"…I
Want You To Rock Me Baby…All Night Long…"
With
guests from the famed US Blues and R&B label Chess Records, the two volumes
"Blues Jam In Chicago, Volume One" and "...Volume Two" are
based around Fleetwood Mac's 4th vinyl outing in December 1969 – the 2LP set "Blues
Jam At Chess" (also known as "Fleetwood Mac in Chicago" in the
USA). Having a rather convoluted history on all formats - both the original UK
and American record issues and their subsequent Remastered 1999 and 2004 CD
Reissues require some serious explanation as regards release dates, artwork and
even content. So here goes – the records first...
Fleetwood
Mac's 4th vinyl outing was a double-album called "Blues Jam At Chess"
issued December 1969 on Blue Horizon Records S 7-66227 in the UK and Blue
Horizon BH 3801 in the USA (different artwork). Produced by MIKE VERNON and
MARSHALL CHESS at the Chess "Ter-Mar" Studios in Chicago - the
artists involved were FLEETWOOD MAC, OTIS SPANN on Piano, WILLIE DIXON on Bass,
WALTER "Shakey" HORTON on Harmonica, J.T. BROWN on Tenor Sax, GUITAR
BUDDY on Guitars (Pseudonym for Buddy Guy), HONEYBOY EDWARDS on Bass and S.P.
LEARY on Drums. It was recorded in one day - 4 January 1969 – and has a
multiple credited title (the artists listed in block capitols above).
The
following year the Stateside double-album was initially split into two single
LPs and retitled "Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.1" and
"...Vol.2" – released June and September on Blue Horizon BH 4802 and
BH 4803 respectively. They again had different artwork (colour photos of the
sessions). Neither charted - but reissued as a double-LP proper under the title
"Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" in June 1971 on Blue Horizon BH 3801 – it
did chart and peaked at No. 190 on a 6-week run. This double variant sported
yet more artwork changes – the title stenciled onto the side door of a blue car/cab.
To confuse matters even further and on the back of the success of the
Buckingham/Nicks "Fleetwood Mac" Reprise Records LP – it was reissued
yet again December 1975 as "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" on Sire S2X
6009 and charted belatedly for a second time – peaking at No. 118 in a 16-week
chart run. This 3rd reissue reverted to a plain sort of eggplant red titled
cover - the one used for the original 1969 Blue Horizon double.
The
cover of the original 1969 British 2LP set had a wavy backdrop and titled
sleeve - no real effort in the art department - while the 1971 and 1975 US
doubles didn't fare much better either – a blue car door sleeve for 1971 and a
plain red cover for 1975. These new CD remasters however use the much prettier
1970 "Blues Jam At Chicago – Volumes 1 & 2" artwork for both
volumes and were first issued inside November 1999's "The Complete Blue
Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" 6CD Box Set – and are now re-released 12 July
2004 as individual stand-alone single CD reissues (this one is "Blues Jam In
Chicago Volume Two" on Columbia/Blue Horizon 5164472 - Barcode 5099751644729). So at last to the rejiggered musical content...
The
original American Volumes issued June and September 1970 were simply Sides 1
and 2 of the British and American double-LP on Volume 1 with Sides 3 and 4 put
onto Volume 2. But as these July 2004 CDs are taken from "The Complete
Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" Box Set
– they're the 'Expanded Edition' versions with (in some cases) radically
reconfigured tracks. In order to show the musical differences I've detailed the
Vinyl Track List first - then the Expanded CD...
ORIGINAL
1969/1970 VINYL TRACK LIST (Sides 3 and 4 of a 2LP set):
Side
3:
1.
World's In A Tangle [Jimmie Rogers cover/J Lane]
2.
Talk With You [Danny Kirwan song]
3.
Like It This Way [Danny Kirwan song]
4.
Someday Soon Baby [Danny Kirwan song]
5.
Hungry Country Girl [Otis Spann cover]
Side
4:
1.
Black Jack Blues [J.T. Brown song]
2.
Everyday I Have The Blues [P Chatman cover]
3.
Rockin' Boogie [Jeremy Spencer song]
4.
Sugar Mama [Sonny Boy Williamson cover]
5.
Homework [Clark Perkins song/ Otis Rush cover]
1999
and 2004 EXTENDED CD TRACK LIST (75:52 minutes):
Tracks
1 to 8 are as per the LP above (5 from Side 1 and 3 from Side 2)
9. My Baby’s Gone (David Edwards cover) - an outtake which first appeared
on "The Blue Horizon Story 1965-1970 Volume 1" 3CD box set from 1997 (reissued
in 2006)
10. Sugar Mama – Take 1 (Sonny Boy Williamson cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete –
Previously Unreleased]
11. Sugar Mama – Take 2 [Master Version, as per the LP]
12. Homework (Clark Perkins song/Otis Rush cover) [as per the LP]
13. Honey Boy Blues (David Edwards cover) [Incomplete – Previously
Unreleased]
14. I Need Your Love – Take 1 (Jimmie Rogers cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete –
Previously Unreleased]
15. Horton's Boogie Woogie (Walter Horton cover) [Take 2 – Previously
Unreleased]
16. Have A Good Time (Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]
17. That’s Wrong (Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]
18. Rock Me Baby (Jackson cover) [Previously Unreleased]
WALTER
HORTON plays Harmonica on 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and sings on 13, 16, 17 and 18
BUDDY
GUY, HONEYBOY EDWARDS and WILLIE DIXON are on 9 and 13
J.T.
BROWN, HONEYBOY EDWARDS and WILLIE DIXON are on 6, 7 and 8
OTIS
SPANN plays Piano and S.P. LEARY plays drums on 1 and 2
OTIS
SPANN also plays Piano on 3, 10, 11 and 12 – and has Lead Vocals and Piano on 4
and 5
The
tapes were digitally remastered to stunning sound quality by DUNCAN COWELL in
1999 for the Box Set (that’s what’s been used here) - as fresh as a
politician's new excuses and the foldout leaf inlay has informative and
detailed liner notes by original Producer and label head honcho MIKE VERNON as
well as those in the studio photos.
Compared
to Volume 1 – this second set gets the lion’s share of previously unreleased
material – almost doubling the playing time - and while the first Volume is
good if not a little dull (see separate review), the second is fantastic. It seems
that as the session went on, the adoring Brits and the accommodating Yanks settled
down and became more comfortable with each other to the point where sparks
started to fly. I mean the mighty tunesmith of Chess – Willie Dixon – is in
here – along with Buddy Guy and Otis Spann. How the genuinely in-awe-visitors must
have been stoked...
But
what chucks this half of the double album up into the stratosphere is the seven
bonus previously unreleased cuts (Tracks 10 and 13 to 18) which are not
incomplete takes or aimless studio chatter, but fully realised songs – albeit a
little rough around the edges. “Rock Me Baby”, the Sonny Boy Williamson cover “Sugar
Mama” (a regular in Rory Gallagher’s Taste live shows) and the Horton original “That’s
Wrong” - all throw up fabulous moments of admiration and interplay. The whole
gang is enjoying themselves and it has to be said that one of the keys ingredients
in their pooled magic is Walter Horton’s wonderful harmonica playing and for
that matter - sheer presence. And often less than a fiver of your English
pounds online...this British/American Blues-Rock CD is seriously great value
for money.
To
sum up – a 5-star presentation to a 4 to 5-star second half – and for fans of
Blues, Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac - it’s an
absolute necessity.
PS:
"Blues
Jam At Chicago Volume One" by FLEETWOOD MAC and CHESS FRIENDS on
Columbia/Blue Horizon 5099751644620 (Barcode 5099751644620) is also an 'Expanded
Edition' CD Reconfiguration and Remaster (68:24 minutes) and is available
separately (see my review)...
