"Original Album Series" by THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND (March 2010 UK Elektra/Rhino 5CD Mini Box Set Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Blues With A Feeling…"

Quite possibly one of the best Blues-Rock CD Mini Box Sets I have in my fine household (can’t tell the wife how many there are lest I suffer serious physical injury – after the mental torture that is) – Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band is a very definite jewel in the erratic crown of WEA’s “Original Album Series” reissues. When the 5-disc series began in 2009  – ‘some’ of the first vanguard of 40 or so titles featured remasters (many unfortunately didn’t). This beauty is one that does – and from the second the opening track “Born In Chicago” on their incendiary debut hits your speakers – it rocks like a madman on Blues Boogie acid and doesn’t let up. Here are the harmonica wails, guitar licks and chooglin’ white boys doing the blues details…

Released March 2010 in the UK - "Original Album Series" by THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND on Elektra/Rhino 8122 79834 0 (Barcode 081227983406) is a 5CD Mini Box Set and breaks down as follows (all are Stereo mixes):

Disc 1 (38:09 minutes):

1. Born In Chicago

2. Shake Your Money-Maker

3. Blues With A Feeling

4. Thank You Mr. Poobah

5. I Got My Mojo Working

6. Mellow Down Easy

7. Screamin’

8. Our Love Is Drifting

9. Mystery Train

10. Last Night

11. Look Over Yonders Wall

Tracks 1 to 11 are the LP "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" - their debut album released December 1965 on Elektra EKS 7294 in the USA (May 1966 in the UK same no.)

Disc 2 (44:47 minutes):

1. Walkin’ Blues

2. Get Out Of My Life, Woman

3. I Got A Mind To Give Up Everything

4. All These Blues

5. Work Song

6. Mary, Mary

7. Two Trains Running

8. Never say No

9. East-West

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "East-West" - released September 1966 on Elektra EKS 7315 in the USA (December 1966 in the UK same no.)

Disc 3 (45:45 minutes):

1. One More Heartache

2. Driftin’ And Driftin’

3. Pity The Fool

4. Born Under A Bad Sign

5. Run Out Of Time

6. Double Trouble

7. Drivin’ Wheel

8. Droppin’ Out

9. Tollin’ Blues

Tracks 1 to 9 are the LP "The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw" - released January 1968 on Elektra EKS 74015 in the USA (February 1968 in the UK same no.)

Disc 4 (34:30 minutes):

1. Last Hope’s Gone

2. Mine To Love

3. Get Yourself Together

4. Just To Be With You

5. Morning Blues

6. Drunk Again

7. In My Own Dream

Tracks 1 to 7 are the LP "In My Own Dream" - released August 1968 on Elektra EKS 74025 in the USA (September 1968 in the UK same no.)

Disc 5 (42:11 minutes):

1. Love March

2. No Amount Of Loving

3. Morning Sunrise

4. Losing Hand

5. Walking By Myself

6. Except You

7. Love Disease

8. Where Did My Baby Go

9. All In A Day

10. So Far So Good

11. Buddy’s Advice

12. Keep Moving

Tracks 1 to 12 is the LP "Keep On Moving" - released October 1969 on Elektra EKS 74053 in the USA (November 1969 in the UK same no.)

ARTWORK/PACKAGING:

The five single card sleeves reflect the 'original' front and rear US LP artwork (the gatefolds are unfortunately not reproduced). Also each front sleeve is now 'bordered' with a colour and the label on the CD then reflects that colour code - Green for Disc 1, Light Blue for 2, Orange for 3, Dark Blue for 4 and Brown for 5. It would have been more appropriate to have the original label colour configurations - maybe even the Elektra inner bags (like they did on the Doors albums in the Complete Studio Recordings box set), but alas... The track list is to the left on the CD label with band members with recording credits listed on the right (as there's no booklet nor site to download details from - as there is on the Sony issues - this is some compensation to the lack of readable details).

It has to be said that the outer card box is lightweight and therefore disappointingly flimsy (unlike the glossy hard-card Sony issues). Having said that the card sleeves still look cool once out of the box and it's nice to see the original artwork used - which in these cases are very sweet to look at (it really makes such a big difference on the Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Drifters and Clyde McPhatter rear sleeves too - beautiful original album artwork). As you can see from the timings - there are no bonus tracks.

SOUND:

The music is incredibly bluesy and ballsy –truly stunning Paul Rothchild Sixties Production values coming at you on every disc. The instrumental “Thank You Mr. Poobah” for instance will probably have your speakers for breakfast. The opening guitars on “Walkin’ Blues” are the same – back in the mix – but still powerful. Don’t get me wrong – these CDs aren’t amped up for effect – they’re just beautifully handled – and it’s sonically obvious that the original master tapes are in tip-top condition. And throughout the records - you get Butterfield’s deep and muscular harmonica slaying all in its path.

Highlights are many and varied – their Soulful and Brassy cover of Marvin Gaye’s “One More Headache”, the wailing Blues of Otis Rush’s “Double Trouble” and the huge Albert King power of “Born Under A Bad Sign”. I love the slinky “Come Together” (Beatles) bass line that opens the slightly jazzy “Last Hope’s Gone” – a sort of precursor to Blood, Sweat & Tears debut album “Child Is The Father To The Man:”. Elvin Bishop provides the witty “Drunk Again” (“ain’t got a dime and smellin’ like a brewery…”) while “No Amount Of Loving” on “Keep On Moving” is a tremendous chugger.

If you want a slice of Sixties Blues-Rock - then you can't go much wrong with these albums (although for me the quality really tapers off on Disc 5). Fans who already own these treasured LPs on previous CD incarnations may balk at acquiring this box set just to have those dinky little card sleeves – but everyone else should just get with the beat, crank up that stereo and annoy the neighbours right away...



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