THE BEST OF DANNY ADLER VOLUME 1 - Essential Reading For Elvis Costello Fans!

THE BEST OF DANNY ADLER VOLUME 1

How has it taken me this long to pay tribute to one of my favorites; guitarist, singer, & songwriter DANNY ADLER?

Adler was an original member of Rocket 88 with The Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts & Ian Stewart, Alexis Korner, & Cream’s Jack Bruce.  He later formed The Deluxe Blues Band with Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning, & drummer Micky Waller (Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart).  He was even briefly in Elephant’s Memory in 1971 (pre-John & Yoko).  Added to the now long-running partnership of Dave Edmunds & Nick Lowe, Adler briefly made their number uneven as a member of The Disco Brothers.  While they didn’t record, the fourth track here--a bluesier take on Fool Too Long (a staple on Edmunds & Lowe's setlists with Rockpile) gives a glimpse of what they must have sounded like.

Adler paid his dues in black blues clubs, but he also loved jazz, R&B, & rock, and easily plays it all.  I’ll always be grateful that he penned the immortal words: “Cincinnati Fatback, Cincinnati Fatback, that ass kickin' finger lickin' chicken pickin' Cincinnati Fatback.”  It’s easily one of the songs I’d take to a desert island—one I never get tired of—with one of the funkiest grooves ever.  In it, he pays tribute to the fellow Cincinnatians Adler watched & often played with; Hank Ballard, James Brown, “Cleanhead” Vinson, Amos Milburn, Wynonie Harris, H-Bomb Ferguson, Beau Dollar, Lonnie Mack, O.D. Bell & Popeye Maupin.  Cincinnati had a thriving club circuit partly because King Records was based there (on Brewster Avenue) until 1968.

Adler is best known from his time with his pub rock band Roogalator, that Adler put together in London in 1972, and who were one of the first acts signed to Stiff Records for the single All Aboard b/w Cincinnati Fatback.  Label-mate Elvis Costello lifted Adler’s geek in glasses persona and choice of guitar.  As Danny told it to The Cincinnati Enquirer: "I would say he appropriated my visual look," Adler said with a chuckle. "I think it's more than a coincidence that we have the same kind of glasses and he's playing a Jazzmaster. When he first came to see me play, he was kind of a California hippie dude with wire rims and long hair and played acoustic guitar. The next time I saw him he looked like me, with the Jazzmaster and Buddy Holly specks."  Will Birch’s excellent No Sleep Till Canvey Island hints that Jake Riviera persuaded Elvis to appropriate the look.  (I'm told Costello essentially "copped to it" on his SPECTACLE TV series but couldn't find a clip).

Ian Dury’s band Kilburn & The High Roads lifted early member drummer Malcolm Mortimer.  Drummer Bobby Irwin who has played with Van Morrison, Nick Lowe’s Cowboy Outfit, The Sinkers, & The Balham Alligators was a member for a time.  Roogalator’s early press was due to the inclusion of Paul “Bassman” Riley who had played with the popular pub rock band Chilli Willi & The Red Hot Peppers alongside Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ drummer Pete Thomas.

Roogalator nearly signed with Virgin Records, but the label insisted they sign a publishing contract as well as a recording contract.  Constant line-up changes lead to Adler disbanding Roogalator leaving their recorded works limited to three John Peel sessions, one well-received album, and three singles during their lifetime.

But Adler has never stopped performing his Gusha Gusha Music.  And he can still play the hell out of his signature tune.  He’s released his catalogue via band camp, and I urge you to spend some of your hard-earned dough over there, or downloading them on iTunes.  A sampling of his output is available at: https://dannyadler.com/masterworks-legacy-series-one-sheets

Regular vistors know we're big fans of  STIFF Records around here.  THE ROOGALATOR’s Cincinnati Fatback was the third single released by STIFF Records.