Sky High was a typically uneven
Alexis Korner album on several accounts. First, the sky-high level of talent among the backup musicians -- including future
Pentangle rhythm section
Danny Thompson (bass) and
Terry Cox (drums), as well as
Duffy Power on harmonica -- was not matched to universally high-caliber material. Too, while admirably eclectic, the array of styles on display -- from down-n-dirty R&B to acoustic blues, out-there jazz, and almost traditional jazz blues -- seemed to indicate as much directionless as adventurousness. There was, too, no getting around
Korner's severe limitations as a lead vocalist, a chore he undertook for five of the album's fifteen tracks. Fortunately, first-class blues-rock vocalist
Duffy Power took lead vocals on four of the other tracks, and for that reason alone,
Sky High is a worthwhile release. "Long Black Train" (which
Power and
Korner co-wrote) is a genuine lost British R&B gem, and the very best track
Korner cut in that style, with its ominously echoing guitar, pummeling rhythm, and
Power-ful vocals and harmonica.