"Complete Albums 1965-1980" by PAUL BUTTERFIELD including THE BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND and BETTER DAYS - Musicians Include Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Geoff Muldaur, Amos Garrett, Merry Clayton and many more (November 2015 UK Elektra/Bearsville/WSM/Rhino 14CD 140-Song Clamshell Box Set of Remasters with Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves and Rare/Previously Unreleased Material - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B014QHQUIS&asins=B014QHQUIS&linkId=0dd6e26f2ae2ac5e66f475b0443c9e7a&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

"...All These Blues..."

 

Winners and losers on this one – 14CDs with 140-songs including collector-friendly stuff like Rare and Previously Unreleased August 1969 Woodstock recordings tagged on at the end (CD14) as "Live In White Lake, N.Y. 8/18/69" - a reissue of a rare July 1995 Rhino US CD compilation that gathered up the then Previously Unissued December 1964 original band sessions including both guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop called "The Original Lost Elektra Sessions" - and an unannounced 'Extended Edition' of their official "Live" album from 1970.

In a nutshell - you get all of his Elektra albums in glorious Stereo from December 1965 up to September 1971 and the ones that followed on Bearsville in the first part of the Seventies as the band Better Days and then just as Paul Butterfield (some of those gems were produced by Todd Rundgren, Geoff Muldaur and Hi Records legend Willie Mitchell) – an impressive haul in any man's language. Hell, even the "Live" set from 1970 turns out to be the whole double-LP on CD1, but it also sports an additional 8 session outtakes on CD2, unissued material that showed exclusively on a now long-deleted US-only Rhino Handmade 2CD reissue in 2005. And this is without saying so either on the front cover sticker or rear box track list.

So as I say – at a huge 140 Tracks - impressive and comprehensive. But where are the details? The lack of a booklet that could easily stretch to 50-plus pages covering his 15-year career is a downer – especially given his genre-groundbreaking place in Blues Rock History and the sheer number of cool session men and women who played on these albums (Clydie King, Merry Clayton, David Sanborn etc).

But – that said – even when the content starts to taper off big time by the time we get to the decidedly weak Bearsville albums of the Seventies and beyond - "Complete Albums 1965-1980" is gorgeous to look at – a fantastic ballsy listen because all are the 1990s Rhino Remasters done by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot and the Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves are just the dinkiest things (gatefolds include "In My Own Dream", "Live", "Better Days" and "It All Comes Back" - inserts in several too). Much to boogie to...here are the details...

 

UK released November 2015 - "Complete Albums 1965-1980" by PAUL BUTTERFIELD (including The Butterfield Blues Band and Better Days) on Elektra/Bearsville/Warner Strategic Marketing/Rhino 081227951855 (Barcode 081227951955) is a 14CD 140-Song Clamshell Box Set of 13 Remastered albums (one is a 2CD double-live set) that plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (38:07 minutes):

1. Born In Chicago [Side 1]

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' [Side 2]

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 in the USA on Elektra EKS 7294 in Stereo (May 1966 in the UK with the same catalogue no.)

 

CD2 (44:55 minutes):

1. Walkin' Blues [Side 1]

2. Get Out Of My Life, Woman

3. I Got A Mind To Give Up Living

4. All These Blues

5. Work Song

6. Mary, Mary [Side 2]

7. Two Trains Running

8. Never Say No

9. East-West

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

 

CD3 (45:45 minutes):

1. One More Heartache [Side 1]

2. Driftin' And Driftin'

3. Pity The Fool

4. Born Under A Bad Sign

5. Run Out Of Time [Side 2]

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.)

 

CD4 (36:30 minutes):

1. Last Hope's Gone [Side 1]

2. Mine To Love

3. Get Yourself Together

4. Just To Be With You

5. Morning Blues [Side 2]

6. Drunk Again

7. In My Own Dream

Tracks 1 to 7 are the LP "In My Own Dream" - released August 1968 in the USA on Elektra EKS 74025 in Stereo (September 1968 in the UK same no.) The card sleeve is a gatefold to repro the original LP

 

CD5 (42:09 minutes):

1. Love March [Side 1]

2. No Amount Of Loving

3. Morning Sunrise

4. Losing Hand

5. Walking By Myself

6. Except You

7. Love Disease [Side 2]

8. Where Did My Baby Go

9. All In A Day

10. So Far So Good

11. Buddy's Advice

12. Keep On Moving

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

 

CD6 (77:47 minutes):

1. Everything Going To Be Alright [Side 1]

2. Love Disease

3. The Boxer

4. No Amount Of Loving [Side 2]

5. Driftin' And Driftin'

6. Intro To Musicians [Side 3]

7. Number Nine

8. I Want To Be With You

9. Born Under A Bad Sign

10. Get Together Again [Side 4]

11. So Far, So Good

Tracks 1 to 11 are the 2LP-set "The Butterfield Blues Band/Live" – released December 1970 in the USA on Elektra 7E-2001 and February 1971 in the UK on Elektra EKD 2001. A gatefold card sleeve - see also CD7 for more details

 

CD7 (69:30 minutes):

1. Gene's Tune

2. Nobody's Fault But Mine

3. Losing Hand

4. All In A Day

5. Feel So Bad

6. Except You

7. You've Got To Love Her With A Feeling

8. Love March

Tracks 1 to 9 first appeared as Previously Unreleased outtakes on the 2004 USA-only 2CD Reissue of the 1970 album "The Butterfield Blues Band/Live" on Rhino Handmade RHM2 7874 (limited to 2,500 copies only)

 

CD8 (39:03 minutes):

1. Play On [Side 1]

2. 1000 Ways

3. Pretty Woman

4. Little Piece Of Dying

5. Song For Lee

6. Train Man [Side 2]

7. Night Child

8. Drowned In My Own Tears

9. Blind Leading The Blind

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin'" – released September 1971 in the USA on Elektra EKS-75013 and September 1971 in the UK on Elektra K 42095. This Mini LP Card sleeve includes a 2-sided page insert that repro's the original 1971 LP inner bag - band photo on one side - photos/reviews of their preceding six albums on the other side

 

CD9 (58:55 minutes):

1. Good Morning Little School Girl

2. Just To Be With You

3. Help Me

4. Hate To See You Go

5. Poor Boy

6. Nut Popper No. 1

7. Everything's Gonna Be All Right

8. Lovin' Cup

9. Rock Me

10. It Hurts Me Too

11. Our Love Is Driftin'

12. Take Me Back Baby

13. Mellow Down Easy

14. Ain't No Need To Go No Further

15. Love Her With A Feeling

16. Piney Brown Blues

17. Spoonful

18. That's All Right

19. Goin' Down Slow

Tracks 1 to 19 are the CD compilation "The Original Lost Elektra Sessions" by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – originally released July 1995 in the USA on Elektra Traditions/Rhino R2 73505 (Elektra Traditions/Rhino 0349-73505-2 in the UK and Europe). Originally Produced by Elektra's Paul A. Rothchild – the abandoned Previously Unreleased Stereo recordings were made December 1964 for their first album, finally receiving an airing in 1995. The Band included Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop on Guitars, Jeremy Arnold on Bass and Sam Lay on Drums with Butterfield on Vocals and Harmonica. Mark Naftalin plays organ only on "Love Her With A Feeling". The mixing and remastering waa done by Dan Rothchild and Joe Gastwirt. This CD compilation was also reissued 2013 on Wounded Bird WOU 3505 in the USA – but both have been deleted years.

 

CD10 (37:24 minutes):

1. New Walkin' Blues

2. Please Send Me Someone To Love

3. Broke My Baby's Heart

4. Done A Lot Of Wrong Things

5. Baby Please Don't Go [Side 2]

6. Buried Alive In The Blues

7. Rule The Road

8. Nobody's Fault But Mine

9. Highway 28

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Better Days" by Paul Butterfield (aka "Paul Butterfield's Better Days") – released January 1973 in the USA on Bearsville BR 2119, February 1973 in the UK on Bearsville K 45515 (Produced by Paul Butterfield and Geoff Muldaur). This Mini LP Card sleeve is a Gatefold and includes a double-sided three-way foldout insert that repro's the original 1973 insert

 

CD11 (39:05 minutes):

1. Too Many Drivers [Side 1]

2. It's Getting Harder To Survive

3. If You Live

4. Win Or Lose

5. Small Town Talk

6. Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It [Side 2]

7. Poor Boy

8. Louisianna Flood

9. It All Comes Back

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "It All Comes Back" by Paul Butterfield's Better Days – released November 1973 in the USA on Bearsville BR 2170, January 1974 in the UK on Bearsville K 45517. Has songs written by Bobby Charles, Geoff Muldaur and Rick Danko.

 

CD12 (35:38 minutes):

1. You Can Run But You Can't Hide [Side 1]

2. (If I Never Sing) My Song

3. The Animal

4. The Breadline

5. Ain't That A Lot Of Love

6. I Don't Wanna Go [Side 2]

7. Day To Day

8. Here I Go Again

9. The Flame

10. Watch 'Em Tell A Lie

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Put It In Your Ear" by Paul Butterfield – released December 1975 in the USA on Bearsville BR 6960 and February 1976 in the UK on Bearsville K 55509 – Musicians include Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of The Band, David Sanborn, Eric Gale and Fred Carter. This Mini LP Card sleeve includes a one-sided page insert that repro's the original 1975 LP insert

 

CD13 (35:08 minutes):

1. I Get Excited [Side 1]

2. Get Some Fun In Your Life 

3. Footprints On The Windshield Upside Down

4. Catch A Train 

5. Bread And Butterfield 

6. Living In Memphis [Side 2]

7. Slow Down 

8. I Let It Go To My Head 

9. Baby Blue

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "North South" by Paul Butterfield – released January 1981 in the USA on Bearsville BSK 6995 (no UK issue).

 

CD14 (70:17 minutes): 

1. Intro (1:07 minutes)

2. Born Under A Bad Sign (13:39 minutes)

3. No Amount Of Loving (6:13 minutes)

4. Driftin' And Driftin' (12:09 minutes)

5. Morning Sunrise (8:01 minutes)

6. All In A Day (9:04 minutes)

7. Love March (10:08 minutes)

8. Everything's Gonna Be Alright (2:51 minutes)

Tracks 1 to 8 are called "Live In White Lake, N.Y. 8/18/69". Tracks 2, 4 and 6 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED - Tracks 3, 7 and 8 first showed 2009 in the 6CD 40th Anniversary Box Set "Woodstock 40 (3 Days Of Peace & Music)" on Rhino 8122 79859 7 (UK and Europe). Although the title confusingly doesn't mention 'Woodstock' - this November 2015 CD represents the first time the 'complete show' has been represented on CD.

The Clamshell Box Set is sturdy enough and the 14 Mini LP Card Sleeves are full covers back and front and not those bordered versions you get in the cheaper "Original Album Classics" 5CD Capacity Wallets that look slightly naff. There are gatefolds where there should be and inserts too (see notes above). There is no Mastering Credits - but its obvious on Audio that these are the 90s Rhino Remasters – they kick like a mule and in glorious Stereo too. You could argue that the Mono variants of the first few 60ts LPs should have been added in for this box and some kind of booklet or poster included celebrating the band – but let us deal with what we do have...

 

Down through the years the musician list is impressive and varied – guitar maestro Mike Bloomfield originally combined with Elvin Bishop for the Sixties, Mark Naftalin and Ted Harris on Keyboards, Jeremy Arnold, Bugsy Mough and Rod Hicks on Bass, Bill Davenport, Sam Lay, George Davidson and Phil Wilson on Drums with regular guests like Horn Players David Sanborn, Gene Dinwiddie, Keith Johnson, Steve Madaio and Trevor Lawrence with Ralph Wash on Guitar, Amos Garret on Bass, Merry Clayton, Bobby Charles, Maria and Geoff Muldaur on Vocals, Bobbye Hall on Congas and many, many more. Paul A. Rothchild from Elektra and Todd Rundgren from Bearsville have produced too.

 

Outside of diehard fans of primo Blues Rock that have to have it all, for many casual divers the cheap-as-chips and just as tasty March 2010 Rhino/Elektra "Original Album Series" 5CD Capacity Wallet is enough to open accounts and go no further. It contains the December 1965 groundbreaking debut "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" through to the October 1969 "Keep On Moving" LP (essentially CDs 1 to 5 here) - but this fab box set finally offers fans and the curious alike a whole lot more – and some of it (not all) is absolutely worth the stretch of your wallet. That expanded Rhino Handmade 2CD-variant of "Live" recorded March 1970 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles shows a band cooking – four brass players led by Guitar, Keyboards, Bass and Drums – tight and proud and Butterfield taking centre-stage.

 

Although it’s no audiophile recording, the 1969 famously explosive Woodstock set sees the band jam through twelve and thirteen minutes Blues-Rock winners (like Canned Heat on speed) much to the applause of the crowd – this 2015 Box Set being the first time the full show has been issued on one CD (see notes above). The card sleeve artwork for sure isn’t exactly the most inspiring 60ts art representation in the world, but at least we have the set.

 

I've also always had a soft spot for 1971's lesser-heard but expertly produced "Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin'" album with its array of Vocalists - Butterfield of course on the Funky "Play On" - Rod Hicks giving it some Shuggie Otis shuffle on the so-cool "1000 Ways" (edit out that mad start and you've a killer Funky-Funky Soul-Rock groove). Super-session-ladies Clydie King, Merry 'Gimme Shelter' Clayton and Venetta Fields beef up the Soul (these fab girls were used by Steely Dan!). Check out the sound quality on the wildly Chicago-funky instrumental "Song For Lee" that finishes Side 1 - it'll lift your speakers out of their complacency. Gene Dinwiddie leads off 'this is New York City!' vocal soulfulness of the sexy "Trainman" - another deep album gem. This incarnation of The Butterfield Blues Band even had Bobbye Hall of Bill Withers' band on Congas and Bongos - nice.

 

DAN HERSCH and BILL INGLOT – two top quality Audio Engineers long associated with Rhino and their handling of the vast WEA catalogue did the Remasters in the 90s. 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 willy 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, sonicaly obvious too that the original master tapes are in tip-top condition. And throughout, you get Butterfield's deep and muscular harmonica slaying all in its path.

 

Sixties 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 cover of Abbey Road's "Come Together" (Beatles), the 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" with lyrics like "...ain't got a dime and smelin' like a brewery…". Another tremendous chugger is "No Amount Of Loving" from the "Keep On Moving" album - a tune they'd return too for the fantastic 2LP "Live" set.

 

The problems start to come in when Butterfield began producing watered-down and weedy versions in the Seventies – the two by his band Better Days offer some gems like the very Allman Brothers-sounding "Too Many Drivers" and the nasty Sly Stone Funk of "It's Getting Harder To Survive" (sung by Ronnie Barron), but by the time you reach "Put It In Your Ear" in 1976 on Bearsville and especially "North South" in 1981 (I reviewed these on an Edsel CD Reissue years ago) – he was no longer charting and there were obvious reasons why. 

 

"Complete Albums 1965-1980" by Paul Butterfield has in itself been deleted a good few years now and increased alarmingly in price. Sure there's no booklet and there should have been, but if you can get this 14CD 140-song beast for the right amount of dosh - don't hesitate...