Terry Reid

Terry Reid is one of the great lost souls of rock & roll, a young man overflowing with talent but destined to never fully realize it. By the age of 20, legal battles, personal choices, and plain bad luck worked in unison to sideline a career everyone saw as very promising. And while the past, in many ways, is irrevocable, the release of a 1970 Reid performance at the the Isle of Wight Festival goes a long way toward reminding listeners -- 35 years after the fact -- just how good he was. He's joined by multiple instrumentalist David Lindley, bassist Lee Miles, and drummer Michael Giles (Giles' only date with Reid) for an eclectic set list that varies from straight-up rock & roll to trippy folk to country. If one had to pick out one style as outstanding, it would be on the rock cuts like "Dean," mostly because Reid -- and this isn't just a reviewer being nice -- is a great rock & roll singer. He reminds one of a time and place when singers who really sang fronted the Guess Who, the Animals, and Led Zeppelin. The only small glitch in the whole affair is that Reid's expressive vocals stretch the limits of 1970 recording technology, meaning that his vocal highs are sometimes shrill. It's live, though, and having this document far outweighs any nitpicking. For Reid fans and anyone who was ever curious about the singer who turned down a chance to be in Led Zeppelin, Silver White Light will be a fun romp down memory lane. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide