Jan Akkerman, who's well-known for his role in Focus, is probably the best Dutch guitar player ever. At a certain point in his musical career he was even voted to be the best guitar player of the world! Esoteric Recordings are now proud to announce the release of Talent For Sale, the debut album of Akkerman, which was originally recorded back in 1968. It's the first time ever that this album has been released in the United Kingdom as well. Talent For Sale was recorded after Akkerman had left The Hunters, his first real band. At the time his band consisted of Ron Bijtelaar (bass guitar), Sydney Wachtel (drums) and Cocky Akkerman, who played the drums on the track Slim Jenkin's Place. The album features eleven tracks that all sound a bit outdated. Only Revival Of The Cat and Moonbeam have been composed by the master himself. The other nine songs are all covers of which Green Onions, originally by Booker T and the MG's, is one of the best pieces on the album. However, my absolute favourite song is Ode To Billy Joe, a funky slow and bluesy track with great guitar picking. The remainder of the material sounds too old-fashioned to really enjoy, so I think Talent For Sale is an album for Jan Akkerman-freaks only. *** Martien Koolen (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
