Streetwalkers

The post-Family band formed by Family masterminds Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney. Where their former band balanced art-rock and blues-rock, the Streetwalkers were a throwback, a blues-rock band that put Chapman's extraordinary voice front and center. Unlike Family, however, the Streetwalkers, who were a good but not great band, sounded too calculated, as if they wanted to cash in on some of the pre-punk hard rock notoriety that bands like Bad Company and Thin Lizzy were getting. Where they remained consistent with their former aggregation was that the Streetwalkers, though popular in England, were virtually ignored in America.

Released in May 1974 following the break-up of FAMILY, the album was the first project by Chapman and Whitney in what would become the band STREETWALKERS. Joining vocalist ROGER CHAPMAN and guitarist CHARLIE WHITNEY in the sessions were such luminaries as bassists JOHN WETTON, RIC GRECH, drummers MIKE GILES and IAN WALLACE, keyboard player MAX MIDDLETON and saxophonist MEL COLLINS. This new expanded 50th Anniversary edition of this classic album has been newly remastered from the master tapes and also includes seven bonus tracks comprising ‘The Crack’, a rare single B-side, a previously unreleased mix of ‘Call Ya’ and a complete BBC Radio 1 John Peel session from June 1974.

Released in May 1974 following the break-up of FAMILY, the album was the first project by Chapman and Whitney in what would become the band STREETWALKERS. Joining vocalist ROGER CHAPMAN and guitarist CHARLIE WHITNEY in the sessions were such luminaries as bassists JOHN WETTON, RIC GRECH, drummers MIKE GILES and IAN WALLACE, keyboard player MAX MIDDLETON and saxophonist MEL COLLINS. This new expanded 50th Anniversary edition of this classic album has been newly remastered from the master tapes and also includes seven bonus tracks comprising ‘The Crack’, a rare single B-side, a previously unreleased mix of ‘Call Ya’ and a complete BBC Radio 1 John Peel session from June 1974.

Released in May 1974 following the break-up of FAMILY, the album was the first project by Chapman and Whitney in what would become the band STREETWALKERS. Joining vocalist ROGER CHAPMAN and guitarist CHARLIE WHITNEY in the sessions were such luminaries as bassists JOHN WETTON, RIC GRECH, drummers MIKE GILES and IAN WALLACE, keyboard player MAX MIDDLETON and saxophonist MEL COLLINS. This new expanded 50th Anniversary edition of this classic album has been newly remastered from the master tapes and also includes seven bonus tracks comprising ‘The Crack’, a rare single B-side, a previously unreleased mix of ‘Call Ya’ and a complete BBC Radio 1 John Peel session from June 1974.

Roger Chapman is best known for his barbed-wire voice, used to front British '70s rock acts Family and Streetwalkers. He began a long-awaited solo career in 1978 that led to over a dozen full-length releases. Never heard of them? It's not surprising: album-wise, he camped out in Germany for 20 years. His first album and tour got high praise in his British homeland, but critics cut into him soon after. When the hassle-free German market beckoned, Chapman began to focus his subsequent work there, where he had become a musical hero, "the working-class artist." Chapman split with his longtime writing partner, Charlie Whitney, after the breakup of Streetwalkers in 1977.

The singer with the wildcat voice, once a front man for Family and Streetwalkers, breaks out here with his first solo effort. With band politics out of the way, Chapman garners all the spotlight for himself while backed by an ensemble of friends. Although he keeps rock guitar close to him, Chapman abandons Streetwalkers' hard rock sound for a more varied style, including multiple keyboards and female backing vocals, and it's probably more a sign of producer David Courtney's influence (having previously worked with Leo Sayer). Singing cry-in-yer-ale ballads and tight rock songs, Chapman lays out the stylistic blueprint to which he keeps returning, even 20 years later. While Chapman's music was more embellished than before, most fans found that "the voice" still spoke to them.