JOHNNY WINTER - JOHNNY WINTER (COLUMBIA 1969) Jap DSD mastering cardboard sleeve + 5 bonus

When Johnny Winter emerged on the national scene in 1969, the hope, particularly in the record business, was that he would become a superstar on the scale of Jimi Hendrix, another blues-based rock guitarist and singer who preceded him by a few years. That never quite happened, but Winter did survive the high expectations of his early admirers to become a mature, respected blues musician with a strong sense of tradition.
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Winter's debut album for Columbia was also arguably his bluesiest and best. Straight out of Texas with a hot trio, Winter made blues-rock music for the angels, tearing up a cheap Fender guitar with total abandon on tracks like "I'm Yours and I'm Hers," "Leland Mississippi Blues," and perhaps the slow blues moment to die for on this set, B.B. King's "Be Careful with a Fool." Winter's playing and vocals have yet to become mannered or cliched on this session, and if you've ever wondered what the fuss is all about, here's the best place to check out his true legacy.[allmusic]
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JOHNNY WINTER AND - JOHNNY WINTER AND (COLUMBIA 1970) Jap DSD mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

After two late-'60s albums on Columbia, Johnny Winter hit his stride in 1970 working with Rick Derringer and the McCoys, now recruited as his sidemen and collaborators (and proving with just about every note here how far they'd gotten past "Hang on Sloopy"). In place of the bluesy focus on his first two albums, Winter extended himself into more of a rock-oriented mode here, in both his singing and his selection of material. This was hard rock with a blues edge, and had a certain commercial smoothness lacking in his earlier work. Derringer's presence on guitar and as a songwriter saw to it that Winter's blues virtuosity was balanced by perfectly placed guitar hooks, and the two guitarists complemented each other perfectly throughout as well. There wasn't a weak moment anywhere on the record, and if Johnny Winter And wasn't a huge commercial success, it was mostly because of the huge amount of competition at the time from other, equally inspired players, that kept numbers like the Winter originals "Prodigal Son" and "Guess I'll Go Away" as well as Derringer co-authored pieces such as "Look Up" from having the impact they should have had on FM radio.[allmusic]
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SKY SAXON BLUES BAND - A FULL SPOON OF SEEDY BLUES (GNP CRESCENDO 1968) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

With liner notes by Muddy Waters, a cover of Water's tune "Plain Spoken," and two titles written by Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson, the trend-conscious Sky Saxon takes his Seeds into a world far removed from punk and garage rock. This may be the only album that doesn't contain a variation of the "Pushin' Too Hard" riff, and that might not be a good thing. Six minutes and four seconds of Sky Saxon's "Cry Wolf" is too long for blues this lightweight. Saxon plays a cool harp, but his Sam the Sham-style vocals are not going to cause Buddy Guy any sleepless nights, nor would George Guy find them amusing. This is one of the great garage rock bands of all time fooling around, and that GNP Crescendo gave them so much latitude is absolutely amazing. Muddy Waters' "Plain Spoken" gets a reverent treatment, and perhaps that's all one could ask. There was a search on for Howard Tate and when he was rediscovered the reviews for his latter-day work were outstanding. This album won't have DJs and blues enthusiasts seeking out the Seeds to do a national House of Blues tour, but the funny thing is, decades after this was recorded, they might actually have earned the right to attempt working in such sacred territory. "The Gardener," at four minutes and 57 seconds, sounds as long as "Cry Wolf." Saxon gives us some cool keyboards and wailing mouth harp, but his vocals really are more suited to a Seeds/Standells/Strawberry Alarm Clock class reunion, and halfway through the track you'll have had enough. Having the intuition to cover two Luther Johnson songs, "Pretty Girl" and the up-tempo "One More Time Blues," is commendable. Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson performed with Muddy Waters and Otis Spann, and the inclusion of his material adds a legitimacy. "Creepin' About" is amusing, but would have been more so had Sky Saxon actually got Luther Johnson or Muddy Waters or Etta James to guest star on his material. They look like the Seeds on the cover, and it is just too bad they didn't borrow a few ideas from Big Brother & the Holding Company and put some psychedelia into the grooves. Marcus Tybalt totally missed the mark in producing this, but it does have some merit for reasons already mentioned.[allmusic]
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BLOOMFIELD/HAMMOND/DR. JOHN - TRIUMVIRATE (COLUMBIA 1973) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

BY REQUEST
These guys may or may not have gotten together in a cynical attempt to create a roots music supergroup, but their sole album is in fact a lot better than its lack of commercial success might suggest. Each member has a signature specialty--Hammond's in country blues, Bloomfield's at the more modern Chicago variety, with Dr. John the epitome of New Orleans second-line R&B piano--and the material is split accordingly. Hammond, however, is the designated frontman and he's up to the task, although Dr. John's evocatively gruff vocals are missed. Among the highpoints are a sensitive reading of the blues classic "It Hurts Me Too," with terrific horn charts and strong soloing by Bloomfield, and a spooky version of John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog Blues," which has the distinction of being the one song here where all three styles are convincingly meshed.[net]
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TRAMP - PUT A RECORD ON (SPARK 1974) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Tramp were a British blues band active during the late 1960s and early 1970s on an intermittent basis. This on/off activity and the loose, transient nature of the band's line-up were reflected in the group's name.
The line-up centred around the brother-sister pairing of Dave Kelly and Jo Ann Kelly, and included various members of Fleetwood Mac, plus various session musicians. The band released two albums; Tramp in 1969, and Put A Record On in 1974. All members participated in many other projects before, after and even during their time with Tramp.

LINER NOTES
Recording sessions involving musicians who do not regularly work together can be notoriously unproductive, the shelves of second hand record shops are littered with dusty remnants of what might have been a great session.
Happily 'Tramp' is a very fine exception to this rule, perhaps because although there is plenty of creative and spontaneous playing on these tracks, the songs themselves, written by Bob Hall and Dennis Cotton, are economical, witty and tightly constructed; there are no twelve minute guitar solos on this record. Every musician contributed hugely to the overall strength of performance that is obvious throughout the set. Dave and Jo-Anne Kelly are renowned for their ability as blues singers, and they tackled each song whole-heartedly, often adding new ideas whilst actually recording. Bob Hall is surely the finest boogie pianist in Britain, and has never played better than on these sessions. Bob Brunning is also a highly experienced bass player who has worked and recorded with many blues giants, forming a unit with Bob Hall which has become much in demand by impressed visiting American performers, many of whom have invited them back to the States to form a permanent band! Mick Fleetwood has been the mainstay of Fleetwood Mac for a long time, and when one listens to this exciting playing on this album, one can see why - listen to his inspired and absolutely spontaneous drum lead in during the entirely unrehearsed piano break in 'Too Late For That Now' which leads incidentally to one of the most exciting solos heard in a long while. Danny Kirwan plays crisply and economically, showing his ability, unusual among rock guitarists - to know when not to play, nevertheless turning in some pleasing solos. Dave Brooks proves just how easily he recently stole the show on some of the '73 American Blues Legends performances, and last but not least, percussionist Ian Morton adds a lot of excitement to the proceedings. Here then is a fresh and exciting album representing of more than worthwhile gathering together of some well known musical 'Tramps'.

...and TRAMP are:
MICK FLEETWOOD - Drums
Founder member of Fleetwood Mac. He played on all their hit records and is currently spending most of his time touring the U.S.A. He is an old friend of Bob Brunning who he played with in Fleetwood Mac.
DANNY KIRWAN - Guitar
Replaced Peter Green as the lead guitarist in Fleetwood Mac and previously had his own band 'Boilerhouse'. He is currently forming a new band and is touring the U.S.A. He appeared on Volume One of Tramp, replacing Peter Green as he was unavailable.
DAVE BROOKS - Sax
Tenor Player for Manfred Mann, currently freelancing and doing session work.
DAVE KELLY - Vocal
Lead guitarist and vocalist with the John Dummer Band, he has made several albums with John Dummer and also two under his own name.
JO ANNE KELLY - Vocal
Sister of Dave Kelly, she was once dubbed by Melody Maker as Queen of British Blues Singers and has made two albums under her own name. She has toured the U.S.A. and is returning for a further visit.
BOB BRUNNING - Bass
Bass player with Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown. He left to continue his career as a teacher, he is working with Tramp and is also a member of a band he got together with Bob Hall, The Sunflower Blues Band.
BOB HALL - Piano
Together with Bob Brunning, he has recorded and toured with a number of American Blues men. He co-wrote all the songs on the album and has made over thirty LP's with various bands including Savoy Brown.
IAN MORTON - Percussion
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CHICKEN SHACK - 100 TON CHICKEN ((BLUE HORIZON 1969) Japan mastering cardboard sleeve

Chicken Shack was actually not far behind Fleetwood Mac in popularity in the late '60s, purveying a more traditional brand of Chicago blues, heavily influenced by Freddie King. Although Webb took most of the songwriting and vocal duties, Christine Perfect also chipped in with occasional compositions and lead singing. In fact, she sang lead on their only British Top 20 single, "I'd Rather Go Blind" (1969). But around that time, she quit the music business to marry John McVie and become a housewife, although, as the world knows, that didn't last too long. Chicken Shack never recovered from Christine's loss, commercially or musically.
Although they were one of the more pedestrian acts of the British blues boom, Chicken Shack was very popular for a time in the late '60s, placing two albums in the British Top 20. The front person of Chicken was not Perfect/McVie, but guitarist Stan Webb, who would excite British audiences by entering the crowds at performances, courtesy of his 100-meter-long guitar lead. They were signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label, a British blues pillar that had its biggest success with early Fleetwood Mac...
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"I wish to go on record as having always thought that the Shack were deserving of far greater acclaim than they actually managed to realise. That they were unable to come up with anything to match either "Black Magic Woman" or "Albatross" in terms of sales is a failure -- if indeed it could be considered to be such -- due to the greater street credibility of Fleetwood Mac rather than Stan's apparent inability to write a so-called hit song."
Mike Vernon
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LIVE AT BILL GRAHAM'S FILLMORE WEST (COLUMBIA 1969) Japan mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

This session from early 1969 featured Nick Gravenites, Mark Naftalin, John Kahn, and Snooky Flowers (among others), with cameos from Taj Mahal and Jesse Ed Davis, but it's clear from the opening notes who the real star is. Over the years, Bloomfield's titanic solos on "Blues on a Westside" have dwarfed the rest of the album in my memory, but the truth is his playing just burns across every track....[net]
...my music listening direction was created by this album. it is the consummate blues album. the vocals of taj mahal have never been more intense and loo...se. i've had struggles with a few of michael bloomfield albums but he hits on all cylinders on this night. the recording captures the depth of what listening to the blues has to offer....[net]
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I guess it's the first official (Sony-Columbia) CD reissue to this set.
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1. IT TAKES TIME
2. OH MAMA
3. LOVE GOT ME
4. BLUES ON A WESTSIDE
5. ONE MORE MILE TO GO
6. IT'S ABOUT TIME
7. CARMELITA SKIFFLE(INSTRUMENTAL)
8. IF I EVER GET LUCKY (BONUS)
9. STRONGER THAN DIRT(INSTRUMENTAL)(BONUS)
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NICK GRAVENITES - MY LABORS (COLUMBIA 1969) Japan mastering cardboard sleeve + bonus

Nick Gravenites and his running buddy Mike Bloomfield (the guitarist on this disc) are two sorely overlooked figures in the history of blues and rock and roll. Mike Bloomfield was one of the original sixties "guitar gods", best remembered for his work with the Butterfield Blues Band and the "Super Session" album he recorded with Al Kooper. He also played lead guitar for Bob Dylan when he first "went electric"; he was onstage at the notorious Newport Folk Festival when Dylan was booed by folk-purists. Bloomfield died in the early eighties, but remains an idol for blues and rock guitarists to this day. Nick Gravenites remains an even more obscure figure than Bloomfield. In the early 60's Chicago, Nick was part of the small clique of "white blues kids" who pushed racial barriers by hanging out in Chicago's south side blues joints and jamming with the musicians. He was a close friend of Paul Butterfield, writing the song "Born in Chicago" for the Butterfield Blues band. In the late sixties, Nick and Bloomfield formed the short-lived rock and soul band Electric Flag. After The Flag broke up, Nick and Mike still performed together regularly...
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Nicholas George Gravenites (born October 2, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois), known as Nick "The Greek" Gravenites and Gravy, is a blues, rock and folk singer–songwriter and is best known for his work with Janis Joplin and several other greats of the 1960s and 1970s. Nick currently resides in Sebastopol, California. According to author and pop music critic Joel Selvin, Nick Gravenites is "the original San Francisco connection for the Chicago crowd." Gravenites is credited as a "musical handyman" helping such San Francisco bands as Quicksilver Messenger Service and Janis Joplin's first solo group. Nick wrote Janis's song "Buried Alive In The Blues", but she died the night before her scheduled time in the studio and the song appeared as an instrumental on her album. He was also a songwriter for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which consisted of Elvin Bishop, Paul Butterfield, and Michael Bloomfield, then formed The Electric Flag with Butterfield guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Nick is also responsible for writing the score for The Trip...[net]
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CHARLEY MUSSELWHITE'S SOUTH SIDE BAND - STAND BACK! (VANGUARD 1967)

Vanguard may have spelled his name wrong (he prefers Charlie or Charles), but the word was out as soon as this solo debut was released: Here was a harpist every bit as authentic, as emotional, in some ways as adventuresome, as Paul Butterfield. Similarly leading a Chicago band with a veteran Black rhythm section (Fred Below on drums, Bob Anderson on bass) and rock-influenced soloists (keyboardist Barry Goldberg, guitarist Harvey Mandel), Musselwhite played with a depth that belied his age -- only 22 when this was cut! His gruff vocals were considerably more affected than they would become later (clearer, more relaxed), but his renditions of "Help Me," "Early in the Morning," and his own "Strange Land" stand the test of time. He let his harmonica speak even more authoritatively on instrumentals like "39th and Indiana" (essentially "It Hurts Me Too" sans lyrics) and "Cha Cha the Blues," and his version of jazz arranger Duke Pearson's gospel-tinged "Cristo Redentor" has become his signature song -- associated with Musselwhite probably more so than with trumpeter Donald Byrd, who originally recorded the song for Blue Note. Goldberg is in fine form (particularly on organ), but Mandel's snakey, stuttering style really stands out -- notably on "Help Me," his quirky original "4 P.M.," and "Chicken Shack," where he truly makes you think your record is skipping...[net]
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1) Baby, Will You Please Help Me (Musselwhite) 3:20
2) No More Lonely Nights 5:15
3) Cha Cha The Blues 3:06
4) Christo Redemptor (Duke Pearson) 3:14
5) Help Me (Carraras, Farver, Ward) 3:31
6) Chicken Shack 4:23
7) Strange Land (Musselwhite) 3:04
8) 39th and Indiana (Musselwhite) 2:43
9) My Baby 2:43
10) Early In The Morning 4:32
11) 4 P.M. (Harvey Mandel) 3:27
12) Sad Day (Barry Goldberg) 5:02
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