Although his name may not be as instantly recognizable stateside as Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin, Alexis Korner played an enormously large role in helping launch the British blues explosion of the '60s. After all, such soon-to-be household names as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ginger Baker, and Robert Plant either recorded with Korner, or credit the singer/guitarist as an early inspiration to follow their blues calling. The double-disc. 40-plus-track Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1954-1983 chronicles Korner's entire recording career, from Alexis Korner Skiffle Group in the early '50s, to fronting various bands later in the '50s and throughout the '60s (as Alex Korner's Blues Incorporated, Alex Korner's Blues All Stars, etc.), all of which are included here. Individual standouts include the recently unearthed "Steal Away," which features a 20-year-old Robert Plant (evidence that he had his whole "shrieking sex god" thing down -- even pre-Zeppelin), as well as a laid-back yet funky cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Mighty-Mighty Spade & Whitey" (credited to New Church), which features Free's then-lead singer Paul Rodgers on vocals. Also included is a mostly instrumental cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" (which long served as the theme music for the popular British TV show Top of the Pops), as well as another laid-back funk-rock cover, "The Gambler." Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1954-1983 is a fitting testament to one of rock's most oft-overlooked yet important figures.
CD 1
01. THE KEN COLYER SKIFFLE GROUP - Midnight Special [0:02:49.26]
02. ALEXIS KORNER'S BREAKDOWN GROUP - Roundhouse Stomp [0:02:55.36]
03. ALEXIS KORNER'S BREAKDOWN GROUP - Rotten Break [0:03:50.74]
04. ALEXIS KORNER'S SKIFFLE GROUP - Kid Man [0:02:24.49]
05. ALEXIS KORNER'S SKIFFLE GROUP - County Jail [0:03:12.29]
06. ALEXIS KORNER & DAVEY GRAHAM GROUP - 3/4 A.D. [0:04:40.42]
07. BLUES INCORPORATED - She Fooled Me [0:02:21.02]
08. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - I Wanna Put A Tiger In Your Tank [0:02:54.48]
09. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound [0:02:51.30]
10. NANCY SPAIN WITH ALEXIS KORNER & HIS BAND - Blaydon Races [0:02:21.70]
11. BLUES INCORPORATED - Up-Town [0:02:28.92]
12. ALEXIS KORNER - See See Rider [0:02:19.20]
13. ALEXIS KORNER'S ALL STARS - Blues A La King [0:02:52.24]
14. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - Sappho [0:02:59.14]
15. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - Taboo Man [0:02:08.77]
16. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man [0:05:35.68]
17. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INCORPORATED - Woke Up This Morning [0:02:43.85]
18. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INC - Please, Please, Please [0:02:35.26]
19. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INC - I Need Your Loving [0:02:17.52]
20. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INC - Big Road Blues [0:02:36.61]
21. ALEXIS KORNER'S BLUES INC - Louise [0:04:47.28]
22. FREE AT LAST - Rosie [0:02:13.10]
23. ALEXIS KORNER - Mary, Open The Door [0:03:33.22]
24. ALEXIS KORNER & ROBERT PLANT - Steal Away [0:04:44.77]
25. NEW CHURCH - Mighty-Mighty Spade & Whitey [0:04:06.58]
CD 2
01. C.C.S. - Whole Lotta Love [0:03:34.46]
02. C.C.S. - Tap Turns On The Water [0:03:43.37]
03. ALEXIS KORNER - Hellhound On My Trail [0:03:12.81]
04. SNAPE - Gospel Ship [0:03:35.49]
05. SNAPE - Ooh Wee Baby [0:03:18.88]
06. ALEXIS KORNER - Wild Women & Desperate Men [0:03:34.97]
07. ALEXIS KORNER - Vicksburg Blues [0:03:26.21]
08. ALEXIS KORNER - Get Off My Cloud [0:05:30.46]
09. ALEXIS KORNER - Robert Johnson [0:04:10.44]
10. ALEXIS KORNER - The Gambler [0:04:15.37]
11. ALEXIS KORNER - The Love You Save [0:06:04.98]
12. ALEXIS KORNER & BOB HALL - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie [0:03:24.77]
13. ALEXIS KORNER & FRIENDS - Hey, Pretty Mama [0:04:21.86]
14. ALEXIS KORNER & FRIENDS - Lining Track [0:03:23.08]
15. ALEXIS KORNER - Hammer & Nails [0:03:43.73]
16. ALEXIS KORNER & COLIN HODGKINSON - Key To The Highway [0:04:50.37]
17. ALEXIS KORNER & COLIN HODGKINSON - Blood On The Saddle [0:02:58.85]
18. ALEXIS KORNER - Juvenile Delinquent [0:04:00.56]
19. ALEXIS KORNER - Mean Fool [0:03:35.54]
