Bernie Marsden

For the ordinary Joe, delving into the back of a cupboard might at best uncover an old tour t-shirt, strangely several sizes too small. For musicians like Bernie Marsden, a similar investigation is more likely to uncover something more interesting, as is the case with this selection of numbers that the artist recorded with drummer Jimmy Copley and bassist David Levy back in 2007, which have been gathering proverbial dust since.

It’s a bit of a mystery as to why these very tasty nuggets have been overlooked until now. Fortuitously, given the almost accidental way that the recordings came about (trying out a new studio and having a bit of a jam) and the random choice of songs, which thematically fell into the category of monster numbers performed by power trios, led by some of the best guitar players there’s been.

It’s a testament to the unassuming guitarist that he tackles numbers by artists like Jeff Beck (‘Black Cat Moan’) and Jimi (‘Drifting’ and ‘Spanish Castle Magic’) and, without attempting to re-invent them in the slightest, still brings a freshness of approach through his excellent guitar work and equally impressive vocals, that makes this album a highly enjoyable listen and a bit of a drool-fest for lovers of Classic Rock fretwork.

Simon Green