RATINGS:
Overall: ****
Presentation: *****
Audio: **** to *****
"...500% More Man..."
June and July 2025 saw Strawberry Records of the UK (one of Cherry Red's label imprints) produce two Themed Clamshell Box Set humdingers. Each came with over 60-tracks, 40-page booklets and Mini LP sleeves. And man are they good...
The first was "Feelin' Alright? Mod Rock, Funky Prog & Heavy Jazz 1967-1972" (reviewed elsewhere) and the second is this little beauty given over to all things American and Bluesy on a white-boy's influentially drawn-in tip. So much great stuff here to love - time for a deep dive - so to the details straight away...
UK released Friday, 18 July 2025 - "Rollin' And Tumblin' - American Electric Blues 1965-1971" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Cherry Red/Strawberry CR3JAMBX46 (Barcode 5013929434639) is a 63-Track 3-CD Clamshell Box Set Compiled and Annotated by JOHN HARRINGTON covering Black Blues, R&B, Soul, Rock and Psych being discovered by largely white audiences and bands of the period. It comes with a 40-Page Booklet, Three Mini LP Card Sleeves, ALEC PALAO Mastering and plays out as follows:
CD1 (78:27 minutes, 25 Tracks)
John Lee Hooker, Etta James and Paul Butterfield pictured on the cover
1. Killing Floor - HOWLIN' WOLF (March 1965 US 7" 45-single on Chess 1923, A-side - sessions included Hubert Sumlin and Buddy Guy on Guitars with LaFayette Leake on Piano)
2. 500% More Man - BO DIDDLEY (October 1965 US 7" 45-single on Checker 1123, A-side - an update on his "I'm A Man" classic from 1955 on Chess - real name Elias McDaniel)
3. Baby Scratch My Back - SLIM HARPO (December 1965 US 7" 45-single on Excello 45-2273, A-side - real name James Moore)
4. Born In Chicago - THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND (from the 1965 US Various Artists Elektra Records label sampler LP "Folksong '65" on Elektra S-8 - this earlier version is exclusive to this album and includes Paul Butterfield on Harmonica, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop on Guitars with Howlin' Wolf band members Jerome Arnold and Sam Lay on Bass and Drums with Organist Mark Naftalin)
5. Snatch It Back And Hold It - JUNIOR WELLS CHICAGO BLUES BAND (from the November 1965 US Debut LP "Hoodoo Man Blues" on Delmark DS-9612 in Stereo - features Buddy Guy on Guitar credited as 'Friendly Chap' - LP recorded live in the studio across two days in September 1965)
6. Rock Me Baby - OTIS REDDING (from the September 1965 US LP "Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul" on Volt 412 - a B.B. King cover version)
7. Leave My Girl Alone - BUDDY GUY (July 1965 US 7" 45-single on Chess 1936, A-side)
8. Night Owl Blues - THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL (from the November 1965 US LP "Do You Believe In Magic" on Kama Sutra KLPS 8050 in Stereo - band featuring John Sebastian - the instrumental 'Night Owl Blues' is a tribute Blues about a cafe of the same name in Greenwich Village, New York)
9. Spoonful - DION (May 1965 US 7" 45-single on Columbia 4-43293, A-side - a Willie Dixon song done by Howlin' Wolf at Chess Records in 1960)
10. My Babe - THE EVERLY BROTHERS (from the 1965 US LP "Beat & Soul" on Warner Brothers WS 1605 in Stereo - Don and Phil Everly covering a countryfied version of the Willie Dixon penned song made famous by Harmonica legend Little Walter on Chess Records in 1955)
11. Plum-Nellie - BOOKER T. & THE MG's (Originally a June 1963 US 7" 45-single on Stax S-137 in Mono, B-side of "Chinese Checkers" - here as the March 1965 US LP version on "Soul Dressing" in Stereo - band featured Booker T Jones on Organ, Steve Cropper on Guitar and Al Jackson on Drums)
12. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer - JOHN LEE HOOKER (from the October 1966 US LP "The Real Folk Blues" on Chess LPS-1508 in Stereo - an Amos Milburn cover with Eddie Burns on Guitar)
13. Light Bulb Blues - THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT (from the May 1966 US LP "Gloria" on Dunwich S-666 in Stereo - also B-side of their May 1966 US 2nd 7" 45-single "Oh Yeah" on Dunwich 45-122)
14. Sno Cone (Part II) - ALBERT COLLINS (June 1965 US 7" 45-single on TCF/Fox Family/Hall TCF-104, B-side of "Sno Cone (Part I)" - also on his debut album "The Cool Sound Of Albert Collins" on TCF/Fox Family/Hall Records TCF-8002 in Mono)
15. I Had A Dream - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (February 1966 US 7" 45-single on Stax 45-186, A-side - written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter)
16. 32-20 - THE CHARLATANS (October 1966 US 7"45-single on Kapp K-779, A-side - a Robert Johnson cover - Mike Wilhelm plays Lead Slide Guitar on this cover)
17. I Wish You Would - JOHN HAMMOND (December 1965 US 7" 45-single on Red Bird RB 10047, A-side in Mono - First Stereo Release on the "I Can Tell" LP on Atlantic Records SD 8152 in 1967 - Session included Robbie Robertson pre The Band on Guitar with Rolling Stones Bassist Bill Wyman)
18. Shake Your Hips - SLIM HARPO (June 1966 US 7" 45-single on Excello 45-2278, A-side - Session included Lazy Lester on Percussion, Katie Webster on Organ, Willie 'Tomcat' Parker on Tenor Sax - The Rolling Stones famously covered this dancefloor shuffler song for their 1972 double-album "Exile On Main St.")
19. Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes, I Do - CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & HIS MAGIC BAND (from the August 1967 US Debut LP "Safe As Milk" on Buddah BDM 1001 - band featured Ry Cooder on Slide Guitar)
20. Rollin' And Tumblin' - CANNED HEAT (June 1967 US 7" 45-single on Liberty 55979, A-side - First Stereo release on the July 1967 US Debut LP "Canned Heat" on Liberty LST-7526 - a cover version of the Muddy Waters 1950 Blues classic)
21. I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes - THE BLUES PROJECT (from the November 1966 US LP "Projections" on Verve Folkways FTS-3008 in Stereo - band featured Tommy Flanders on Vocals, Danny Kelb on Guitars, future Blood, Sweat & Tears singer/songwriter and solo artist Al Kooper with Guitarist Steve Katz - song is a reinterpretation of a 1920's Blind Willie Johnson song called "Lord I Just Can't Help From Crying")
22. Think It Over - B.B. KING (April 1967 US 7" 45-single on Bluesway 45-61004, A-side - First Stereo release on the 1968 US LP "His Best: The Electric B.B. King" on Bluesway BLS-6022)
23. I'd Rather Go Blind - ETTA JAMES (October 1967 US 7" 45-single on Cadet 5578, B-side of "Tell Mama" - British Blues Rock legends Chicken Shack (on Blue Horizon Records) famously covered "I'd Rather Go Blind" with Christine Perfect on Lead Vocals. She later of course became Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac when she married the band's Bassist John McVie. Chicken Shack's cover of the "I'd Rather Go Blind" torch ballad hit No. 14 in 1968 in England and launched a long career for Stan Webb's Blues Boogie band)
24. You Don't Love Me - KALEIDOSCOPE (from the November 1967 US LP "A Beacon From Mars" on Epic BN 2633 in Stereo - a sort of 60ts Psych version of Willie Cobb's song - Chester Crill (Max Buda) plays Harmonica)
25. Work Song - THE BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND (from their 1966 US Second LP "East-West" on Elektra Records EKS-7315 in Stereo - A Nat Adderley cover)
CD2 (79:25 minutes, 20 Tracks):
Bob 'The Bear' Hite of Canned Heat, Taj Mahal and Janis Joplin pictured on cover
1. I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie) - MAGIC SAM BLUES BAND (from the September 1968 US Debut LP "West Side Soul" on Delmark DS-615 in Stereo - real name Samuel Maghett)
2. Going Up The Country - CANNED HEAT (November 1968 US 7" 45-single on Liberty 56077, A-side - band featured Bob 'The Bear' Hite with Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson)
3. Statesboro Blues - TAJ MAHAL (from the January 1968 US Debut LP "Taj Mahal" on Columbia CS 9579 in Stereo - is a cover version of a Blind Willie McTell Blues classic and Taj's band featured both Ry Cooder and Jesse Ed Davis on Guitars)
4. Twisted - JOHN KAY & THE SPARROWS (from the 1969 US LP "John Kay & The sparrow" on Columbia CS 9758 in Stereo - pre Steppenwolf band)
5. Piece Of My Heart - BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY (from their August 1968 second US album "Cheap Thrills" on Columbia KCS 9700 in Stereo - this 'LP Version' features JANIS JOPLIN on Lead Vocals and is an Erma Franklin cover)
6. Killing Floor - THE ELECTRIC FLAG (from the March 1968 US LP "A Long Time Comin'" on Columbia CS 9597 in Stereo - a cover of the Howlin' Wolf classic - band featured guitarist Mike Bloomfield ex-Paul Butterfield Blues Band with Nick Gravenites)
7. Tom Cat - MUDDY WATERS (from the October 1968 US LP "Electric Mud" on Cadet Concept LPS 314 in Stereo - features future Miles Davis band member Pete Cosey on Guitar)
8. Mean Town Blues - JOHNNY WINTER (from his March 1969 US Debut LP "The Progressive Blues Experiment" on Imperial LP 12431)
9. Gambler's Blues - OTIS RUSH (from the April 1969 US Debut LP "Mourning In The Morning" on Cotillion SD 9006 in Stereo - Produced by Mick Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites of The Electric Flag - Other Guests included Duane Allman and Jimmy Johnson on Guitars with Ronnie Hawkins on Drums - it is a B.B. King cover version)
10. Born To Be Wild - WILSON PICKETT (from the January 1969 US LP "Hey Jude" on Atlantic SD 8215 in Stereo - Duane Allman on Guitar with The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as the backing band - a cover version of the Steppenwolf hit from the 'Easy Rider' movie)
11. Funk 48 - THE JAMES GANG (from their September 1969 US Debut LP "Yer' Album" on Bluesway BLS 6034 in Stereo - band featured songwriter, singer and guitarist Joe Walsh, later went solo and then from 1976 for 50 years with Eagles)
12. Hoochie Coochie Man - STEPPENWOLF (from their January 1968 US Debut LP "Steppenwolf" on Dunhill DS-50029 in Stereo - a Willie Dixon song made famous by Muddy Waters)
13. Stop - MIKE BLOOMFIELD and AL KOOPER (from the August 1968 US LP "Super Session" on Columbia CS 9701 in Stereo - credited to Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills - three already legendary guitarists of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The Electric Flag, Al Kooper of Bob Dylan sessions and Blood, Sweat & Tears with Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield - "Stop" is a Howard Tate Soul song cover and features only Bloomfield and Kooper of the three)
14. Roberta - LONNIE MACK (from the March 1969 US LP "Glad I'm In The Band" on Elektra EKS-74040 in Stereo - a cover of the Huey 'Piano' Smith New Orleans hit by Guitarist Lonnie McIntosh)
15. Pack Fair And Square - THE J. GEILS BAND (from the 1970 US Debut LP "The J. Geils Band" on Atlantic SD 8275 in Stereo - band featured John J. Geils on Guitar with Richard 'Magic Dick' Salwitz on Harmonica - a Big Walter Price cover version)
16. Speak My Mind - J.B. HUTTO & HIS HAWKS with SUNNYLAND SLIM (from the 1969 US Debut LP "Hawk Squat" on Delmark DS-617 in Stereo - guitarist Lee Jackson also features)
17. Who Do You Love Part 1 - QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE (Excerpt from the March 1969 US 2nd LP "Happy Trails" on Capitol ST-120 in Stereo - Part 1 is an excerpt from a Side-long 'suite' of over 23 minutes that covers Bo Diddley's famous Chess Records anthem 'Who Do You Love' - band featured John Cipollina and Gary Duncan on Guitars with Dave Freisberg on Bass)
18. I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know - BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS (from the February 1968 US Debut LP "Child Is Father To The Man" on Columbia CS 9619 in Stereo - band featuring Guitarist Steve Katz (ex-Blues Project), Songwriter, Guitarist and Vocalist Al Kooper with Saxophonist Fred Lipsius and Drummer Bobby Colomby - the song is an Al Kooper tribute to Otis Redding who had only recently died)
19. Parchment Blues - BLUE CHEER (from the February 1968 US LP "Vincebus Eruptum" on Philips PHS 600-264 in Stereo - a Moses Allison cover version - band featured Leigh Stephens on Guitar who would later have a solo career)
20. Motor City Is Burning - MC5 (from their February 1969 US debut live album "Kick Out The Jams" on Elektra EKS-74042 in Stereo - band featured Wayne Kramer on Guitar - is a John Lee Hooker cover version)
CD3 (78:09 minutes, 18 Tracks):
B.B. King, Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers and Aretha Franklin are pictured
1. The Hunter - IKE & TINA TURNER (from the October 1969 US LP "The Hunter" on Blue Thumb Records BTS 11 in Stereo - is a cover version of an Albert King song)
2. Whipping Post - THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (from the November 1969 US Debut LP "The Allman Brothers Band" on Atco/Capricorn SD 33-308 in Stereo - band featured Gregg and Duane Allman and Dickey Betts on Guitars)
3. Why I Sing The Blues - ARETHA FRANKLIN (from the August 1970 US LP "Spirit In The Dark" on Atlantic SD 8265 in Stereo - a B.B. King cover version)
4. Yonder Wall - FREDDIE KING (from the January 1970 US LP "My Feeling For The Blues" on Cotillion SD 9016 in Stereo - LP produced by King Curtis - song is an Elmore James cover version)
5. Evil - HOWLIN' WOLF (from the February 1969 US LP "The Howlin' Wolf Album" on Cadet Concept LPS-319 in Stereo - Guitarists included Hubert Sumlin, Phil Upchurch and Pete Cosey - album featured Psychedelic re-workings of his Chess Records Blues catalogue from the Fifties for a new audience and famously came with a disclaimer on the front cover that the Wolf hated the record - which appears to have been true)
6. The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. KING (from his December 1969 US LP "Completely Well" on Bluesway BLS 6037 in Stereo - a Roy Hawkins cover version originally issued 1950 - King's LP was Produced by Bill Szymczyk who would later have huge success with Joe Walsh's Barnstorm and the Eagles. "The Thrill Is Gone" gave B.B. his highest Billboard 45-charting in 1969 and became his signature tune ever after)
7. Call Me The Breeze - J.J. CALE (from his December 1971 US Debut LP "Naturally" on Shelter Records SW-8908 in Stereo - this famous Bluesy shuffle song used an early version of a Drum Machine and was memorably covered by Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd fro their "Second Helping" album in 1974 - Eric Clapton also covered it and cited the man as a huge 'style' influence on EC and would later couple up with John J. Cale for Studio albums and live dates)
8. Blues And Trouble - MUDDY WATERS (from the May 1969 US LP "After The Rain" on Cadet Concept LPS-320 in Stereo - Guests included Guitarists Phil Upchurch and Pete Cosey with Pianist Otis Spann and Harmonica from Paul Oscher. "After The Rain" was Muddy's 'preferred' follow-up LP to the divisive "Electric Mud" Psych-Blues album on the year before)
9. Elephant Man - BO DIDDLEY (from the June 1970 US LP "The Black Gladiator" on Checker LPS 3013 in Stereo)
10. Boom Boom - TONY JOE WHITE (from his July 1970 third studio LP "Tony Joe" on Monument SLP-18142 in Stereo - a Swamp Rock re-working of the famous John Lee Hooker Blues tune)
11. I Walk On Gilded Splinters - JOHNNY JENKINS (from the July 1970 US LP "Ton-Ton Macoute!" on Atco/Capricorn SD 33-331 in Stereo - a Dr. John cover version - Band featuring three members of The Allman Brothers Band - Duane Allman, Butch Truck and Jaimoe)
12. Alimony - RY COODER (from the October 1970 US Debut LP "Ry Cooder" on Reprise RS 6402 in Stereo - a Tommy Tucker cover version)
13. Train - BUDDY MILES EXPRESS (from the November 1968 US Debut LP "Expressway To Your Skull" on Mercury SR 61196 in Stereo - band featured ex The Electric Flag Drummer an Vocalist Buddy Miles, Guitars by Jim McCarty of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels with Production by Jimi Hendrix - Miles would later play with Hendrix's backing group Band Of Gypsys before his passing in late 1970)
14. Whole Lotta Love - KING CURTIS & THE KINGPINS (September 1970 US 7" 45-single on Atco 45-6779, A-side - a Funky Saxophone and Brass cover of Led Zeppelin's signature tune from October 1969's "Led Zeppelin II" - itself a hybrid of a Muddy Waters Blues tune called "You Need Love")
15. Chairman Of The Board - CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD (January 1971 US 7" 45-single on Invictus IS-9086, A-side - Blues-Funk Song Written by Motown's Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier with Lead Vocals by Harrison Kennedy)
16. Where Ya At Mule - DR. JOHN, THE NIGHT TRIPPER (from the September 1971 US LP "The Sun, The Moon & Herbs" on Atco SD 33-362 in Stereo - real name Mac Rebennack - Band featured Singers Bobby Whitlock and Doris Troy, Horns from Bobby Keys (long-time associated with The Rolling Stones), British Saxophonist Chris Mercer with Brass Section provided by The Memphis Horns)
17. (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree - ZZ TOP (October 1970 US 7" 45-single on London 45-138, A-side - also the opening track on Side 1 of their January 1971 US Debut LP "ZZ Top's First Album" on London PS 584 in Stereo - this famous Texan three-piece band featured Billy Gibbons on Guitar, Dusty Hill on Bass and Frank Beard on Drums and would achieve huge global status during the 1980s and the MTV era - also featured in the third 'Back To The Future' film)
18. Going Down - FREDDIE KING (from the April 1971 US LP "Getting Ready" on Shelter Records SHE 8905 in Stereo - Produced by Leon Russell (of Shelter Records) with Don Nix - the band included Leon Russell on Piano and members of Booker T. & The MG's - song written by Don Nix)
The 40-page booklet can only be described as a 'feast' - knowledgeable and fact-jammed liner notes by compiler and annotator JOHN HARRINGTON that feature a blow-by-blow account of each song/artist and heaps of archive, trade advert, promo photos and concert artwork in-between the text - it's superbly done and must have taken months to sequence. Archivist, Soul & Mod aficionado and true believer ALEC PALAO has done the Mastering and these official licenses sound like 90s and 00s Remasters - all of it sparkling. By the time you get to Disc 2 and 3 - you may have to turn your combo down to simmer - as tune after tune feels audibly chunky (and for all the right clarity reasons). The first CD being older Blues has a few rough spots as you can imagine and some of the material is over familiar - but you get it - in keeping with the theme - these huge influences are here for a reason. But what makes "Rollin' And Tumblin'..." and Strawberry Clamshells like this such a pleasure is the Coolsville discoveries on every CD (re-acquaintances too) - songs maybe you saw on lists or heard in movies. I like the three Mini LP card sleeves too - cleverly picturing three shakers and makers on each front (see lists above for details) - while the Box Set cover and booklet show another important trio - Howlin' Wolf, Mike Bloomfield and Tina Turner. Nice. To the music...
CD1 sets the scene with five original influences on young white tomboys (Howlin' Wolf through to Otis Redding) before we get to The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Shadows Of Knight, John Hammond et al - American lads redigesting the Blues. Least not of all amongst these were those naughty boys from England who took all this raw American Blues and R&B and morphed it into Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Soul Rock, Garage and Freakbeat. You can feel the eager-beavers all over this Box Set even if they're not actually here (probably due to licensing) - bands like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, The Animals and of course then into heavier incarnations like Cream, Zeppelin, Staus Quo and everybody who followed.
"Killing Floor" opens proceedings in 1965 - the same year The Stones had The Wolf on the American TV show 'Shindig' - a pivotal crossover moment in the mid-Sixties when such things were still dangerous. Buddy Guy's Chicago Electric Blues Guitar sound is given pride of place on his own "Leave My Girl Alone" but also in subtle session plays for Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells and as part of the Muddy Waters ensemble over at Chess Records. Most British R&B and Soul fans know the Booker T & The MG's tune "Plum-Nellie" from mod darlings Small Faces - the tune turning on Decca's naughty June 1965 compilation album "From The Beginning" which the band didn't want issued. Here we get Booker's Stereo version from the 1965 LP (and not the 1963 Mono B-side) with Steve Cropper lending blistering guitar while Mr. Jones pushes that Organ sound (very clever choice linking the US influence with a British outcome).
The genre-moving-forward subtleties continue with the inclusion of B.B. King's "Think It Over" on Bluesway in 1967. Smart enough to catch the zeitgeist - Blues Boy King played alongside coolsters like Moby Grape and The Steve Miller Band at the famous San Francisco Fillmore venue in February of that 'Sgt. Peppers' year - 1967 - thus winning a whole new legion of dude white men fans and converts (B.B. King left the Chitlin' Circuit for good just after). White boys like The Everly Brothers, Captain Beefheart and especially Canned Heat nod towards R&B with cool covers of Chess Classics while The Charlatans and John Hammond show why they are such cult-faves with their great choices too. CD1 jaunts home with brilliance from Etta James, Psych-Blues nutters Kaleidoscope on Epic Records and the monstrously influential Paul Butterfield Blues Band having a go at Bluesing-up a Nat Adderley jazz tune called "Work Song" - Eastern Mysticism meeting Western Blues - such a smart move forward from the strictly interpretative 1965 debut album that honoured Chicago Blues.
CD2 - while I never could in all honesty stand the weedy "Going Up The Country" of Canned Heat (when they did so much better) - the Taj Mahal and Magic Sam choices are genius - great fusions of Blues and Rock that accept the old but push onwards towards the future. Speaking of unsuspecting brilliance - Steppenwolf's front man and principal songwriter John Kay has always been a go-to for me. His solo LPs "Forgotten Songs And Unsung Heroes" (1972) and "My Sportin' Life" (1973) on Dunhill (USA) and Probe (UK) are reviewed elsewhere on a fab Beat Goes On (BG) CD compilation from 2008. Here we get his first outings Pre-Wolf as the band Sparrow and what a winner his own "Twisted" is - great discovery that Columbia issued after the success of the first two Steppenwolf albums. Ballsy and possessed of a set of pipes many would have killed for - Texan firebrand Janis Joplin fronted the San Francisco Rock-Psych band Big Brother & The Holding Company for two studio LPs before going solo with "Pearl" in 1970. "Her cover of the Erma Franklin soul ballad "Piece Of My Heart" was almost a trauma song by the time Janis was done with. And then sadly 'the greatest white Blues singer' left altogether shortly afterwards. The advert on Page 17 of the booklet shows the amazing Columbia LP cover artwork to "Cheap Thrills" with the words "They're Going To Wipe You Out..." beside it - which she and the band had promptly done at The Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967.
We return to the Wolf's influence with The Electric Flag's Vietnam War version of his "Killing Floor" preceded by a Radio Voice quoting ominous loss statistics. Ex Paul Butterfield Blues Band guitar wizard Mike Bloomfield headed up the band with Guitarist and Vocalist Nick Gravenites who would provide Janis with "Buried Alive In The Blues" on her second solo LP "Pearl" (1971) - a voiceless instrumental that never got vocals because of her passing. Speaking of stunners and tie-ins - both Bloomfield and Gravenites of The Electric Flag produced the late-coming debut album for Otis Rush - "Mourning In The Morning" - which is represented here with a fab cover of B.B. King's "Gambler's Blues". Both Duane Allman and Tommy Johnson are said to feature as guitarists on this ballsy drivin' rendition. The Wicked Pickett was looking for songs to suit his rasp and manic delivery and few delivered better than Steppenwolf's monster counter-culture motorbikin' hit "Born To Be Wild" - the sessions recorded at Rick Hall's Fame Studios in Alabama with guitar legend Duane Allman jobbing alongside The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as Pickett's storming backing band. Ideally, I would have wanted both "Sookie Sookie" (by Don Covay) and Muddy's "Hoochie Coochie Man" from the stunning "Steppenwolf" 1968 debut LP - but here we get only Hoochie. Still - it's a barnstormer and a clever way of showing the fusion taking place in Rock Music in the late Sixties. These American bands didn't just dig the Blues; they were taking it to a new place. I wonder how many of the old stars saw their faded careers revived by long-haired galoots with Gibsons and Fenders and an adoring look in their eye.
Brilliant and a great compilation inclusion is the trio of guitarists (Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills) doing their cool cover version of Howard Tate's Soul song "Stop". The "Super Session" LP of 1968 on Columbia's '360 Sound' label is the stuff of Audiophile wet dreams - great music and fabulous production values combine with effortless cool and genre forward momentum - nice. And so it is here - an album that reached No. 12 on the US Billboard charts and is remembered with a heap of affection. CD2 races to the finish line with fantastic rip-roaring inclusions - The J. Geils Band doing an obscure Big Walter Price Blues while the brassy boys of Blood, Sweat & Tears lay on a heart-rendered tribute to the fallen Otis Redding with Al Kooper's "I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" (what a tune). And it ends with two heavy sets of Yanks - Blue Cheer and MC5 kicking everything out of the pram never mind cities on fire.
CD3 moves into 1969 when the Heavy Rock sound changes were everywhere - so a smart starter in Ike & Tina Turner's "The Hunter" - a song that literally feels like a musical prowler. Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts and Butch Truck stop sessioning for everyone else for a 'minute' to make their own debut album and give us "Whipping Post" - a tune they would turn into a monster on the 1971 Capricorn Records live-double "...At Fillmore East". Two mavericks now show up in the form of Lady Soul herself Aretha Franklin offering a song from her brilliant "Spirit In The Dark" LP of 1970, and Freddie King gettin' all sliding Elmore James on "Yonder Wall" (King Curtis producing). The remake of "Evil" by Howlin' Wolf is something I skip to be truthful, but not so B.B. King's renaissance song "The Thrill Is Gone" - sounding just fab and amazingly fresh since its appearance in 1969 on Bluesway.
The new groovers start to beckon - perhaps none more important than Tony Joe White and the wonderful J. J. Cale. The classic shuffler "Call Me The Breeze" features an early version of a Drum machine - while it could be argued that J.J. Cale, Clapton, Dire Straits, John Mayer - all knicked some of Tony Joe White's languid cool Southern swampboy style. Lynyrd Skynyrd would cover the Al Kooper produced "Call Me The Breeze" Cale song (as a finisher) on their 1974 second studio platter "Second Helpings" with Brass and fantastic pizzazz. Tony Joe White had the cool and suave of a hundred Rock Stars as he covered John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" by making it into an 8-minute Rock Funk-a-thon. And just as the new kids on the block are about to swamp all that went before, along comes Forties and Fifties originators Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley re-polishing and re-inventing - Muddy getting back to basic Blues (the "After The Rain" LP) while Eugene Daniels tries his luck with the Shaft gold-chains audience for his underrated "The Black Gladiator" album in 1970.
By the time we reach the second half of CD3 - King Curtis is covering Led Zeppelin who were covering Muddy Waters ("Whole Lotta Love") and even Soul songwriters Holland and Dozier (after exiting Motown) are angling for a catchy Rock-Soul hook with Chairmen Of The Board on their own Invictus Records. And on it goes to The Night Tripper (Dr. John), the bearded boys of ZZ Top shaking other people's trees and back like a returning sixpence to the updated Blues of Freddie King.
"Rollin' And Tumblin'..." is a very cool release and retailing at about £22 to £25 quid on a helpful site near you - a purchase you should treat yourself too. Top marks to all involved...
