Lew Lewis, one of the maverick characters of the British pub rock boom, first came to prominence as a member of Eddie and the Hot Rods. An electrifying live act, the Hot Rods were well established on the London circuit by the time of the advent of Punk. In March 1976, they found themselves being supported at the Marquee by a young band called The Sex Pistols.

Lewis left the Hot Rods the following year and set about putting together the first line-up of the Lew Lewis Band. After initially signing to United Artists, they then released a single on Stiff Records, 'Boogie on the Street'/'Caravan Man', which is featured here.

He then put together a second band called Lew Lewis Reformer which released an LP, 'Save The Wail' on Stiff Records in 1979. The whole of the original LP appears on this compilation. The band then appeared on Top of the Pops, performing their most famous song, 'Lucky Seven'. One final single on Stiff, '1-30 2-30 3-35'/'I'm In the Mood I'm In' (also featured here), was released the following year.

Essentially a 'Best Of', this compilation is brimming with taut R&B energy. The live bonus tracks were recorded in June 1977 (tracks 15-18) and July 1979 (tracks 19-21).

HUX033

Lucky Seven

Boogie On The Street