Roger Chapman - Anthology 1979 - 1998 '1998

Tracks list

Tracklist: 

CD1:

01. Always Gotta Pay In The End (4:28)
02. Moth To A Flame (4:59)
03. Who Pulled The Night Down (3:45)
04. Keep Forgettin (L) (4:53)
05. Lets Spend The Night Together (L) (6:04)
06. Barman (5:28)
07. Unknown Soldier (Cant Get To Heaven) (3:46)
08. Ducking Down (3:55)
09. Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun (3:13)
10. Common Touch (5:17)
11. Mango Crazy (4:42)
12. Let Me Down (3:24)
13. Slow Down (2:20)
14. Slap Bang In The Middle (L) (7:38)
15. Short List (L) (6:24)
16. Shadow On The Wall (L) (5:49)

CD2:

01. Burlesque (L) (4:52)
02. My Friend The Sun (L) (4:59)
03. Stone Free (5:55)
04. Prisoner (6:05)
05. The Shadow Knows (3:28)
06. How, How, How (5:41)
07. Never Love A Rolling Stone (3:58)
08. Zipper (6:17)
09. Zip Ah De Do Da (L) (3:22)
10. The Drum (4:37)
11. Walking The Cat (5:15)
12. Chicken Fingers (2:59)
13. Someone Elses Clothes (4:18)
14. Love Is A Hard Thing (4:10)
15. Even Angels (4:57)
16. Kiss My Soul (4:08)
17. Into The Bright (4:03)


After Familys breakup in 1973, it took Roger Chapman six years to release his
first solo album. 1979s Chappo marked his eclectic but spotty career as a solo
artist, with only a few albums truly illustrating Chapmans vivaciousness and
fervency as a singer -- attributes that were much more consistent during his
stint with his first band. Anthology 1979-1998 is a marvelous two-disc set made
up of 33 tracks, including eight live cuts, piecing the best that Chapman had to
offer during his 19 years on his own. His best material comes from 1989s Walking
the Cat, as well as his 90s efforts, including Hybrid and Lowdown and Kiss My
Soul, with the latter album represented here by the title track and Into the
Bright, truly one of his best songs. Each and every live song is well worth
hearing, especially a version of Familys Burlesque and his attempt at Zip Ah De
Do Da, both previously unreleased. His work with the Shortlist produced the
appealing Slow Down track, while his hard-to-find work with makeshift band the
Riffburglars presents this set with The Shadow Knows, the title of his 1984
release. Throughout the course of Chapmans solo work, he implemented moderate
amounts of British blues, R&B, and even conservative funk into his music,
furthering his trademark as a well-rounded musician and employing his nasally
gruff voice to more than one style. His rendition of the Rolling Stones Lets
Spend the Night Together is actually appealing, which cant really be said for
Hendrixs Stone Free, while his sometimes obscured passion and dynamism peek out
from cuts like Love Is a Hard Thing, Common Touch, and Even Angels. Highly
appreciated in Germany, albums like Mango Crazy, Hyenas, and He Was She Was
failed to give Chapman the success he was after worldwide. Anthology 1979-1998
is both commendable and convenient at representing Chapman on his own, but some
of his latter releases are still worth investigating.

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