"Downtown Flyers," Streetwalkers
This Halloween marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Streetwalkers' Downtown Flyers album, their second LP.
Streetwalkers was a project of the former leaders of Family, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney, that they undertook soon after Family's breakup. The first Streetwalkers album, released in 1974, was a spotty record that featured a lineup of Chapman, Whitney and whoever else happened to be in the room at the time - mainly former members of Family and King Crimson. For Downtown Flyers, Chapman and Whitney put together a permanent band that featured former Jeff Beck Group member Bob Tench on guitar and vocals, Jonathan Plotel on bass and vocals, and Nicko McBrain - later of Iron Maiden - on drums and percussion. Downtown Flyers was arguably the best album Chapman and Whitney collaborated on since Family's 1972 LP Bandstand, with heavy rock, some tough blues, and a couple of folk ballads - along with a cover of "Crawfish," an Elvis Presley song from the Elvis movie King Creole.
This clip, my Music Video Of the Week, is Streetwalkers performing the title song of the Downtown Flyers album, several months before the LP's release, on the German rock and roll TV show "Rockpalast" on March 25, 1975. Enjoy.
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