Maggie Bell
(Angel Air)
If ever there was an artist that unduly escaped wider recognition, it would have to be Scotland's Maggie Bell. A blues belting singer with considerable resolve, her raspy vocals and vibrant stage presence found her Britain's equivalent of Janis Joplin in terms of her sheer prowess and the energy and exuberance she infused in her music. Fortunately, Bell didn't duplicate Joplin's fatalistic streak, and with her career now into its fourth decade, she's still able to tour today.
Sadly though, Bell was scraped by misfortune in other ways. Her best-known band, at least back home, was Stone the Crows, a powerhouse blues-rock combo whose chances for success were thwarted at the eleventh hour when their guitarist, Les Harvey, was accidentally electrocuted onstage. The band floundered on, but Bell was eventually forced to try to recoup her fortunes on her own She was signed as a solo act to Atlantic Records and eventually transitioned to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label, releasing several solo albums of varying quality and making the occasional high profile guest appearance - most notably on the title track of Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells A Story album and in the all-star cast that revisited the Who's Tommy, both on record and in concert at London's Rainbow Theatre. Her efforts garnered her a nod as Best Female Vocalist in the annual Melody Maker Readers Poll and even an article in Time Magazine, but sadly, she wasn't able to capitalize on those gains. Her later outfit, Midnight Flyer, never fared as well as it should have, despite some high-profile tours supporting Bob Seger and AC/DC, and eventually disintegrated as Swan Song fell apart in the wake of Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's untimely demise. Bell struggled on, but her output was mostly limited to the occasional guest appearance, the odd single and most notably, to singing the title track to the popular U.K. TV series "Taggart," which was set in her native Glasgow. Inevitably, it was hardly the stuff to further a trajectory towards international success.
Regardless, England's archival Angel Air label has helped champion Bell's cause in recent years, re-releasing some of her earlier albums and a concert set recorded live in Montreux in 1981. That performance now encompasses the bulk of a live DVD that accompanies this best-of collection, and provides indisputable visual evidence of just what a searing live performer Bell could be, even after she had passed her prime. Guest appearances by American bluesmen Taj Mahal (on evocative renditions of two Sam Cooke standards, "Bring It On Home To Me" and "Chain Gang") and Albert Collins (via a blues jam and the well-weathered standard "Stormy Monday Blues") attest to her ability to hold her own, even in such daunting company. The audio disc, a would be greatest hits of sorts, reprises the highlights from her early solo sessions, including the blistering title track to her landmark Suicide Sal album, a funky yet riveting read of Free/Bad Company classic "Wishing Well" and a rare respite, an emotionally-vested cover of the classic ballad, "We Had It All," which ranks as among the best versions of that track ever recorded.
An on-camera interview with Bell, which seems to have been recently recorded, provides an intriguing overview of her career as recounted firsthand. "I've never had it easy," she laments at one point. While that may be true, it doesn't diminish the dogged determination with which she persevered.
Standout tracks: "Wishing Well," "We Had It All," "Suicide Sal" LEE ZIMMERMAN
