Reviewed by Tony May

In the heady 60s, the Betterdays were the West Coun­try's leading R&B band, five Plymouth musicians who stormed the region and further afield with their raw, dri­ving sound and wild confrontational image. They were right on the edge of fame when harmonica/keyboard man Bob Pitcher developed a serious illness and things drifted apart. 25 years later the band are back again, some of them having become Christians in the meantime. The aforementioned Bob is now a CofE clergyman in Swansea. The group decided to reform after their track on a compilation album was voted "Best R&B Record Made By A Band Which Was Not Internationally Famous". They've played some reunion gigs in Plymouth and will issue a full album of new stuff called 'No Concessions' this year. (Watch this space). For now, 'Howl Of The Streets' is a reis­sue of four steaming, white hot tracks from the early days, raw as you can get, blistering attack of a couple of Jimmy Reed songs, McDaniels' "Here Tis" and their original near-hit "Don't Want That". Like the sleeve notes say, "Turn the volume up, close your eyes and imagine trie sweat is dripping off the walls. It's 1964 and The Betterdays have just walked on stage." Record Collector magazine described The Betterdays recently as "60s R&B Legends" and gave them a two and a half page write-up. This EP will tell you what that legend was all about

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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