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Never Stop Rockin’: CARLO LITTLE's SOLO CD
Carlo Little's cd "Never Stop Rockin'" was finally released on 12 January 2009 by Angel Air Records ( www.angelair.co.uk) . This official release features nine tracks, whereas the demo Carlo burnt for me had 14 songs. It recreates the uncut electric Chicago blues as pioneerd by the Cyril Davies All Stars in 1962.
HOT DOG MAN
In 1998, the hot dog seller outside Wembley Stadium where The Rolling Stones were appearing that night, turned out to be one Carlo Little: in the sixties drummer extraordinaire with Lord Sutch and the Savages, but also with the first electric blues band outside the USA - The Cyril Davies All Stars. To top it all, the media found out that Carlo Little had lent a helping hand to a rehearsal band led by Brian Jones when they were desperate for a real drummer. He was the guy Brian Jones wanted but couldn’t afford – Carlo Little being a well-respected and well-paid musician. A sympathetic Carlo then advised Jones to check out one… Charlie Watts. And oh, he was Keith Moon’s first teacher.
NEW BAND
This new-found recognition – not in the least by The Rolling Stones themselves, who quickly acknowledged Carlo’s role – opened new opportunities. . Carlo went back to music and in 1999 he formed a band – the Carlo Little All Stars, of course referring to The Cyril Davies All Stars. They were sufficiently successful to book studio time. Carlo checked his phone register and so Ron Wood, Art Wood, J. the Yardbird (who must remain unknown!), Long John Baldry and Geraint Watkins joined the All Stars in the making of “Never Stop Rockin’” Sadly, Carlo Little became ill soon afterwards and despite the quality of the work (including original songs by Carlo himself) and an impressive guest list, no-one was interested in releasing his material. I spoke to him twice for my Rolling Stones series and he burnt a one-off copy of the demo recordings, saying any publicity would be welcome. A review of this unique copy appeared in It's Only Rock and Roll ussie 52, IORR online (www.iorr.org) and www.keysandchords.com. [REVIEW OF DEMO BELOW].
To no avail. Carlo lost his battle with cancer in 2005, but his widow, Iris, didn’t give up and eventually secured a deal with Angel Air Records. Angel Air left out five songs: Stormy Monday, My Babe, Going Down Slow and two of the three rock’n’roll numbers recorded with a totally different featuring Nick Simper (early Deep Purple, bass), Peter Parks (guitar) and Alex Barrett (vocals).
ORIGINAL ALL STARS
. NEVER STOP ROCKIN' is special for several reasons.
1 - First of all, there’s Carlo’s impressive career as summarised in the intro (you should read his “Confessions” on www.carlolittle.com). Rolling Stones fans must of course keep in mind that, being the drummer with the first-ever electric blues band outside the USA (this is 1962) Carlo is also responsible for the blues boom to come. In fact, The Cyril Davies All Stars were the unpaid PR-men of p Chicago blues: pure, uncut, no flavours added.
2 - Second, Carlo’s CD also showcases his talent as a songwriter – a gift he hid well for most of his life.
3 - Third, the line-up. Carlo succeeded in recruiting bass-player Rick Brown, thus reconstituting Cyril Davies’ original rhythm section. Moreover, Cyril Davies’ lead-singer by the name of Long John Baldry happily obliged as well. Finally, one time keyboardist with Cyril Davies, Mathew Fisher (later of Procol Harum fame) flew in too. In short, everything was set for the re-creation of the early 60s blues sound as pioneered by Cyril Davies is. Now, how does that grab you in 2009?
4 - And, of course, the guest list. (details at bottom)
CHICAGO RULES
Whereas the demo version (see "it's only Rock and Roll", issue 52 and www.iorr.org) featured four straight rock’n’roll songs – Carlo’s favourite genre when all is said and done - the official version offers us exactly one: Carlo’s own composition and title track “Never Stop Rockin’”. Quite straightforward, there’s pumping Jerry Lee piano, a riff nod to Chuck Berry and tons of Carlo.
There are surprises too, like “Iko Iko” with Long John’s unsurpassed voice in command. And there’s “Born In the Country”, another Carlo original. Also lend your ears to “It’s All Over Now” , immortalised by the Stones of course. This convincing, rather pop-oriented version with wonderful guitar work by a former guitarist who prefers not to be mentioned but shaped the sound of the Yardbirds. I am also charmed by “Mississippi”, written by singer and guitarist Alex Chanter. It owes this and that to CCR (but CCR didn’t come out of the sky either…), but Chanter’s voice does give it a nice twist.
Of course, there’s 100% pure electric Chicago, Cyril Davies’ trademark. We must pay special attention to two Davies originals, also because he hardly recorded. Carlo was very proud of the faithful rendering of the instrumental “Country Line Special” – a kind of wall of sound where it is difficult to say which instrument is doing what exactly – apart from Eddie Armer’s great harmonica work. Matthew Fisher delivers keyboards and Ronnie Wood, well, um, guitar! “Chicago Calling”, another Davies composition, is sung by Art Wood, Ron’s late brother and a blues pioneer in his own right, e.g. with The Artwoods. “Midnight Special” (Art Wood singing) doesn’t knock me off my feet, but hey, there’s Long John shooting vocal chords into “Mystery Train”, being seconded by howlin’-with-wolves guitar maestro J. The Yardbird.
IN SHORT...
In short, this is a very enjoyable, most professional record. Being 2009, it’s a trifle strange as well. When commenting on these recordings, Carlo told me he considered himself a bit old-fashioned, a fifties rock’n’roller deep inside. Consequently, this record doesn’t call for a revolution, but it is honest, professional and without flaws. Apart from Carlo’s mates from his Cyril Davies days and the stars, a very nice job is done by low-profile artistes Alex Chanter (voice, guitar, song-writing) and Eddie Armer (harmonica). Come on guys, where are you? Fans of J. the Yardbird, Ronnie Wood, Art Wood and Long John Baldry will be pleased to hear their unique contributions – each a hat off to Carlo. Sadly, both Long John and Art have left us too in the meanwhile.
© Text Eddy Bonte. CD cover all rights reserved.
First publication on this website 19Jan2009. Also publsihed by Stones fanzine It's Only Rock and Roll, check out www.iorr.org
REFERENCE: Carlo Little All Stars: Never Stop Rockin’. Angel Air Records, SJPCD283, 2009, www.angelair.co.uk
The band: Carlo Little (drums), Rick Brown (bass), Eddie Armer (harmonica), Alex Chanter (guitaar, voice, brother of the Chanter Sisters), & Geraint Watkins (piano).
Guest List: Long John Baldry (voice), Ron Wood (guitar), Art Wood (voice), Matthew Fisher (keyboards), Johnny Casanova (piano) & J. the Yardbird.
Background Vocals: The Chanter Sisters.
MORE INFORMATION www.carlolittle.com
Hello Eddy. I hope you are well. I thought you might like to know, that at last I have a release date on Carlo's CD "Never Stop Rockin". It's being released worldwide on the 12th January 2009 by Angel Air Records SJPCD283. There are 9 tracks. It's All Over Now ; Mystery Train; Born In The Country; Midnight Special ; Mississippi ; Iko, Iko ; Country Line Special ; Chicago Calling Never Stop Rockin. Carlo would have been so proud to have his own C.D out there after all these years, I only wish he had lived long enough to have seen it. Kindest Regards Iris
EXCLUSIVE: FIRST ENGLISH REVIEW OF CARLO LITTLE's SOLO CD - DEMO VERSION
Former temporary Stones drummer and one-time Charlie Watts replacement Carlo Little recorded his first solo album two years ago. Called Never Stop Rockin’, it mainly consists of pounding rock’n’roll and thumping Chicago blues.
He succeeded in recruiting Rick Brown (bs) and thus recreated the original rhythm section of Cyril Davies R&B All Stars! Equally present is Long John Baldry, who used to sing for Cyril Davies R&B All Stars and continued the band as Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Men after Cyril’s death. Moreover, famous friends and admirers such as Jeff Beck, Art Wood, Ron Wood, Nick Simper (Deep Purple and Screaming Lord Sutch), Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) or Geraint Watkins gladly added their talent. No wonder the band is called The Carlo Little All Stars! Seeing my honest interest in his work, in 2004 Carlo burnt exactly one cd for me to review. A first article appeared in Flemish e-zine Keys and Chords and this is the first ever review in English! Carlo equally obliged to a phone interview to comment on his work.
REDISCOVERED IN 1998
Carlo Little was rediscovered by the press in 1998 when the Rolling Stones toured the UK and someone found out that the hot dog seller at Wembley Stadium had once played for the Rolling Stones… who were now to perform at that very same venue! To cut a long story short: Carlo was the drummer of Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages, undoubtedly the UK’s loudest, wildest and amazingly successful rock band of the early sixties. In 1962, the complete Savages left Lord Sutch to become the R&B All Stars of famous British blues musician Cyril Davies. This was the first non-USA electric Chicago blues band ever! Carlo was used to playing with the most talented people, such as Rick Brown (aka Rick Fenson, bs), Bernie Watson (gtr), Nicky Hopkins (pno), Geoff Bradford (gtr), Cyril Davies and Long John Baldry. Carlo had also been a high-rated and top-paid professional for years when one Brian Jones asked him to become the drummer of a new band called The Rollin’ Stones. He turned down the invitation (“They couldn’t pay me, I earned £20 a week and they offered me £2 a month”, Carlo explains laughingly), but he did help them out a few times in 1962 ands 1963, even replacing Charlie Watts in 1963 and 1964. Anyway, Carlo met the Stones again in 1998 and his sixtieth birthday party that same year turned into an all stars performance. The following year he put a band together (the All Stars, of course) and in 2002 he booked studio time for his first very own album ever.
PART ONE: ROCK AND ROLL
Never Stop Rockin’ roughly consists of two parts: fifties rock an roll and Chicago blues, both styles being driven along by the beat of Carlo’s drums.
Carlo Little himself wrote the rock and roll songs Never Stop Rockin’, Ace Café and Let’s Go, Let’s Go, his first compositions ever by the way! All three are pure fifties r&r, with lots of nods to Berry riffs and Jerry Lee pumps. They are perfect vehicles for Carlo’s art: whatever roles he may have played, he still calls himself a fifties rock and roll drummer and that he does very, very well. Remarkably, Carlo recruited a different band for these three songs: former Savage and ex Deep Purple Nick Simper plays bass and is the only one who can claim fame. Peter Parks (lead gtr) and Alan Barrett (vcs) are unknown artists Carlo Little came across just like that, but Parks plays a sprinkling guitar on “Let’s Go, Let’s Go” and Barrett is the owner of a most acceptable r&r voice.
PART TWO: CHICAGO BLUES
SLEEVE AND CD of the one-off copy burnt by Carlo for me to review
I personally prefer the bluesy side of this cd and I draw your attention to Country Line Special, one of the very few songs Cyril Davies ever recorded. “We wanted to create one sound”, Carlo comments – and succeed they did as the different instruments are hardly discernable. Eddie Armor does a wonderful job on harmonica, Matthew Fisher rides a wild piano and Ron Wood throws in licks. A real storming train it is. Said Carlo: “We wanted to recreate Cyril’s sound but that is not really possible of course, particularly because Cyril used to play the song in exactly the same way every time, note for note!”.
The other blues songs toe the classic electric Chicago line, for instance Going Down Slow, My Babe (twice Baldry on vocals), Midnight Special and Chicago Calling (Art Wood sings lead on both). I prefer Mystery Train which combines the mineworker’s voice of Baldry and the far out guitar of Jeff Beck. Lovely. Special honours must go to yet another classic, Stormy Monday: it features a long and heavy intro and wonderful vocals by the newly recruited and basically unknown Alex Chanter (brother of backing vocals duo The Chanter Sisters).
PART THREE: SUPRISE, SURPRISE
Never Stop Rockin’ also contains a few nice surprises, like the atypical Iko Iko. Carlo: “We had some studio time left and I asked Long John if he cared for a particular song to record. You should realise he knows an incredible number of songs and he picked out this one”. Another Carlo composition is Born in the Country, a nice, mid-tempo blues effort with loads of harmonica. It’s All Over Now, originally by Bobby Womack and turned into a top ten hit by The Rolling Stones, gets a poppy treatment and features Jeff Beck’s guitar as a bonus. Though it makes you think of the southern swamps in general and CCR County in particular, Mississippi is a lovely tune written and sung by Alex Chanter.
FIRSTS AND SPECIALS
Though this disc won’t change the face of blues or rock and roll and clearly sounds like the early sixties, it is a most professional and very honest recording that also features a few “firsts” and “specials”, e.g.:
- It has the first Carlo Little compositions ever;
- It is the first recording since ages with the original Savages ànd Cyril Davies R&B All Stars rhythm section, plus second singer and future band leader Baldry;
- It’s one the very few records featuring Art and Ronnie Wood: both do two songs and they share duties on Midnight Special (Art sings, Ronnie plays guitar);
- It features sixties stars who do not perform or record regularly nowadays, like Matthew Fisher and Nick Simper;
- Two of the greatest living guitar players supported Carlo out of sheer admiration: Ronnie Wood and Jeff Beck.
The Carlo Little All Stars: Never Stop Rockin’
The fourteen tracks
Ace Café*, It’s All Over Now, Going Down Slow , Midnight Special, Mississippi+, Country Line Special, Iko Iko, Mystery Train, Born in the Country*, Chicago Calling, Never Stop Rocking*, Let’s Go Let’s Go*, My Babe & Stormy Monday
(*) = written by Carlo Little (+) written by Alex Chanter
The main band Rick Brown (bass), Alex Chanter (vocals), Eddie Armor (harmonica, accordion), Geraint Watkins (piano, accordion) and Jonny Cassanova (keyboards).
The rock and roll band on Ace Café, Never Stop Rocking and Let’s Go Let’s Go: Carlo Little (drums), Nick Simper (bass), Peter Parks (guitar) and Alex Barrett (vocals).
The guests and friends
Jeff Beck: guitar on It’s All Over Now and Mystery Train;
Ronnie Wood: guitar on Midnight Special and Country Line Special;
Art Wood: vocals on Midnight Special and Chicago Calling;
Long John Baldry: vocals on Going Down Slow, Iko Iko, Mystery Train;
Matthew Fisher: piano on Country Line Special.
© Text Eddy Bonte. Photo of demo cd & sleeve: © Little *** More on www.carlolittle.com
ENGLISH VERSION FIRST PUBLISHED in the printed and electronic Stones zine It's Only Rock and Roll www.iorr.org February 28, 2005 The original DUTCH version was published in the 8/2004 issue of Flemish music e-zine "Keys and Chords', now a music site at www.keysandchords.com.