''Best of British'' is the third solo album by British keyboardist

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

. It was his first in nearly twenty years. Recorded in his adopted hometown of

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, with his "Bump Band," then consisting of vocalist and keyboardist McLagan, drummer Don Harvey, bassist Sarah Brown, and guitarists

Gurf Morlix Gurf Morlix (born 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Career Born in Buffalo, New York, Morlix moved to Texas in 1975 and performed with Blaze Foley. He moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and joined Lucinda Williams's band. H ...

and "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb, it featured twelve songs by McLagan, two previously released on his 1985 extended play, ''Last Chance to Dance''. The album was financed by his former bandmate, Ron Wood, who is featured on three tracks, including "She Stole It!" (the cautionary tale of a man, his woman and his record collection) and the ode to their departed

Face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces ...

, "Hello Old Friend." The album in dedicated to Lane.

Critical reception

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'' called ''Best of British'' "an album of infectious yet personal tunes, permeated with the deep reflection of a man who's lived long enough to see a lot of life and death."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote that "''Best of British'' is an enjoyable album that sounds like what it is -- a busman's holiday by a talented sideman."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ian McLagan; except where indicated # "Best of British" (3:47) # "I Only Wanna Be With You" (3:36) # "She Stole It!" (3:46) # "Warm Rain" (4:32) # "Hope Street" (McLagan, Jorge Calderón) (3:29) # "Hello Old Friend" (3:10) # "Big Love" (4:48) # "Don't Let Him Out of Your Sight" (5:25) # "Suzie Gotta Sweet Face" (3:35) # "Barking Dogs" (McLagan, Calderón) (3:56) # "I Will Follow" (3:51) # "This Time" (McLagan, Calderón) (3:33) # "Last Chance to Dance" (3:37) - bonus track on Dreamsville edition

Personnel

* Ian McLagan - vocals, Hammond organ, piano, rhythm guitar * Don Harvey - drums, percussion * Sarah Brown - bass, backing vocals * "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb - acoustic and electric guitar *

- electric guitar, backing vocals with *

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

- acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocals (3, 6, 12) * Deborah Kelly - vocals (4, 7, 8, 12) * Amy Boone - vocals (4, 8, 12) * Billy Bragg - vocals (1) * Akwana Nflembele & The Jumbahkum Singers - vocals (7) ;Technical *Stuart Sullivan - engineer *Ron Wood - executive producer

References

{{Authority control 2000 albums Ian McLagan albums