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 A Forgotten Blues-Rock Classic Young Blues-Rock Fans Need To Hear Nov 05, 2009
I LOVE this record & today's young blues-rock bands & fans need to discover this record. Along with the innovative blues-rock recordings of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac made a few years after the release of this recording, this recording is seriously underrated & ignored by FM album oriented rock stations & today's blues-rock bands & fans. The instrumental skills displayed on this recording are outstanding & the sheer power this version of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band generated has not been replicated by any other blues-rock band other than Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac since. This album has aged well & is still relevant today. For all of the endless accolades showered on EVERYTHING recorded by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, & Stevie Ray Vaughan, nothing these three titans of blues-rock recorded approaches what this band accomplished on "East-West". "East-West" combines the emotion & power of the blues along with the swing & instrumental dexterity of a great jazz band. The highlights for me on this album are their version of "I Got A Mind To Give Up Living", made famous by B.B. King, which features great, slow burning guitar work by the late Michael Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop's slow blues "Never Say No" which features great, moody vocals & a dreamy-swampy feel, & the two centerpieces of the album, the instrumentals "Work Song" written by jazz great Nat Adderly, & the title cut "East-West" written by Michael Bloomfield & Nick Gravenites, who would collaborate with Bloomfield further after he left the Butterfield Blues Band. "Work Song" & "East-West" are probably the first recorded versions of jazz-rock fusion put to vinyl. "Work Song" is a faithful version of the original with excellent solos by each member of the band. The guitar solos by both Bloomfield & Bishop are excellent & tasteful & the rhythm section of Jerome Arnold & Billy Davenport rank right up there with Ron Carter & Tony Williams of the great Miles Davis bands of the 60's, not to mention John McVie & Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac. The title song "East-West" starts out with Elvin Bishop on guitar joined by Michael Bloomfield playing an ascending build-up to Paul Butterfield's harp solo. After the harp solo the music reaches an edge of the world crescendo before coming to a sudden stop. Michael Bloomfield then launches into a lengthy, powerful guitar solo that previews the coming of John McLaughlin's jaw-dropping guitar work in the original version of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Bloomfield's playing isn't lightning fast like McLaughlin's would be in the M.O., but has that same India inspired feel of McLaughlin's best work. The music again reaches a climax after his solo followed by another sudden stop. Bishop & Bloomfield then begin an ascending dual guitar build-up which leads to the song's ending climax. A breath taking performance from beginning to end which never goes overboard or becomes boring at any point. That statement leads me to my final statements regarding this album. This album with it's lengthy, India-inspired soloing on the title cut is frequently credited with starting the acid rock movement which grew out of San Francisco in the late 60's. This is a major crock folks. NONE of the stoner acid rock bands (The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, etc.) with their meandering, loosely structured jams, could hold a candle to this band & to compare this recording with the excessive, disjointed music put out by the acid rock movement of the late 60's does this band & this recording a major disservice. This is serious, driving blues-rock at its best, made by serious musicians, not a bunch of stoned hippies. Blues-rock fans who haven't yet heard this recording, pick up a copy of this album a.s.a.p. You won't be disappointed & you'll find it hard to take this album out of your cd player. It's that good!
Progressive White boy Blues at it's Best Oct 05, 2009
A classic from some of the great young white blues players coming out of Chicago in the early sixties. Stretching out tunes into monster instrumental masterpieces with amazing guitar, harmonica, and organ solos. Micheal Bloomfield helps invent raga-rock guitar on the title track. An all time must have.
Why you must have this recording Nov 16, 2007
This recording contains what has to be the one of the greatest blues/rock songs of all time. The song is East West which contains some of the greatest music I've ever heard. It is a preview of what the bands later in the 60's will produce and remains one of the finest example of the extended guitar solo pieces.
At this time the Butterfield Blues Band had two of the best guitarist around, Elvin Bishop and (my favorite) Mike Bloomfield. They each take an extended solo, Elvin Bishop first. Elvin throws out a blazing fast mountain of notes. It is what happens next that makes this an unique experience. It is Mike Bloomfield's turn next, not with another show stopper solo, instead he pares back the music to the absolute minimum. His clear ringing notes lifts one from out under the mountain into the clear blue sky. From this he slowly builds, never to excess, an exquisite solo that sends us flying above the mountains. There is nothing else like it that I've ever heard. I cannot do it justice, this music must be heard. It is unique moment that everyone deserves to experience.
For this reason along, the song East West, makes this recording a must. But there is also all of the rest of the songs, including Butterfield's catchy solo on Work Song.
Better than ever! Jan 09, 2007
I sampled all tracks and was surprised that I knew all of them since I had never owned it or even heard it in 30 years. Bought it and love it.
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
YOU ARE BUYING THE RIGHT CD.................... Jan 04, 2007
I too had this on vinyl and wore it out 5 times and one listen to "I've got a mind to give up living" will send you out of your head. Maybe this is one of the cd's or of of the bands youeither love or hate because I don't love evry cd they have made. But with this versions line-up, the Butterfield Blues Band ain't s***. Sorry to all u die hards.
There are many more memorable sond here than on any other PBBB albums, but go ahead and listen and u be the judge.
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