesy 'Little Cog In a Big Wheel', 'Love and Pain' and 'It Ain't for Real' recalled his Savoy Brown-styled roots, 'Conjure Wife' was an out-out-out rocker, while 'Born and Raised In the City' and 'Keep Your Lamp Lit' were actually funky (in a mid-'70s Boz Scaggs kind of way). Best of the lot was the haunting rocker 'Spare Change'. Not as instantly likeable as the debut, but the set's grown on me over the years.
Credits:
Chris Youlden - Vocals
Joy Yates - Vocals
Pete Wingfield - Keyboards
Derek Griffiths - Guitar
Jack Mills - Guitar
Rosko Gee - Bass
Terry Stannard - Drums
John Beecham - Trombone
Dave Caswell - Trumpet
Michael Cotton - Trumpet
Nick Newell - Saxophone
Anna Peacock - Backing Vocals
Suzanne Lynch - Backing Vocals
Tracklist:
01. Conjure Wife 03:41
02. Born And Raised In The City 04:01
03. The Morning Light 03:22
04. Keep Your Lamp Lit 03:29
05. Little Cog In A Big Wheel 03:54
06. Peace Of Mind 03:34
07. Walking The Streets Again 02:31
08. Spare Change 03:45
09. Love And Pain 05:50
10. It Ain't For Real 03:15
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