The Shadows of Knight are a blues rock band from Chicago who play in the style of English blues rock bands, but they add a Chicago flavor to it. This particular album reached number 46 in the US Hot 100 list, with the title-track reaching number 10 as a single. The band only had one original member by mid-1967, after which different variations of the band fronted by vocalist John Sohns continued to play for decades. Just in 2016, the surviving members of the original band reunited for the first time in 49 years, and just this year in 2020, some of the original members teamed up to release their first single in 53 years. I can’t remember when or how I came across this album, but I’m pretty stoked to give it a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Gloria” is a cover of the hit tune written in 1964 by Van Morrison, and immediately comes on with the vocals really getting things grooving right away. I really dig the bass line in this one. There’s a really raw garage rock sound to the instrumentation. I really dig how the guitar almost takes a laid back approach compared to the original version from Them. It’s still got that energy that makes me want to turn up the song even louder, however. Holy smokes, the drums at the end are awesome.
Oh wow, “Light Bulb Blues” has a super groovy feel to it. The bass tone has an almost smooth crunch to it, with a light distortion from turning the amp up all the way to 11. I really dig the sound to this one – it really does remind me a fair amount of bands like The Animals and the earlier work of The Rolling Stones, really giving that English blues sound a Chicago flavor.
“I Got My Mojo Working” has a really groovy flavor to it right away, with the guitar and bass swapping locations in the soundscape from the previous song. Oh wow, the vocals are really served up quite nicely in the center. Wow, the flavor from the vocals is super awesome with a bluesy garage rock sort of vibe. Oh wow, this bass line walking up and down the song while the lead guitar really adds some great flavor with a little solo. I love the rhythm of the second guitar providing a nice sturdy, reliable little riff that the song churns about. Wow, the vocals have some immense flavor in them, which is promptly joined with some great blues rock soloing from the electric guitar. Wow, this song is groovy. Oh wow, the outro is super flavorful too.
“Dark Side” has an interesting, slow guitar part that begins the tune, creating a nice space for a bluesy ballad to come on. Holy smokes, the guitar is absolutely awesome. There’s a really sweet tremelo-like effect to the guitar work for the most part, but it comes on for some really flavorful licks. Oh wow, this song is incredibly flavorful.
“Boom Boom” starts out with some super flavorful guitar work for this John Lee Hooker cover. Dang, this is absolutely awesome. If you enjoy garage rock, this album is definitely one you might want to check out. Wow, the guitar work with that pulsating drum and bass is absolutely awesome. There’s some great blues rock here served with a great garage rock energy.
“Let It Rock” is super tasty right away. It’s one of my favorite Jerry Garcia covers of Chuck Berry. This version has some energy that absolutely doesn’t quit for anything. That bluesy harmonica combined with the hectic energy of the bass line channeled into an unstoppable force in this tune is absolutely delicious.
“Oh Yeah” is a cover of the song by Ellas McDaniel, and it brings back some more of that super bluesy sound served up with some garage rock energy. The chorus background vocals have been super awesome, as scantily used as they are, both in this song and wherever else they appear in the album. The raw energy from both the electric guitar and the drum kit is absolutely infectious, yet it never seems to really resolve, instead choosing to fold back into that bluesy feel and only furthering the flavor of the song.
“It Always Happens That Way” is an original by the band, but it’s got that classic bluesy feel much like the cover songs on the album. I really dig the fuzz on the lead guitar on this one, while the rhythm guitar has a super mild, clean tone on the opposite side of the soundscape that really complements the song really well. Wow, the quick drum break was short-lived but incredibly flavorful.
“You Can’t Judge a Book” is a Willie Dixon song, but the band does the song a ton of justice by giving that bluesy playing a garage rock feel to it – the overall feel is a really sweet mixture of bluesy flavors with garage rock energy. This album has flown by – though the songs are relatively short, being this near to the last track on the album is pretty incredible. All of these tunes don’t feel overplayed by one moment at all, and a lot of the time they leave me at the edge of my seat wanting more. Great version of this cover.
‘Hoochie Coochie Man” is basically the classic blues rock riff that I would guess anybody might be able to recognize, even if they can’t name the tune. The harmonica makes another appearance on this one, providing some even more bluesy flavor to this one, which the guitar is already providing in immense amounts. Wow, this tune really gets down with that bluesy feel, yet keeps things moving at a slightly faster pace than normal (I think, at least) with that garage rock energy. I love the tone of the rhythm guitar work on this one – it’s got an almost elevated feeling. The vocals are reminding me even a bit of Pete Townshend from The Who a bit. Great tune.
“I Just Want to Make Love to You” is another Dixon cover, and this one starts out with incredibly high garage rock energy. In fact, this one might even start to lean more on the garage rock side of the blues to garage rock spectrum that this band seems to play with. I really dig the percussion on this one – there’s some shakers that give a different dimension to the playing in this one. Holy smokes, the bass guitar comes out of nowhere with some incredible soloing. Oh wow, now there’s some feedback coming from one of the instruments, really adding to the chaotic garage rock energy. Oh wow, everything starts coming together in a super chaotic manner, building up quite a bit of energy as the song starts to near the end. The electric guitar comes on to start relieving some of that tension that built up with some squealing high notes. Everything somehow finds its way back to the beginning part of the song, which is when the drums start steering the band in for a landing. The band finishes off on a super flavorful note in which the chaotic energy finally subsides for a nearly peaceful finish. Awesome song to end the album with.
Wow, this album is pretty sweet. I’m thinking I might have to get it on vinyl. The Shadows of Knight undoubtedly bring that English blues sound to Chicago, and serve it all up with a garage rock vibe. I’ll definitely be listening to some of these songs again in the coming days. If you enjoy blues rock and/or garage rock at all, this is definitely an album to consider checking out. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A