Ones That Got Away 2 – Geoff Everett

Ones That Got Away 2 – Geoff Everett

As we’ve said before, our bi-monthly magazine, cram-packed with 132 pages of Blues news, features and reviews bursts at the seams with content. So much so that some articles burst out and can’t fit in the issue! Thus our second article that jumped our distinguished pages and couldn’t be put back in is a review of an album by a Bluesman with a sense of humour, and a sense of the Blues too. Geoff does, though, take his studio time very seriously, as can be seen from the accompanying picture.

We give you Geoff Everett and a review of his album “The Quick and the Dead”.

Following a few licks resembling an AC/DC intro, Geoff’s album gets off to a fine start with some fluting harmonica from Alan Glen of The Barcodes, whose work, sometimes subtle, sometimes powerful, shines throughout. The excellent opening song, ‘If you can’t fight, wear a big hat’, sets the tone: always fun, frequently fast and sometimes furious. Geoff has clearly read the Blues rule book that says you can either play guitar like an old guy on a porch, or like Stevie Ray Vaughan… it is probably proving useful hanging in strips in Geoff’s loo. Instead, there is plenty of variety here, and some classy input from guest musicians including Albert Lee.

Taking a few of the songs, we go from Geoff’s Big Hat into ‘Forty Days on the Road’, a nice slower, yet pounding number with some good backing vocals. Then onto ‘Lost at Sea’, a touch of Gary Moore guitar meeting a Gerry Rafferty melody, with even better vocals from Mollie Marriott alongside Geoff. ‘Bad bad man’ features a truly epic harmonica solo and the slide guitar work is swift, reminiscent of JB Hutto. Geoff appears to have smuggled Angus Young in to play on the headbanging song ‘Airflow Blues’, and follows up with a complete shock, a ballad with a Gospel feel, his vocals sounding like Steve Harley, and some great sax from Gary Barnacle. This album is a very good listen throughout and can be recommended to anyone who has an open mind, a liking for something a bit different, and who loves good slide guitar and Blues harmonica.

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