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A more fitting title could not have been chosen, truly. Of course, without the greatness of the music contained here, even such a title would mean very little, but I feel that this title perfectly captures the essence of what Paul was and continues to be - more than 35 years after his passing. Someone who crawls in the background, away from the limelight that surrounded other guitarists (other "giants" of the 6-string, to put it more clearly, as we are actually talking about a much more restricted category than that universal one of guitarists). Yet, discussing around with my peers and beyond, I realized one thing: not many of these "giants" can boast an affection equal to that which, over the years, has been attributed to this son of a Russian Jew who, in the '60s, took his first steps in the crude yet legendary Black Cat Bones. These guys opened for Fleetwood Mac's shows, and as mere teenagers, they jammed like seasoned bluesmen with a certain Champion Jack Dupree when he was touring London and its surroundings. Try doing that at that age...: the first hint of a prodigy that would soon confirm itself - on a global level.
I confess that my first encounter with Mr. Kossoff's guitar was not with Free, even though it might be assumed; instead, it was with "Live At Leeds" by John Martyn, recorded when the Free no longer existed, when Paul had already produced remarkable things as a solo artist and was heading towards something that would never be: his 30s, the records he would have still gifted us, and the works of others to which he would have - in his own way - contributed. "Back Street Crawler" is his artistic testament, an album put together in haste taking advantage of a temporary easing of the drug dependency that was literally ravaging our man. The sessions from which the work emerged overflow with emotion and spontaneity, a passion for Blues and Rock (never too Hard) in equal measure, without straying too far from the groove already set with Free, from the artistic path taken. Predictable, therefore, as an album? A reheated soup? I wouldn't bet on it at all; in the sense that, for some moments, Paul's guitar returns to roar with that intensity and - I would add - those vibrations that hadn't been heard since the eponymous "Free" (the second endeavor of Rodgers and friends); then, as is known, there were some transitional albums, classic "transition" episodes with the exception of the commercial success of "Fire & Water" and the splendid concerts of "Free Live." With "Back Street Crawler," Kossoff returns to very high, masterful levels, delivering a performance that is nothing short of superlative. Not that it's all his handiwork, mind you; there are Alan White (the one from Yes, of course) and Simon Kirke on drums, Andy Fraser and Tetsu Yamauchi on bass, and there's Paul Rodgers himself who in "Molten Gold" sings a piece tailor-made for him. It could, therefore, be a Free album, for the men involved; but the structure of the work leaves little doubt: it is a Paul album.
Because, let me say, it is no coincidence that the entire first side is occupied by a kilometrics jam titled "Tuesday Morning," a perfect showcase for the protagonist's skills, his stellar technique, his evolutions that leave you breathless. Conceptually, we are very close to a certain Southern philosophy: a pre-established structure of few chords, "stops" and "restarts" in a free style (depending on the feeling of the moment), John "Rabbit" Bundrick's organ to almost incessantly support the solo guitar for 18 minutes of constant heart-pounding. I think of the legendary "Mountain Jam" by the All Bros, an episode that listening to this "Tuesday Morning" instantly suggested to me, I think of Clapton of the Dominos, I think of the early Allen Collins: all examples of "torrent" guitar playing, not by chance. "Molten Gold," the bittersweet ballad superbly interpreted by Rodgers, recalls Hendrix's "Angel," and not just because of those distinctly Gospel accents that distinguish it: precisely for the sinuous movement of the guitar, that disoriented, passionate and at the same time heartrending style that is the hallmark of Kossoff's style; the Boogie of the "title-track" instead exalts his more "British" side, as it is precisely in the natural moves of the most genuine British Blues that the origins of that rich, scratchy but enveloping sound, ultimately irresistible, must be sought.
How many regrets, listening to this disc, the same ones that - at least I believe - were also yours.
Five (also) in memory.
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