Great album, bad remaster
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 09/06/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Though Derringer's 1974 solo debut "All American Boy" was commercially overshadowed by its anthemic hit "Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo," the album is as memorable as the single. Derringer brought his pop and garage sensibilities with him from The McCoys, and his singing, guitar playing, songwriting, bandleading and production talents only got stronger in his associations with Edgar and Johnny Winter. The years spent playing in the brothers' bands (particularly Edgar's White Trash) gave Derringer's music a lot of muscle, which combined nicely with the mid-70s vibe he'd found for Edgar Winter's "They Only Come Out at Night."
The follow-up, 1975's "Spring Fever," features a similar mix of guitar-led rockers and mid-70s styled pop, but it doesn't come close to the inspired level of the debut. Highlights include "Still Alive and Well" (which was recorded more successfully in a live setting on Edgar Winter's "Roadwork" LP), the synth-based rocker, "Rock," a faux-reggae-and-steel-drum arrangement of The McCoy's signature "Hang On Sloopy," and a soulful falsetto take of Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog."
Both of these albums are presented on this 2-fer CD reissue in surprisingly mediocre fidelity. This digital rendition of "All American Boy" compares unfavorably to the original vinyl, which suggests that BGO either started with a poor source, or they (unusually for BGO, in my experience) botched the transfer. Either way, this is a disappointment that's only to be purchased if you can't find a better rendition of "All American Boy." All American Boy: 5 stars. Spring Fever: 3-1/2 stars. Digital transfer: 2 stars. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]"
Good Early Derringer - REALLY BAD REMASTER
Alright Kid | San Antonio, TX USA | 08/27/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"A HUGE Johnny Winter fan, I also listened to some of Derringer's and Edgar Winter's stuff in the 70's. I purchased this CD primarily for the All American Boy tracks, the fact that it was "re-mastered" and saw the Spring Fever tracks as a bonus. The All American Boy album has great Rick Derringer guitar work and the tunes are heavily influenced by the Dan Hartman/Edgar Winter sound of the era, The Spring Fever album is how I remembered it; definitely not as strong as All American Boy. Spring Fever is very indicitive of Rick Derringer's lifelong inability to find his own sound/style. Derringer was at his best writing and performing simple pop rock n' roll tunes sprinkled with his fine guitar work.
NOW HEAR THIS!!! This CD is NO "re-master". This is the second import from Britain that I haved purchased that was supposedly re-mastered. The sound quality on this CD is incredibly bad. The LP sounded better. The Winter brothers and Derringer studio LPs were always produced very well with impeccable sound. Fortunately I have an EQ and with RADICAL adjustment I can make this CD bearable.
I recommend NOT buying this CD. The All American Boy CD by itself has to sound better than this and is alot less money."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1
