Record Reviews
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  | MIKE BLOOMFIELD ~ IT`S NOT KILLING ME
ACADIA 8098 (Barcode: 805772809826) ~ USA ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 1969 Released: 2006
1st album by US most formidable white (and Jewish of course) Blues guitar hero Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, who by the time this music was recorded has already established a legendary status among Blues aficionados and music lovers in general, following his remarkable work with Bob DylanFind albums by this artist, Paul Butterfield Blues BandFind albums by this artist, Electric FlagFind albums by this artist and Al KooperFind albums by this artist´s "Super SessionFind albums with this title" meetings. Considering his status, the album was a huge disappointment at the time of its release, as it didn´t follow the formula of extended solo guitar fireworks in the Blues vein, which everybody expected. Bloomfield decided to get away from that formula and record a much more relaxed album, surrounded by many of his faithful cohorts from years past, including his ex-Electric Flag buddies Mark NaftalinFind albums by this artist on keyboards and Nick GravenitesFind albums by this artist on backing vocals. Although a fair share of Blues material is present, Bloomfield also tackles Rhythm And Blues and even Country, with his soloing subdued and mighty guitar work kept in the background. He did however write 10 of the 11 tracks on the album, sticking to his own music rather than playing over Blues standards. If one has to criticize, the only poor decision here was Bloomfield handling the lead vocals, rather than leaving that part to much abler singers, like Gravenites (something that worked wonderfully on the singer´s debut solo album. But in retrospect every note played by Bloomfield is worthy of admiration and preservation, and considering this is the first reissue of that album on CD, this is a treat any way one looks at it. Definitely worth investigating!
| | Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | MIKE BLOOMFIELD ~ LIVE AT THE OLD WALDORF
COLUMBIA 491575 (Barcode: 5099749157521) ~ USA ~ Blues
Recorded: 1976 - 1977 Released: 1998
Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist was America`s best ever white blues player and his recorded legacy never really expressed fully his extraordinary qualities as a player. This album recorded live is as close to the naked truth as it gets - Mike doing just what he knows best - playing blues straight from his heart. Brilliant stuff!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | PAUL BUTTERFIELD ~ COMPLETE ALBUMS 1965-1980
RHINO 081227951955 (Barcode: 081227951955) ~ USA ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 1965 - 1980 Released: 2015
This wonderful Box Set collects all the albums by American vocalist / harmonica virtuoso / bandleader Paul ButterfieldFind albums by this artist, recorded between 1965 and 1980, which constitute almost his entire recording career. These albums present some of the finest American Blues, Blues-Rock and Jazz-Rock music ever recorded and pay a tribute to one of the finest and most important American Blues Masters, sadly often overlooked. Butterfield´s musical journey can be divided into several periods, all quite different from each other, yet all characterized by total dedication and extraordinary achievements by the leader and his various crews.
The first two albums in this collection, recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues BandFind albums by this artist, seem to be the most celebrated ones, as they feature the talents of the brilliant guitarist Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, one of the best ever white Blues guitar players in history. Following the departure of Bloomfield the band morphed into a Brass-Rock ensemble, which played Blues influenced Jazz-Rock Fusion material, which was somewhat similar to Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist and ChicagoFind albums by this artist, releasing four more studio albums and one live album under the same moniker.
After Paul Butterfield Blues Band folded, the leader switched to a much smaller ensemble, called Paul Butterfield´s Better DaysFind albums by this artist, which played material closer to the original Blues traditions and recorded two albums, and finally he recorded three solo albums, which were of significant lesser quality. Butterfield died tragically in 1987 from a drug overdose, following his friend Mike Bloomfield who died under similar circumstances in 1981.
Although quite a few live albums appeared on the market after Butterfield´s death, this Box Set includes the only official live album from 1970 (as a 2CD album) and a previously unreleased live album from 1969.
Butterfield´s harmonica playing was completely unique and his treatment of the instrument was completely innovative and unprecedented. He played long, complex, virtuosic solos, which to this day have absolutely no parallels. His ability to collect superb musicians to form his bands was another of his exceptional qualities. The list of the musicians who played on his bands over the years looks like a who´s who of the American Blues and Jazz-Rock, including guitarist Elvin BishopFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Mark NaftalinFind albums by this artist, saxophonist David SanbornFind albums by this artist and dozens of others.
Overall this Box Set is full of absolutely stunning music, which must not be forgotten and is as fresh and powerful as it was at the time it was recorded. Absolutely essential to all Blues lovers, but honestly Jazz-Rock and Brass-Rock fans should have a field day with this chest of treasures. A must!
| | Updated: 29/01/2019Posted: 14/01/2016 | CD 14 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | BOB DYLAN ~ THE ORIGINAL MONO RECORDINGS
SONY 886977610424 (Barcode: 886977610424) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1961 - 1967 Released: 2010
Half a century ago, in the early 1960s, music was going through a period of rapid and revolutionary change, a complete metamorphosis in fact, with brilliant new ideas and bold steps into the unknown and the unprecedented happening almost instantly, and new directions, genres and sounds being born on the fly. However, the sound technology, which was the tool used to capture and then reproduce music was moving at a much slower pace. It took almost a decade for the vinyl LP, which was introduced in 1948, to become the de facto industry standard. Similarly the stereo sound, initially introduced in 1958, also took almost a decade to become the industry standard.
Therefore, most of the music released in the early to mid 1960s was in fact recorded, mixed and manufactured in the mono format, with later recordings available in separate mono or stereo versions, until the mono format was eventually dropped completely. The original mono versions were later electronically transferred to stereo, creating the so called "fake stereo" effect. Now, half a century later, many music and sound connoisseurs wish to hear the music of that period as it was originally recorded and intended to be heard, i.e. in the mono format, which in turn gave birth to a new trend of original mono format reissues, which is quite popular among the "insiders" of the record collecting niche.
This magnificent Box Set is a result of the "mono craze", but of course it is much more than just a nostalgia trip. It includes the first eight albums recorded by singer / poet / prophet Bob DylanFind albums by this artist, who singlehandedly not only revolutionized music, as we know it, but also stirred up the American morality, shaking the often false foundations, upon it was based. Dylan "invented" Rock, by electrifying American Folk, for which he was bitterly criticized and treated as a "traitor". But the young generation, which was about to become "Flower Children" and later the angry, outraged post-Woodstock anti-establishment generation came into being because of his prophetic, bitter and profoundly accurate poetry, which is all heard here, on these albums. There is no other singular representative of the American People, who made such an intense impact on American culture and morality, as documented herein.
These eight albums, starting from the eponymous 1961 release and ending with the 1967 "John Wesley HardingFind albums with this title" are all masterpieces and together present a magnificent piece of history of human culture. They present a gradual development from the pure acoustic Folk music, which Dylan with his voice, guitar and harmonica brought to perfection, into a full electric Rock ensembles, which featured the genius of keyboardist Al KooperFind albums by this artist and guitarists Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist and Robbie RobertsonFind albums by this artist (the latter member of The BandFind albums by this artist, which was Dylan´s touring band at the time). This is music history in the making. But of course there are also the words, the lyrics, the poems, which at the time were cutting through the American (as well as World) conscience, rising questions never before asked. Many of these questions remain unanswered to this vey day…
I can not imagine any true Homo Sapiens not having these albums as part of his cultural diet. By hey, the world is moving on, getting stupider by the minute, so I suppose considerably fewer people listen to this music today than half a century ago. O tempora o mores!
| | Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: | CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | RORY GALLAGHER ~ IRISH TOUR `74 (40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 888750048820 (Barcode: 888750048820) ~ IRELAND ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2014
This is a monumental reissue project, which expands the original double LP live album by the Irish Blues-Rock guitarist / vocalist Rory GallagherFind albums by this artist into a Box Set with seven CDs and one DVD. The material was recorded during the last days of December 1973 and early January 1974 during Gallagher´s tour of Ireland (including Northern Ireland). The DVD presents the spectacular documentary film made by the British film director Tony PalmerFind albums by this artist (who specializes in music documentaries) made during this tour. Gallagher´s group during this tour included pianist Lou MartinFind albums by this artist, bassist Gerry McAvoyFind albums by this artist and drummer Rod De`AthFind albums by this artist.
In spite of Gallagher´s idol status in the 1970s, his invaluable contributions to Blues and Rock legacy are today sadly almost forgotten. On stage Gallagher was a force of Nature and his incredible inventiveness and pure magic he managed to produce on his guitar were absolutely colossal. He definitely belongs to the very elite of white Blues guitarist, which also includes Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist, Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist, Peter GreenFind albums by this artist and a handful of others. The whole issue of white Blues guitarists excelling in music which has its cradle in the Afro-American cultural legacy is quite fascinating and Gallagher is an extraordinary example how this legacy, which he learned from the very early age was transformed by him into a completely new level due to his talent of combining virtuosity, improvisation and complexity.
Since these live shows were recorded only a few days apart from each other, they include quite similar set lists, which of course results in a certain amount of repetition as far as the material is concerned. The beauty of this set is, that each and every performance of the same tune present on these albums is so different from any other that the repetition is not only most welcome, but also extremely educational.
These recordings are also a superb example of the spirit of music that was present on stage during the Golden Age, when charismatic and totally dedicated performers were Gods. It was all about music and all the rest (mostly money) was completely secondary. These raw performances had no element of staging or decoration and the only thing that mattered was how well everybody played. These days are sadly utterly gone.
This Box Set is a great example of how to make Box Sets work. It includes brilliant top quality material, minimizes the packaging (and subsequently the price) to bare minimum and does not deal with fads and fashions of superfluous sound technologies. This is pure Gold from start to finish, exactly as it was forty plus years ago and it is here to stay forever. Of course this is absolutely essential for all Blues fans everywhere on this globe, a capsule of frozen greatness for us to recollect and for the younger generations to discover. Essential I said? Way beyond essential it is!
| | Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 17/01/2016 | 7CD+DVD 8 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | AL KOOPER / SHUGGIE OTIS ~ KOOPER SESSION
ACADIA 8135 (Barcode: 805772813526) ~ USA ~ Blues
Recorded: 1969 Released: 2007
This is the last album in the series of recordings made in the late 1960s by keyboardist / producer Al KooperFind albums by this artist with some of the greatest guitar players (mostly Blues oriented) like Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist, Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist and Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist under the umbrella of the "Super SessionFind albums with this title" format, which allowed for a loosely defined jam session environment with a lot of on-the-spot improvised music to be recorded. This album features the talents of the Blues guitar prodigy Shuggie OtisFind albums by this artist, who was barely 15 years old at the time of this recording (son of Blues legend Johnny OtisFind albums by this artist). As usual for these sessions, Kooper assembled a rhythm session of seasoned studio musicians to accompany him and Otis. The session was divided into two parts, with one LP side containing more structured songs and the other lengthy jams, which allow Otis to play his heart out and display his guitar artistry at full. In retrospect this music lost nothing of its freshness and power, hitting the right notes time and again and for electric Blues fans this is still some of the best stuff ever recorded. Kooper´s magic touch just couldn´t go wrong and he kept the Blues flame burning. This is a great piece of music history and a much appreciated reissue of an album, which was lost for many years in the vaults.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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