Welcome to my on-line tribute to the London based Chiswick label. Started in 1975 and, under various guises, still going strong to this day, Chiswick put out some of my favorite records ever. Here you'll find an ever growing collection of info, record sleeves, old advertisements and whatever comes to mind. So dig in and enjoy!

Monday, August 28, 2006

Red Beans & Rice


Red Beans & Rice - That Driving Beat/Throw It In The Grass
Chiswick CHIS 124. Released 7 March 1980.
Produced by Pete Wingfield
engineered by Alvin Clarke
Lavern Brown: vocals
Jeff Coleman: guitar
Mike Paice: saxophone, harmonica
Benny Herbert: bass
Tom Riley: drums


That Driving Beat by Red Beans & Rice is one of Chiswick's should-have-been-hits. A Willie Mitchell tune that gets a powerful Sam & Dave-like treatment, it's a sure fire floor filler. Released in the midst of the mod revival, it was the right record at the right time, but things were not to be. There's little info to be found on this band. They had a track on Albion's The London R&B Sessions featuring the same line-up, and there was an E.P. on either Ace or Big Beat (SW 68) that I've yet to track down. After singer Lavern Brown left, a new line-up recorded Live At The Dublin Castle for Ace (CHM 72, 1983), that features fun, but workman-like, blues work-outs that lack the spark of the 45. What else is there to tell? Lavern Brown is a mainstay on the London blues circuit and later worked with Van Morrison, while Tom Riley (who took over vocal duties after Brown left) had worked with Dave Edmunds. Oh, and producer Pete Wingfield had a 1975 hit with Eighteen With A Bullet.
Besides the standard U.K. issue, there were A-label promo copies (see below and please excuse the fuzzy eBay swipe) and a rare German picture sleeve (above).

4 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Been searching for this record for donkeys the B side was my fav tune as a kid for ages. For some reason I thought it was called A Walk In The Park (no wonder I couldn't find it) Great harmonica and "Driving Beat" on both sides but the B side just got me by the nuts for some reason. Can't wait to hear it again, the search continues. Marky Mod South London R&B boy 9 Below Zero n Feelgoods fan

Saturday, August 12, 2017 5:39:00 AM

 
Anonymous Steve Lyell said...

This was the first band I paid to see live, at the Savoy Ballroom in Bargoed, South Wales, in around 1980. They'd recorded a Radio 1 session around that time which featured a great version of Albert King's Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven - would love to hear that again. Apart from Lavern Brown, Geraint Watkins (Bob Dylan's favourite British piano player(!)) was in the band for a while. A very tight, talented band that were tipped for great things, but never quite made it - but this single showed what they were capable of.

Friday, November 22, 2019 8:53:00 PM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

got CD copies of these tracks and more if you want them.
thomasbluesriley@gmail.com

Monday, December 30, 2019 9:03:00 PM

 
Blogger Rhys Morgan said...

I'm the son of the old band manager David Morgan. Wondering if anyone can put me in contact with any of the members?

Monday, January 30, 2023 2:27:00 PM

 

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