Snowy White, Goldtop

Shed a tear for the session musician whose voice is not their own, but while he deservedly kept great company his output in his own right frankly disappoints. Although White's skill is considerable as a guitarist it's less so as a songsmith, meaning the most compelling part of this compilation is not the solo work which represents the majority of the running time. While "Highway to the Sun" is competent enough, "The Time Has Come" and "Love, Pain And Sorrow" are slow and maddeningly flat, and his almost cookie-cutter blues tracks (both solo and as Snowy White's Blues Agency) largely lack any special hook or style; likewise, of his brief time with Thin Lizzy, only "Renegade" really cooks while "Memory Pain" is just as dull as the rest. The remaining small number of tracks are remarkably variable in their breadth as well as in their quality: a Richard Wright instrumental selection ("Drop In From The Top"), one of the weaker pieces from the interesting but commercially stillborne Wet Dream, two underdeveloped rehearsal (!) Peter Green tracks, two live Al Stewart pieces ("Dark and Rolling Sea," "Carol") both undermined by flaccid production, and the sole gem, the previously 8-track-only extended "Pigs On The Wing" (from Pink Floyd's Animals) with White's clarion guitar bridge between the halves unheard on any other format. It's quite a curio for fans, but you'll pay a price to get it, and there's little else to recommend the rest of what's here. (Content: no concerns.)

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